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rivacy online has recently exploded as a critical issue with Facebook’s ongoing woes. The movement to ‘delete Facebook’ grew quickly and is gaining some very high proi le support. It’s not all about Facebook, of course. Everyone that is on the internet is aware of the importance to protect their reputation, their history and their most private details. Some take it more seriously than others but I have a feeling this moment in 2018 is going to be pivotal and force many into action. But it is dificult to know exactly what you should do. For many, taking action may come too late to be effective thanks to years, perhaps decades, of accumulated online activity. But, it’s never too late to start being careful, so we hope that we can play our small part in drawing attention to the issue. A big part of that is adopting a VPN to cover your browsing tracks. We’ve covered VPNs in the past, we’ve done Labs comparisons, and now in this issue is a guide for what you should look for – plus a few motivational reasons why you should bother. Almost needless to say, the actual VPN industry is booming. It’s by far one of the strongest growth industries over the last couple of years and it just keeps driving forwards with more VPN products to choose from and those that are out there and established are pitched in a features and value battle with one another for your online dollar. There’s no doubt VPNs are the new anti-virus when it comes to competing companies offering you more, and delivering better value. The only downside to using a VPN is a slight performance hit to your browsing speeds, but I think that now we’re all prepared to wear that for the sake of our privacy. And if that doesn’t motivate you, check out our feature on page 34 of some classic examples of how things went badly wrong.

THE WINNERS ARE After a huge amount of planning, some stress, a little healthy debating and most importantly of all – thousands upon

thousands of votes from you, our readers. It is done. Along with our sister publication PC PowerPlay, we called upon you to have your say and cast an opinion on the very best tech products of 2017. There were many categories and i nalists, and we know the actual process of voting in the awards took a few minutes so I’d like to thank each and every one of you that gave us your time. Now, go check out the winners! The coverage starts on page 26. Ultimately our aim was to acknowledge and reward the products, people and services in the PC industry that deserve some recognition. And that we have achieved. With a very happy added bonus. It is extremely rare that the people from competing companies gather together in one room for a long night of dinner and quite a lot of wine. In fact, it just never happens. We were absolutely delighted to see everyone get on famously and share many a laugh. And, that’s it for awarding things – at least on this grand scale – until this time next year. Until then, you will just have to make do with our own editorial team product appraisals.

REAL TECH ADVICE YOU CAN TRUST! • Our tests are performed by experienced reviewers in our Labs in accordance with strict benchtesting procedures • Our brand new benchmarks have been tailor-made to reflect realworld computing needs • We put tech through its paces – seriously. From processing power to battery life, from usability to screen brightness, our tests are exhaustive • We will always offer an honest and unbiased opinion for every review

THE PC&TA TEAM DIGITAL EDITOR TECH AND GAMING David Hollingworth dhollingworth@nextmedia. com.au T: @atomicmpc

SENIOR JOURNALIST Anthony Agius

SENIOR JOURNALIST Chris Szewczyk

SENIOR JOURNALIST Nick Ross

ART DIRECTOR Tim Frawley

CONTACT US Ben Mansill EDITOR bmansill @nextmedia.com.au

p: (02) 9901 6100 e: [email protected] f: www.facebook.com/pcandtechauthority t: @pctechauthority

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 3

CONTENTS MAY 2018 FEATURES

HOW TO

24

76

THE AWARDS WINNERS! You voted, and here are the winners

UPGRADE TO SSD Transfer everything from a HDD to SSD

30 DO YOU NEED A VPN? Protecting your privacy online – it’s not just for criminals and hackers. PCTA explains why we should all take steps to cover our tracks

LABS

34

68

PRIVACY BLUNDERS We examine the biggest privacy blunders of the century to date and the lessons we should learn from them

SATA SSDS We test the most popular SATA SSDS for your PC

63 MEMBRANE KEYBOARDS Almost mechanical in quality but a little cheaper

24 34

12

RWC TECHDESK

8 NEWS Is Apple’s security slipping?

12 GAME NEWS Raytraced lighting in games is coming, and a gaming router is here

14 CHIP NEWS New Ryzens and Intel i9 CPUs for laptops

18 SYSTEM NEWS Just how popular are PCs without graphics cards?

100 HONEYBALL Jon gives a high-ive to the Microsoft Ofice team as it inally converges on a common codebase, and provides advice on surviving the CPU Armageddon

103 OCKENDEN Paul checks out misleading phone specs, a hefty battery pack, and some wireless and not-sowireless cameras

110 CASSIDY Thin or fat – when is a cloud not really a cloud? Steve discovers two companies with very different views of the future

20 INVESTIGATOR Bitcoin perils and shady scammers

24 ASK GRAEME The lack of FTTN support and Mesh Wi-Fi

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30

DREAM GEAR

90 A-LIST & KITLOG This is the dream list of the best of the best

68

63

98

YOUR FREE APPS HOW TO DOWNLOAD AND INSTALL THIS MONTH’S FREE FULL APPS!

THIS MONTH: •ASHAMPOO Photo Card 2 •NovaPDF

•O&O SafeErase 11 Professional •SSDFresh 2018

CONTENTS

REVIEWS

40

PCS & LAPTOPS Surface Book 2

40

COMPONENTS Asus Maximus X Formula Asus ROG Strix Vega 56 Intel Optane 800P

56 57 60

PERIPHERALS LG 32GK850G monitor LG 27BK750 monitor Asus PA27AC ProArt monitor Apple HomePod Nest Cam IQ Synology DS218J Billion 8700VAX-1600 Aten UH7230 Thunderbolt docking station Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID

52 60

47 48 49 52 53 54 55 58 58

HANDHELDS LG V30

61

SATA SSDS

57

Crucial MX500 Kingston SSDNow UV400 Samsung 860 Evo Samsung 860 Pro WD Blue 3D

69 70 71 72 73

KEYBOARDS Cooler Master MS120 Corsair K55 RGB Razer Cynosa Chroma Steel Series Apex 150

56

64 52 53 54

GAMES War Thunder Vermantide 2

86 89

WEARABLES Sony WH-1000XM2

53

59

WEARABLES Nest Cam IQ

53

58 47

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 5

TECHDESK INBOX

INBOX SPIN US A YARN

DEAR JON Just read Jon Honeyball’s article in the latest magazine where he had isues with Windows converting to German. Well I had a similar situation with my Dell XPS 13 and what I did to ix it was too install the language it insists on using (German in Jon’s case) and then removing it. This sorted my laptop out and not had an issue since. One other issue Jon has is looking for an alternative to Aperture. I have been a long time user of Lightroom (since version 1) and have been searching for a replacement. Like Jon, I believe Lightroom may end up in the cloud. I hate the subscription model and the fact Adobe broke their promise to always have a non-subscription version of Lightroom. In the end the I have switched to DxO PhotoLab for Raw conversion which does a better job of RAW processing than Lightroom. DxO PhotoLab has no asset management features but a very good DAM (Digital Asset Management) is iMatch which works well with tools such as DxO PhotoLab. KEITH

CRISPY MONITORS This is the second review I have seen by you of a 2K monitor complaining about jagged type. Isn’t a 2K monitor at 32in equivalent to a FHD monitor at 23.5in? and no-one seems to complain about them. I use a 32in Samsung 2K for Word and other text rich programs and I am not having any problems at standard resolution of 100% - it’s three pages wide mind you. I’m over 65 and use multifocals. Compared with the monitors of the 90s these are a dream. VAN

ON THE OPTANE 900P Unless you really need this product for your workload, you are better off paying a lot less and getting a Samsung 960 Pro or Evo. Mainly because the normal

user will never notice any of the features and advantages over the cheaper NVME SSDs. Besides, most people I know are either still have SATA SSDs for their OS and probably wouldn’t notice a difference to faster SSD. Those who have their OS on a NVME, mostly don’t take full advantage of its potential. As for longevity, since most people I know would never have a NVME SSD long enough or work it hard enough to near the write endurance, How often do people upgrade their PC? So it is a moot point. At times I do move a lot of iles, but usually from a SATA SSD or from a large USB stick or SD card (128/256GB) to my NAS. Only occasionally do I move large iles to and from my NVME SSD. If only it was not so expensive, it could become a real contender to the established products Time will tell how it goes. GARY

NVME, OPTANE AGAIN AND HOW TO USE THEM I’ve written SSDs to death and it doesn’t take long (about 1 year). My complaint with many SSDs is that the “headline” speeds drop off very quickly. I have several Samsung (SSD) drives which after 1hr of continuous operation drop to about 250MB/sec from over 540MB/sec. (I now have NVMe

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drives). Then again during the calculations I have written over 20TB of data. I’m running on 16 cores/32 threads /128GB RAM and the high data throughput is needed to keep the cores running at their optimum. I’ve trialed the Optane drive and when my next NVMe drive dies I’ll get one. The data throughput is consistently very high, perhaps a smidgen less than the Samsung 960 Pro but it keeps the cores running at 100%. The low latency is a bit plus for me. Unless you are doing the video encoding for proit, I would suggest an M.2 NVMe drive. They are faster than standard SSD drives which top at 550MB/sec. This will allow you cores to run optimally. Instead of running a RAID, you can put the operating system on one drive and the video scratch iles on a second drive. Note that if you have lower capacity SSD drives the data throughput is generally slower (ie sequential read and write) and store data on a separate slow drive. Adding lots of drives can be expensive and if your system shows a queue length of less than 1 there will be no beneit to adding extra drives. Its only when the queue length consistently goes high you need to worry. Also monitor the RAM utilisation. ORAC

WANT TO GET IN TOUCH? m: Inbox, Level 6, Building A, 207 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW 2065 e: inbox@pcand techauthority.com.au Please limit letters to 200 words, where possible. Letters may be edited for style and to a more suitable length. Go to www.pcandtechauthority.com.au and join in the conversation. Also check out the Atomic forums: http://forums.atomicmpc.com.au

Now you can truly be trigger happy.

The curve that gives you the edge The LG 34UC89G UltraWide monitor has a curved 34” screen that immerses you in the game. It features NVIDIA G-SYNC™ which synchronises your senses with ultra-fast paced real time action. With a lightening-quick refresh rate of 144Hz, it responds even faster than your reflexes. Now that’s a real game changer.

LG.com.au

TECHDESK NEWS

TECHDESK NEWS IS APPLE’S SECURITY SLIPPING? A SERIES OF BUGS AND PATCHES SUGGESTS THAT THE TECH GIANT’S QUALITY CONTROL ISN’T WHAT IT USED TO BE

pple’s self-proclaimed reputation for castiron security is faltering after tracts of the company’s all-important source code were posted online. Apple has frequently boasted of how secure its operating systems are compared to Windows and Android, but a series of recent embarrassments have tarnished its image. The company admitted that a key part of the source code for iOS has been posted online after an intern managed to steal the code. Although Apple forced GitHub to remove the post, it’s understood to have been widely distributed. The leak involved iBoot, the part of iOS that’s responsible for ensuring a trusted boot of the operating system. Although the code is two years old and from iOS 9, experts believe it could still offer hackers an insight into how phones could be compromised. “It’s an embarrassment for Apple – your code is the crown jewels so to have it leaked is bad news,” said Alan Woodward, a security specialist. “It gives an insight into the code and might help you work around security aimed at locking the code, rather than providing something such as malware.” Woodward said the publication of sensitive code might not result in an immediate security breach, but could lead to problems further down the line. “It obviously gives hackers a chance to see more than they might otherwise do and if there is a way of abusing some existing feature, say, they might ind it,” he said. “I suspect the real issue is more to do with writing code that might simulate the real code in some way – the big disadvantage hackers have is they don’t (as I understand it) have Apple’s digital certiicates.”

A

LONG-TERM LEAK The leak actually took place at least two years ago, but remained in limited circulation among a small group of jailbreakers before being posted anonymously on GitHub. Apple claims that the age of the leaked code and the company’s aggressive update release cycle should minimise threats. “By design, the security of our products doesn’t depend on the secrecy of our source code,” Apple said in a statement. “There are many layers of hardware and 8 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

software protections built into our products, and we always encourage customers to update to the newest software releases to beneit from the latest protections.” However, because software is developed incrementally, old code could still be in use in the latest versions of iOS. “The code might be ‘old’, but code evolves rather than being a completely new set of code each time there is an update,” said Woodward.

BUG BOMBS The news comes as Apple deals with a slew of embarrassing software problems, including “bug bombs” that crashed phones and Macs when a certain character, link or symbol was included in messages to devices. The latest, the “Telugu text bomb”, caused devices to freeze when sent a message containing an unsupported character from the Indian language. Word spread and people started to include the character to crash other devices. Apple has moved to ix the issue (with iOS version 11.2.6 and macOS version 10.13.3), but the fact that so many problem are emerging within active systems is a concern. At the end of December, the company was alerted to a critical security vulnerability for macOS High Sierra that allowed anyone with physical access to a Mac to gain system administration privileges without even having to enter a password. In the irst seven weeks of 2018, the company has been forced to release 14 security updates across its stable of products. “There is deinitely a growing

THE LATEST TRENDS AND PRODUCTS IN THE WORLD OF TECHNOLOGY

IN OTHER NEWS WINDOWS ON ARM LIMITATIONS REVEALED Microsoft outlined the limitations of Windows 10 running on ARM processors when a company document was accidentally posted online. Although most apps and programs should work as expected on the 64-bit ARM operating system, there are issues with 32-bit and 64-bit x86 drivers on the 64-bit ARM OS, which may mean older hardware and peripherals won’t work with the system. SPOTIFY PLANNING A MOVE INTO HARDWARE Spotify could join the smart speaker crowd after plans for a hardware division were revealed via job adverts. In recruitment documents looking for hardware production engineers, Spotify suggested that it was considering making its own speakers, smartwatches and glasses, and that the company was recruiting staf to “create its first physical products and set up an operational organisation for manufacturing, supply chain, sales and marketing”. GOOGLE LAUNCHES CHROME AD BLOCKER Google has moved to block what it thinks are the most intrusive adverts – such as pop-ups and audio-driven marketing – from websites in its Chrome browser. Using criteria laid out by the Coalition for Better Ads – of which Google is a member – Chrome will block adverts from websites that create “frustrating experiences”.

impression that Apple seems to have had a few quality issues,” said Woodward. “The volume of updates is quite surprising. “You would imagine that some of these things would be picked up in simple testing, which is what makes them all the more surprising. This isn’t about deliberate attacks by hackers per se, more an indication that Apple is letting things slip through the net into the wild.”

TECHDESK NEWS

GAME NEWS THE GAMES PEOPLE PLAY

NETGEAR’S NEW NIGHTHAWK PRO GAMING XR 500 WI-FI ROUTER IS ANNOYINGLY COOL IT’S PACKED WITH SOME LEGITIMATELY AWESOME FEATURES

I 

will freely admit - when someone asked me about this router before I knew much about it, and what made it a gaming router, I told them that it was likely a few random apps and an aggressive physical design. Maybe some RGB lighting. Otherwise, it was just a branding exercise. And then I got to the new NPG XR500 WiFi router in action and boy howdy, was I wrong! Sure, it does kind of look like it’ll either take off or eat your face at any moment, but it is thankfully free of RGB lighting, and the features it boasts sound legitimately useful for gamers. We’ve not seen one in the Labs yet though we’ll get one soon for review - but the product demo certainly piqued our interest.

First up, the router’s UI is one of the most visually impressive we’ve seen, with a tonne of visual representations of the data flowing through your network. On top of that, there’s a lot of ways you can dial in your connection for the best gaming experience. You can set a Geo-ilter by limiting the physical distance of connected servers, and black and white lists of the same, as well as black listing players with connections that are known to be slow. Annoyed with that one guy who always logs on to Battleield 3 with that damn 800 ping and... Block the guy. A Network Monitor lets you keep tabs on who’s hogging the pipe inside your house, too, and there’s a dedicated VPN built in to protect

your identity when you connect to outside servers. (So, if two XR500 users be unable to block each other? The mind boggles at this new ield of gaming warfare...) * Five Gigabit Ethernet ports (4 LAN + 1 WAN) for maximized wired speeds ideal for fast-paced gaming; 802.11ac Wi-Fi; Dual-core 1.7GHz Processor; Simultaneous Dual-Band Wi-Fi; Four (4) external antennas; 15 more channels in 5GHz The Nighthawk Pro Gaming (NPG) XR 500 WiFi router is up for pre-order now, and retails for $449. DAVID HOLLINGWORTH

REAL-TIME RAYTRACING ON THE WAY MAKING IT LOOK REAL If you’ve ever wondered why your thousand dollar video card can’t makes games look as pretty as, say, the latest Pixar movie, a lot of it is due to raytracing. This particularly computationally-intensive task renders reflections in great detail, and with precise accuracy. Movie studios have vast render farms and can take their sweet time to render a frame. Meanwhile your video card has to handle lighting and reflections, potentially, several times per second. So, diferent methods are used in gaming that are computationally ‘cheaper’. But in somewhat of a compromise step in the right direction Microsoft says it’s nearly there with a reasonable solution than brings convincing elements of genuine raytracing to games. We’ll see it in DirectX 12 towards the end of the year. Futuremark announced a raytracing demo will be available soon after, and games support is expected to take a while longer. BEN MANSILL

10 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

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2018

TECHDESK NEWS

CHIP NEWS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF RYZEN’S WERE EVEN BETTER, OR IF I9S EXISTED FOR LAPTOPS, OR IF INTEL MADE A GRAPHICS CARD? MARK WILLIAMS EXPLORES SUCH FANTASIES IN THIS MONTH’S CHIP NEWS

CPU RYZEN REFRESHED Details about AMD’s next CPU generation are leaking out thick and fast and it’s looking promising from a competition standpoint. Code named Pinnacle Ridge, the 2000 series of Ryzen processors is based on the Zen+ architecture which is just a slightly tweaked and optimised version of what came in the initial Zen powered irst generation. So mild are the tweaks to the architecture that is seems that most of the performance gains come directly from moving to a newer and smaller 12nm manufacturing node (versus 14nm previously) and the added stock compatibility with 2933MHz DDR4 memory. There’s talk about improved cache latency, higher bandwidth and faster inter-core communications. All of which can be explained by the faster memory support which the internal Ininity Fabric’s clock speeds are directly derived from. • SKU - Cores/Threads, Base/Boost clocks, TDP • Ryzen 7 2700X - 8/16, 3.7GHz/4.35GHz, 105W • Ryzen 7 2700 - 8/16, 3.2GHz/4.1GHz, 65W • Ryzen 5 2600X - 6/12, 3.6GHz/4.25GHz, 95W • Ryzen 5 2600 - 6/12, 3.3GHz/3.9GHz, 65W Off the bat, compared to the 1000 series

these have some welcomed clock speed boosts, being the 1000 series’ main drawback. The 2000 series seeks to rectify this and pushes the peak boost clocks between 250MHz and 550MHz higher than their 1000 series siblings. On the top end part this comes with a modest 10W increase in TDP to match but lets it outperform the 1800X. Imagine what a theoretical 2800X might achieve. With XFR 2 and Precision Boost 2 these new processors should be able to hit those boost clocks more often and for longer than the irst generation and helps to explain why the initial synthetic benchmarks going around show somewhere between a 12-18% speed increases, more than what the clock speed increases alone would account for. Overall these are some more exciting products from AMD that will keep them in touch with Intel’s aggressive cadence. Expect to see these oficially launch along with new supporting X470 motherboards sometime in April.

I9 FOR YOUR LAP Some details about new mobility chips from Intel have surfaced and appears to be laying down the law, as these new chips bring for the irst time an i9 processor to the line-up. Here is the list of newcomers: • i9-8950HK – 6/12, 2.9GHz/4.8GHz, 45W • i7-8850H - 6/12, 2.6GHz/4.3GHz, 45W • i7-8750H - 6/12, 2.2GHz/4.1GHz, 45W • i5-8400H - 4/8, 2.5GHz/4.1GHz, 45W • i5-8300H - 4/8, 2.3GHz/3.9GHz, 45W Hex-core parts are coming to laptops! The i9 part is particularly interesting as initial benchmarks put it in the region of the desktop grade 8700K. A 45W TDP will likely cause it to throttle quite hard though if it’s to stick to the stock TDP rating. Being an overclockable K variant though it seems likely that manufacturers might push beyond that limit to give end users the processors true performance at the cost of battery life.

GPU INTEL THINKING OF DISCRETE GRAPHICS AGAIN? Two decades after its last discrete graphics card (the i740), Intel unveiled a proof of concept GPU at the recent IEEE ISSCC event in San Francisco. Having recently poached AMD’s GPU lead, Raja Koduri, Intel showed that it is exploring ideas for “future circuit techniques that may improve the power and performance of Intel products”. To do this it intriguingly made a proof of concept 14nm 1.54B transistor discrete GPU based 12 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

on its Gen9 integrated graphics architecture. While everyone got excited at the prospect of Intel entering the discrete graphics market, Intel soon explained that while it does “intend to compete in graphics products in the future, this research paper is unrelated”. Even so, it’s good to see Intel tinkering around with such ideas all the same.

Block diagram of Intel’s prototype discrete GPU

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MOST WANTED ANTHONY FORDHAM WON’T SETTLE FOR LESS

DYSON V10 The stated mission objective from Dyson is to render any kind of vacuum that isn’t handheld like this obsolete. So much so, that the company is no longer making any other kind. That’s mighty conidence. And, to my vacuuming hand, a good decision. There is nothing any other kind of vacuum can do that this doesn’t do as well or better. It comes with an almost bewildering array of attachments including an excellent extensible and flexible hose that attaches to several kinds of small brush head that are perfect for cleaning the innards of a PC. It actually motivated me to clean the inside of my PC last night, and my fans and AIO radiator are as-new dust free.

MOST WANTED It’s all about the motor. The little thing around the size of two cigarette lighters spins at over 100,000 RPM, and that allows immense suction, and all in a body way smaller than ‘proper’ vacuums. This is the motor tech used in the hairdryers and hand dryers also from Dyson, and they think they have at least a two year lead on any other company doing this stuff.

NOT WANTED On max power mode it will drain the battery in ive minutes, but you hardly use that mode anyway, medium speed is ine for everything and will comfortably do your house. It quick charges, too, so a few mins plugged in and you can inish your almost-inished job.

FLOW HIVE 2 You know what’s so hot right now? Beekeeping. No it is. But who wants to have to keep their bees in those boring old white box hives, or those weird manger-style hives that hipster hobby farmers use? None of us! Meanwhile the Anderson boys, the father/son team from Byron, have upgraded their 2015 hit beehive and it can be yours again on Indiegogo for... a lot. But you just have to turn a thing to get honey!

MOST WANTED: You just have to turn a thing to get honey! The “flow frame” is the Anderson’s invention, which they claim is the most signiicant innovation in beekeeping since 1850. The idea of the hive generally is to make beekeeping much, much easier.

NOT WANTED: It’s still beekeeping, a pastime that is actually lethal for many people. Yes, the Flow Hive 2 is much less work than a standard hive, but it still means nets and smokers and whatnot. Also for some reason, hardcore hipster beekeepers hate this thing. Which is probably ironic on some level. 14 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

MOST WANTED TECHDESK

EYEBALL CAMERA PACK The problem with IP cameras is that they promise you the ability to spy on anyone, anywhere, at any time but the blasted things need to be drilled into the wall. Isn’t there a portable solution that lets you set up a creepy CCTV network anywhere you want, anytime? Well, obviously or we wouldn’t have asked the question, now there is!

MOST WANTED: Watch everything, everywhere, always. For the paranoid, this high-tech boce-set lookin’ thing has it all. Resolution is 4K, 130-degree FOV, microSD storage, 12 hour battery life per camera, there’s even a 100dB “panic alarm” for if you feel either alarmed or panicked. Independent Wi-Fi network too, so no home internet required.

NOT WANTED: Has a “laughter detector” so you can spy on and record for later suspicious analysis, anyone nearby who you might suspect of having a good time.

SONIC SOAK What’s something that every single deep future science iction novel ever written ever, has in common? That’s right: everyone showers with ultrasound because water has aliens in it now. This ultrasound cleaner isn’t big enough for your body, but it’s big enough to handle all the gross stuff that comes off your body and sticks to your clothes. Plus, the creators claim, it will clean everything else too.

MOST WANTED: Put your stuff in a bowl. Put the Sonic Soak in there as well. Gently usher any dogs from the room. Turn on the ultrasound and feel vaguely discomited as this pulverises the microbes and whatever. Then rinse and it’s done. Works on gross undies, tableclothes and even fresh fruit. Not all in the same bowl, please. NOT WANTED: Demo videos show stained cloth going in to bowl with Sonic Soak for ages, then removed, then soaped, washed, rung out and dried. So... still need to actually wash your stuff then?

LIGHT PHONE 2 Remember when people used to whine that they wanted a phone “that just made calls”? Well, these guys made that phone last year and the general consensus was that it was too limited. Now that’s deinitely ironic! Anyway, here’s a new version that adds messaging, contacts, alarm, and maybe an ultra-stripped back version of a navigation app MAYBE.

MOST WANTED: The e-Ink display is minimalist and the phone itself is tiny, which is a thing many people want. Also, the sheer street cred the Light Phone 2 will give you when you move to New York is hard to overestimate... NOT WANTED: One of the marketing photographs of this phone shows a person texting a friend asking if they remember the address of “the show”. But unless that address was previously texted to you, there’s no way to know. The Light Phone 2 can’t even take notes. Also, why is this a 4G phone? PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 15

SHOP TALK WHAT PERCENTAGE OF PC’S SHIP WITHOUT A DISCRETE GRAPHICS CARD? HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT DO YOU THINK AMD’S NEW APU’S WILL MAKE?

SYSTEM NEWS JUST HOW POPULAR ARE PCS WITHOUT GRAPHICS CARDS, WONDERS MARK WILLIAMS?

MD recently launched its Ryzen 3 2200G and Ryzen 5 2400G processors, which are essentially quad core Ryzen CPUs paired with a Vega graphics core onboard, inally giving AMD something to compete more directly against Intel’s consumer parts lineup that have had integrated graphics in them for many generations. AMD was clever when designing these new chips though; knowing that Intel still had the lead on performance per core on the CPU side, and knowing it (AMD) would have to remove one CCX to drop in the graphics core, it asked why go toe to toe with you opponent when you don’t have to? So, AMD crammed as much GPU into these chips as is possible given the power and thermal limits they were targeting (65W TDP). As a result, the CPU portion performs admirably at around Ryzen 3 1200 and Ryzen 5 1500X levels respectively, but amazingly at the same price except with a Vega IGP included! So, compared to the Ryzen 1000 series this 2000 series couple seems like a no brainer if quad core computing is all you’re looking for from AMD’s line-up. The included “free” Vega graphics though is quite something else for this segment. It puts Intel’s IGP’s to shame by doubling the frame rates those are capable of, and especially with the 2400G matches what an entry level discrete graphics card (GT 1030) can do. This might explain why AMD has no discrete cards directly competing with the GT 1030,

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they don’t need to as they’ll simply be integrated. Jaimie from Leader Computers brought up an interesting point; “It will be hard work for AMD to change the perception of the average punter though. For those who are not tech savvy, the

“AMD crammed as much GPU into these chips as is possible given the limits” perception is that good media performance NEEDS discrete graphics. While true in the past, over the last 2 years we have seen the gap close considerably for all except high end gaming and CAD applications.” Media performance has been using ixed function silicon on IGP’s and graphics card for a long time so it’s amazing that the average

JAIMIE, LEADER COMPUTERS: “Most Leader consumer systems ship with a discrete graphics card, around 80%. Although embedded graphics from both AMD and Intel has improved a lot, it seems to be an expectation of most retail consumers that they will get discrete graphics. In the corporate desktop market, the ratio is flipped, with only around 10% needing discrete graphics. With the 2200G and 2400G emerging with RX Vega GPU capabilities, they are a viable option for the cost-conscious gamer or power media user. We hope to see many more small form factor PCs built around this combination to give a rich media experience without the high price tag and larger footprint associated with discrete graphics cards.” TROY, SCORPTEC: “Roughly a quarter of our system sales are for systems without a discrete graphics card and we currently don’t sell any systems with entry level discrete graphics. We generally find customers are either looking for strictly a non-gaming machine or would rather pay a bit more to allow the ability to play more game titles.” JOHN, TI COMPUTERS: “At TI, roughly 60% of our sale is contributed by general office builds, which does not require a discrete graphics card. Due to performance constraints, entry level discrete graphics cards are primarily used for system repairs only. We generally use GTX1060 or above when building systems with discrete graphics cards, as that is pretty much the base line for running popular game titles at a reasonable quality these days. We are yet to see too much benefit of switching to the new APUs from AMD, considering you can easily build a significantly better performing system with a little last mile investment changing to the 8th Gen Core-i3 + GTX1050 combo.”

person might still think that way. While the Ryzen 2000G series lineup will easily handle most media tasks, it’s also starting to push the boundaries if what integrated graphics can do even when it comes to gaming (1080p@30fps). If you’re the person your friends and family come to for PC or tech advice, reconsider what integrated graphics are capable of these days. AMD is redeining it and you just might save yourself, friends and family some money with the correct advice.

SYSTEM NEWS TECHDESK

MARKET WATCH SAMPLING SELECT SYSTEMS IN THE MARKET TODAY

CENTRE COM SPITFIRE $1,749 • https://tinyurl.com/y84wqwyg

At a time where gaming PCs are at such a high price point, this system makes a rather compelling case for itself. If ideally paired with a 1080p monitor, this system will perform quite well in most games with details all set at high levels. The i7 7700 CPU while being “last gen” is still a beast and dropping the K level overclocking abilities further saves on the hip pocket too. Storage space is adequate however, you might feel the pinch of system memory constraints if you like to multitask, but given current high RAM pricing, this is forgivable and an easy drop in upgrade later. With a Wi-Fi card thrown in for network diversity all housed inside a shmick looking chassis, for the price, this is a hard system to beat.

SCORPTEC MESHIFY 1080 TI $3,399 • https://tinyurl.com/y9fd6k5j

If you want soaring gaming performance but don’t want to be over enthusiastic like Icarus once was and come a cropper, in your hip pocket, this build walks that line well. It of course has the fastest CPU and GPU available for gaming right now with the CPU sitting under a nice water cooler to keep all six of its cores chilled. This build keeps things a little more modest when it comes to the RAM, SSD and PSU. While the RAM is rated at a faster than stock 3000MHz for overclocking, at 16GB of it some money is saved versus the 32GB the over the top builds have. The SSD will perform admirably too, but it’s no Samsung EVO, just be aware of the 8GB SLC caching going on and if that’ll affect your usage.

KEY SPECS CPU: Intel Core i7 7700 Cooler: OEM Motherboard: ASUS Prime B250M-Plus Graphics: ASUS Strix GTX 1060 DC2 OC 6GB Memory: 8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 Storage: 240GB SSD, 1TB HDD Power Supply: In Win F1 600W Case: In Win 301

KEY SPECS CPU: Intel Core i7 8700K Cooler: Fractal Design Celsius S24 Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z370-F Gaming Graphics: ZOTAC AMP! Edition GeForce GTX 1080 Ti 11GB Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16GB 3000MHz DDR4 Storage: Intel 600P 512GB SSD, Seagate BarraCuda 2TB HDD Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G1 650W Case: Fractal Design Meshify C Black

TI COMPUTERS TI GAMING PC

CPL ONLINE BUDGET BUSINESS PREMIUM PC

$999 • https://tinyurl.com/ydzdxqhx

$712 • https://tinyurl.com/ycyhyc93

A gaming PC for under $1000? Of course it’s possible, the question is what you compromise on. The trouble with Intel’s 8th generation CPU’s at the moment is that the only motherboard chipset available for them is the top end Z370. Very pricey. As a result, the rest of this build need to make up for this forced splurge. This system gets the basics right on the storage and memory capacity front. Although the memory is listed as 2133MHz, below the CPU’s recommended 2400MHz. An unfortunate compromise is the graphics card. The GTX 1050 is $40 cheaper than the GTX 1050 Ti but it is also 20% slower, which at the low end is easily felt. Given this system has an optical drive a better choice would’ve been to ditch the optical drive and put the savings into a 1050 Ti instead.

Doing mundane tasks at work usually means having a mundane PC to do it on. But mundane PC’s are just like mundane cars, they’re cheap. This system is no different. The heart of this build is the i5 7500 which offers up quad non-hyperthreaded cores at a reasonable 3.5GHz peak clock speed giving it enough grunt to power through any general ofice task you can think of without much trouble. 8GB of system memory is reasonable too as long as you’re not a heavy multitasker. The mass storage arrangement is a bit of a pinch point. 120GB SSD’s are at an annoying size where they can get full rather quickly if you’re not careful. Ditching the HDD for a larger 250GB SSD would’ve been preferable.

KEY SPECS CPU: Intel I3 8100 Cooler: OEM Motherboard: ASUS Prime Z370-P Graphics: ASUS Geforce GTX 1050 2GB Memory: 8G DDR4 2133Mhz Storage: 240G SSD Kingston + WD 1TB 7200rpm Power Supply: 550W Case: TI Deluxe

KEY SPECS CPU: Intel i5-7500 Cooler: OEM Motherboard: MSI H110M PRO-VH PLUS Graphics: Onboard Memory: Crucial 8GB 2133MHz DDR4 Storage: SanDisk 120GB SSD, WD 1TB Caviar Blue HDD Power Supply: Thermaltake 500W Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 17

TECHDESK INVESTIGATOR

PLAY IT SAFE WITH CRYPTOCURRENCIES CRYPTO IS BOTH A POTENTIAL GOLD MINE AND SCAMMER’S PARADISE

ver the last few months, we’ve seen an explosion in cryptocurrencies. Largely fuelled by stories about Bitcoin, which is used in the same way to represent all cryptocurrencies in the same way hoover means vacuum cleaner, there have been stories about massive overnight wealth. And that’s led to some folks seeing Bitcoin as an investment. Over recent weeks, there have been two reports coming from respected analysts that paint very different pictures. One suggested Bitcoin’s price will plummet over time, from the recent highs of about US$20,000 to less than $100. But another said Bitcoin will hit $91,000 over the next two years. Alongside those reports and analyses there are many opportunists who see an opportunity to fleece unsuspecting potential investors. One of the symptoms of this new model for duping people has been a rash of advertising on social media. But Facebook, Twitter and others have instigated bans on advertising relating to ICOs, or initial coin offerings. ICOs are the cryptocurrency world’s version of an initial share offering for a business. Basically, people launch ICOs in the hope of attracting “investment” from people wanting to get in on the ground floor of the launch of a new cryptocurrency. The attraction is that they can buy the new coins – often called alt-coins as they are an alternative to Bitcoin – at a low price with the hope that they will appreciate in value. And while some ICOs are legitimate, there are charlatans out there trying to steal money. For example, earlier this year Pordeum duped investors.

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ANTHONY CARUANA has worked for almost every major masthead in the Australian IT press. As an experienced IT professional – having worked as the lead IT executive in several businesses, he brings a unique insight to his reporting of IT for both businesses and consumers.

Dubbed as a cryptocurrency that would “revolutionise the fruit and vegetable industry”, the Lithuanian start-up absconded with all their investor’s cash and crypto-coins, leaving their website with just one word – “penis”. And another scheme, called BitPetite, pulled a similar disappearing act, taking all their investor’s coins with them. Such scams are common enough that the ACCC received over 1,200 complaints about cryptocurrency scams last year, resulting in losses of over $1.2M to Australians. So, what can you do? This isn’t speciic investment advice. For that, you should consult with a licensed i nancial planner or seek counsel from a suitably qualiied expert. Cryptocurrencies are a new i nancial instrument and subject to signiicant volatility. In a little over two years, Bitcoin has appreciated in value from $100 per coin to around $12,000 at the time of writing. But, over that time, it has reached highs of around $20,000 with daily fluctuations in excess

of $1,500 not uncommon. On one occasion, the announcement of a regulatory decision in the United States saw the value fall by $1,200 in a few minutes before bouncing back by over $2,000 the next day. ICOs are like all new businesses. That means they can succeed or fail as a result of conditions that have not yet been understood. And with over 1,000 ICOs launched over the last 12 months, the only thing that can be said with certainty is that they won’t all succeed. So, they are highly speculative. Governments around the world are looking at cryptocurrencies closely and making determinations on how they are best regulated. For example, the Securities and Exchange Commission in the US has said cryptocurrency exchanges – which are like stock-markets for trading cryptocurrencies – are to be regulated in the same way as national securities exchanges. This will impact how cryptocurrency transactions have to be handled, placing more scrutiny on the industry. Some people have called the cryptocurrency markets the “wild west”, where lawlessness and a lack of enforcement make it possible for fraudsters to dupe unsuspecting victims. Even Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was caught in a scam, losing about $70,000 of bitcoin. Don’t be like The Woz.

NEED HELP? EVER HAD AN ISSUE AS A CONSUMER? INVESTIGATOR CAN HELP. If you’ve had an issue or had something happen and you think investigator could help, email your problem to investigator@pcandtechauthority. com.au

TECHDESK ACS

INCONCEIVABLY INDISTINGUISHABLE A 1MM COMPUTER THAT COSTS 10C. YES, REALLY

t was science-iction luminary Arthur C. Clarke who famously coined the phrase “Any suficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” It’s been oft-quoted over the years because it so eloquently displays the relationship between science and understanding – while also leaving room to spark the imagination. Recently IBM revealed its latest innovation in the form of a computer the size of a grain of sand. A rather large grain, by comparison, but let’s not split hairs (which also happen to be really small) over what is clearly a remarkable achievement. And the moment I read the story I couldn’t help but think of the Technomages from Babylon 5. If you’ve watched the show, you’re already smiling, and if you haven’t a brief cap: Technomages are a secretive bunch whose abilities include conjuring up illusions of monsters, hurling ireballs or generating cloaks of invisibility, and manipulating people through words (“14 words to make someone fall in love with you forever, seven words to make them go without pain...”). Importantly, they do all this through technology they embed in themselves (biohackers, anyone?) well beyond anything that which exists elsewhere in the universe, thanks to an ancient race who happen to feature prominently in the show (*cough* Shadows! *cough*). Clearly inspired by Arthur C. Clarke’s classic maxim, delivering feats of what looks like magic through advanced technology beyond the understanding of their peers, Technomages are also seen placing viewing and listening

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“ IBM revealed its latest innovation in the form of a computer the size of a grain of sand”

Tiny tiny computer, or inception of the Technomages?

ASHTON MILLS has been writing about technology for 20 years and still gets excited for the latest techy gear. He’s also the Outreach Manager for the Australian Computer Society (www.acs.org.au), you can email him on ashton.mills@ acs.org.au.

devices smaller than a grain of sand on individuals and observing them at a distance. Boom! Enter IBM’s 1mm x 1mm computer, sporting a million transistors with an x86-core, as well as some SRAM, an LED, a photovoltaic cell for power and – get this – a photo-detector. Ahuh. IBM claims these ink-dot PCs – which cost just 10c to make – can be used for example in logistics, placed in everyday objects and products to aid tracking and, when paired with a blockchain, to guarantee authenticity. But clearly they’re also on the path to creating their own breed of Technomages with their universal

spying devices. Am I right? But there’s more – the applications here are massive: the potential for their use as inconspicuous sensors in the coming age of IoT is clear, especially if later versions bundle in communications in the form of Wi-Fi or 5G. Smart buildings, smart streets, smart cars, smart cities – these are all in our future, a society enmeshed in billions and billions of sensors allowing buildings to regulate their own temperature and water pressure, streets to monitor pollution or detect emergencies, cars to talk to each other and provide real-time feedback on trafic. Smart cities will improve eficiencies, lower costs, better manage water and electricity supply, reduce environmental impacts, and create a higher quality of life for everyone (though, let’s leave for a minute the potential for universal surveillance to the side – nothing’s perfect, after all). However you cut it, IBM’s grainof-sand PC isn’t just an impressive innovation – look at the images on this page and recognise that you’re looking directly at the future. These will, one day, be everywhere and in everything. And soon after this, I bet we’ll have Technomages too.

PRESENTED BY:

TECHDESK ASK GRAEME

NBN AND THE EVER SHIFTING GOALPOSTS JAMES FROM QUEENSLAND HAS WRITTEN IN ASKING ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF NBN CONNECTIVITY TYPES, AND THE ISSUES THAT IT CAUSES HIM, AND I FEEL HIS PAIN

ou see, back prior to the NBN, it was all pretty simple. You had essentially two Broadband connectivity types, Ethernet (usually on the back of a Telstra or Optus Cable connection) or ADSL. From a manufacturers’ perspective, it was also relatively straight-forward. Any manufacturer wanting to connect their device to Telstra’s copper network (remembering that the vast majority of ADSL services, especially in the early days, were all using Telstra’s wholesale DSL service, since they owned the vast majority of the copper in the ground!) needed to pass a set of criteria which was coined IP1149, in its various iterations, as well as the mandatory standards from an electrical safety perspective, rolled up as C-Tick, and A-Tick. It cost quite a bit to get certiied to these standards, well over $15,000 per device, but then you knew it would work, and would work across the nation. In fact, type “IP1149” into Google and you can still see the lists of once-certiied products available on the Telstra website, along with the publicly available 55-page document that outlined the test criteria themselves.

Ethernet cable (often some confusion occurs here, as Fibre does indeed come into the home from the street, but connects to a Fibre NTU (Network Termination Unit) usually on the outside wall of your home where it would be ‘terminated’ and is delivered into the home itself as a single Ethernet cable to connect to your Router) this meant that it would relatively easy for manufacturers to dispense with the ‘modem’ itself within the devices, and the somewhat dificult testing against the IP1149 criteria. It would mean cost savings for consumers too, due to removal of the relatively costly modem chipset in each DSL device, and simplify the installation experience markedly as all connection types would be the same.

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THEN THINGS CHANGED

NBNIFICATION Then, the NBN was announced. Initially, life was good. Because the rollout was to be ibre-based, this essentially meant that Ethernetbased Routers would become a much larger percentage than the historic 80:20 split that had been in place for years between ADSL Modems and Ethernet Routers. Because ADSL would be transitioned out and replaced with Fibre to the Home (FTTH) whereby the resulting connection to your Router would be a simple 22 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

GRAEME REARDON is the Managing Director of D-Link Australia and New Zealand and has had over 20 years’ experience working with major networking brands including Cisco. Graeme has a borderline obsessive passion for all things IT-related.

However, as we all know, the government of the day changed, and soon after the NBN announced its revised strategy of using a “multi-technology mix”, essentially meaning that, to deliver substantial cost savings to tax-payers as well as speed up the overall NBN rollout, that the ‘best’ technology for each deployment would be utilised to deliver a broadband connection to an individual’s home or business. A combination of technologies would be used to achieve this, in some instances a FTTH service, resulting in an Ethernet connection being the Router connection point as described above, but also Fibre to the Node services (i.e. a box out in a nearby street, within which Fibre coming from the exchange essentially connects to the existing copper telephone wires from your house to deliver VDSL services into your home), HFC (the old Telstra and Optus Cable networks),

Fixed Wireless (Ethernet services delivered over a Satellite service, with a big dish on your roof) along with variants of all of these. The big difference this time though, from a manufacturers perspective, there was no standard to follow, only a loose set of points, which were updated randomly, and with, at least as far as D-Link was concerned anyway, little to no consultation. As you can probably imagine, it’s not just a 2-3-month task to pull together chipsets and all the various components that go into building a new Modem or Router, in fact if you can do it in 12 months you’re doing well, and often manufacturers would spend a year building a product only to ind that the goalposts had changed again, effectively rendering the product obsolete sometimes before it even launched. Not only that, but products that were ‘NBN-Ready’ based off the early iteration of the NBN that did not require modems, suddenly became a customer service nightmare, because the ‘new’ version of the NBN ‘may’ need a modem built-in to support FTTN connections. So, it was some sense of relief that last week I read that the government, to help consumers get the best experience from their NBN service, is talking about putting together a set of criteria for manufacturers to work towards... it’s just about 4 years too late...

YOU CAN ASK GRAEME Ask Graeme about networking, the internet, getting the most from your gear and this wonderful digital world we live in. Each month we’ll choose one for Graeme to answer here. [email protected]

POLAROID RETRO

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2017 23

WINNERS n a mighty triumph of democratised consumer electronics, you, the people, have spoken. Your excellent opinions, vast experience of using things and liking them – or not – has come together for the very irst (of many!) annual Australian PC Awards. For your time, we thank you. For your opinions, we respect you. And, so does the PC industry, which, each year, makes new and improved gear, innovating all the way, to win your hearts and dollars. They listen to you, and via these awards, will take enormous pride in their wins. Thank you too, to the many sponsors that helped us get this off the ground, and to the many people behind the scenes at Nextmedia that worked hard to pull this together. There was a huge turnout for the voting, with many thousands of people having a say. It was quite humbling for us to see how you embraced this. The ultimate goal, of course, is to reward those that make great gear with an acknowledgement of a job well done. This extends throughout all levels of the product chain, from the engineers and R&D people that create products, the people that actually build the gear, the channel and resellers that bring the gear to you, and the support staff that make sure all is as you expect. And now, to the winners!

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PC AWARDS FEATURE

GOLD AWARD FOR BEST COMPANY

CPUs

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

BEST BUDGET CPU FINALIST COMPANIES: • AMD • Acer • Apple • Asus • Cooler Master • Corsair • Crucial • HP • Intel • MSI

WINNER: Asus HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Corsair

STORAGE

• PLE

• PLE • QNAP • Razer • Samsung • SteelSeries • Synology • Thermaltake • TP Link • Venomi

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Intel • AMD

Sponsored by

BEST HARD DISK DRIVE

BEST SATA SSD

BEST NVME SSD

WINNER: Western Digital Black

WINNER: Intel 545S

WINNER: Samsung 960 Pro

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Seagate • Western Digital • Hitachi

WINNER: Intel Core i5-8400

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Seagate Barracuda • Seagate IronWolf Pro

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Crucial • Intel • Sandisk • Western Digital

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Sandisk Ultra 3D • Crucial MX500

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Intel • Samsung

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Samsung 960 Evo • Intel Optane 900P

VIDEO CARDS BEST PERFORMANCE VIDEO CARD

BEST BUDGET VIDEO CARD

BEST GPU COMPANY

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • AMD Ryzen 5 1600 • AMD Ryzen 5 1500X

BEST PERFORMANCE CPU

WINNER: Intel Core i9-7960X FINALIST COMPANIES: • • Intel • AMD

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Intel Core i78700K • AMD ThreadRipper 1950x

BEST CPU COMPANY WINNER: Asus ROG Strix GTX1080TI Gaming FINALIST COMPANIES: • Asus • Gigabyte • MSI • Nvidia • Sapphire

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Nvidia Titan V • MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Lightning Z

WINNER: Gigabyte Aorus GeForce GTX 1060 6G FINALIST COMPANIES: • AMD • Asus • Gigabyte • MSI

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Asus Dual series GeForce GTX 1050 Ti OC • MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Aero ITX 2G OC

WINNER: Nvidia FINALIST COMPANIES: • Nvidia • AMD

HIGHLY COMMENDED: AMD

WINNER: Intel FINALIST COMPANIES: • Intel • AMD

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • AMD

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 25

COMPONENTS AND PERIPHERALS

Sponsored by

BEST MEMORY COMPANY

BEST COOLING PRODUCT

BEST CASE

BEST ROUTER

WINNER: Corsair

WINNER: Corsair H100i v2

WINNER: Thermaltake View 71 Tempered Glass

WINNER: Asus ROG Rapture GT-AC5300

• Kingston • T-Force

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Adata • Corsair • Ballistix by Micron • Geil • G.Skill

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Cooler Master • Corsair • Deepcool • Thermaltake

HIGHLY COMMENDED: G.Skill Kingston

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Thermaltake Floe Riing RGB Cooler Master Liquid ML240L RGB

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Corsair 570X RGB Cooler Master MasterCase H500P

FINALIST COMPANIES: • • Asus • D-Link • Netgear • Synology • TP Link

PC GAME

NAS BEST HOME NAS

BEST SOHO NAS

WINNER: Synology DS218 Play

WINNER: Synology DS918+

FINALIST COMPANIES: • QNAP • Synology • Western Digital

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • WD My Cloud Home • Synology DS218

RESELLERS

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Asustor • QNAP • Synologyl

BEST PC GAME

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Asustor AS6404T • QNAP TS453BT3

WINNER: Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Overwatch • Fortnight

Sponsored by

BEST RESELLER RETAIL

BEST RESELLER ONLINE

WINNER: PLE

WINNER: JB Hi Fi FINALIST COMPANIES: • Adelong Electronics • ARC computers • Centre Com • PLE

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Cooler master • Corsair • FractalDesign • In Win • Thermaltake

• Harvey Norman • JB Hi Fi • JW Computers • Officeworks

26 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • PLE • Centre Com

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Aus PC Market • BCC Computers • Centre Com • CPL • EB Games

• Harris Technology • MSY • Mwave • Origin PC • PC Case Gear

• PLE • Scorptec • Umart • TechBuy

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • PC Case Gear • Mwave

HIGHLY COMMENDED: Netgear Nighthawk X10 D-Link Cobra DSL5300

PC AWARDS FEATURE

BEST KEYBOARD

WINNER: Corsair K95 RGB Platinum FINALIST COMPANIES: • Cooler Master • Corsair • HyperX • Logitech • Razer • Steelseries • Tesoro • Tt Esportse

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Razer Ornata Chroma • Logitech G413

BEST MONITOR

BEST GAMING HEADPHONES

WINNER: Corsair Void Pro RGB Wireless

WINNER: Asus ROG Swift PG27VQ FINALIST COMPANIES: • • Acer • AOC • Asus • Omen by HP • LG • Samsung

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Asus • Corsair • HyperX • Razer • Roccat • Sennheiser • Steelseries • Tt eSports

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Acer Predator XB1HU • Samsung CHG90

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Sennheiser PC 373D • HyperX Cloud Alpha

BEST MOUSE

WINNER: Razer DeathAdder Elite FINALIST COMPANIES: • Asus • Coolermaster • Corsair • Cougar • Logitech • Razer • Roccat • Steelseries • Tt eSportse

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Corsair Glaive RGB Aluminium • Asus ROG Gladius II

SYSTEMS BEST DESKTOP PC BUILDER

BEST OEM DESKTOP PC

BEST LAPTOP OR CONVERTIBLE

BEST GAMING LAPTOP

WINNER: PC Case Gear

WINNER: Asus ROG G20CI

WINNER: Microsoft Surface Pro

WINNER: Razer Blade

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Aus PC Market • Mwave • PC Case Gear • PLE • Scorptec • TI computers • Umart

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • PLE • Mwave

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Apple • Asus • Corsair • Dell • HP • MSI • Venom

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • MSI Infinite X • Corsair One Pro

FINALIST COMPANIES: • • Acer • Apple • Asus • Fujitsu • HP • Microsoft • Venom

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Asus ZenBook Flip S UX370 • Apple MacBook Pro

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Acer • Asus • HP • MSI • Razer • Venom

HIGHLY COMMENDED: • Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501 • Asus ROG Strix GL503 Scar

MOTHERBOARDS BEST PREMIUM MOTHERBOARD

WINNER: Asus ROG Strix X299-E Gaming

FINALIST COMPANIES: • ASRock • Asus • Gigabyte • MSI HIGHLY COMMENDED: MSI Z370 Godlike Gaming

BEST MOTHERBOARD COMPANY

WINNER: Asus

FINALIST COMPANIES: • Asus • MSI • Gigabyte • ASRock HIGHLY COMMENDED: • MSI • Gigabyte

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 27

FEATURE PC AWARDS

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PC AWARDS FEATURE

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 29

Why do I need a

and how do I choose one?

VPNS FEATURE

PROTECTING YOUR PRIVACY ONLINE – IT’S NOT JUST FOR CRIMINALS AND HACKERS. NIK RAWLINSON EXPLAINS WHY WE SHOULD ALL TAKE STEPS TO COVER OUR TRACKS irtual Private Network (VPN) technology was originally perhaps best known as a sneaky way of spooing your location so you could watch Netflix US in Australia. It’s also a valuable tool for any business with a mobile workforce, allowing employees to access the company network without having to worry about remote security. But even if you’re not trying to hide your location, or log into a corporate server, installing VPN software and subscribing to a reputable service is a must – because the number of threats to your online security is growing. For example, it’s alarmingly easy easy for criminals to spoof a Wi-Fi network, setting up a dummy hotspot that looks like the real deal, but which allows them to spy on any data that passes between the computer and the net. Your passwords, credit card information and more could be at risk – and if you’re working remotely, sensitive customer information could also leak. That can be disastrous for your business, and it could leave you open to blackmail, or punitive ines for failing to uphold your data protection obligations. VPNs reduce your exposure enormously, by encrypting your connection from end to end. The data that passes between your laptop, tablet or phone and the public access point is secured, and immune to even sophisticated eavesdropping. It goes without saying, however, that you do need to trust your VPN provider. And with so many to choose from, how you do pick the right one?

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FEATURE VPNS

YOU (OFTEN) GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR When choosing a VPN, price is an obvious comparison point – but the cheapest option almost certainly isn’t the best. It costs money to operate a VPN, so if you ind a provider offering free or very cheap services, ask yourself how they’re paying the bills. Because let’s be clear: although the connection between your laptop and the VPN is secure, the provider can see everything you’re doing, and can even interfere with your trafic. We haven’t heard of a reputable VPN provider actively snooping on its users’ data, but unscrupulous providers could insert their own content (such as adverts) into the download stream, or selectively throttle access to certain sites and services. For these reasons, we would always recommend signing up with a paid service. You’re buying peace of mind, and an expectation of support when required.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Consumer VPNs often advertise the availability of exit nodes in a wide variety of countries. This is useful for accessing sites or streaming services that might not be available here. In a business context, that probably isn’t such a concern – but geographic reach is still an important issue. If you work with sensitive data that you don’t want to slip outside the legal jurisdiction of your home country, a VPN allows your staff to work from anywhere in the world, without a risk of the data being intercepted by local agencies. It’s vital to ensure your provider has access points where you need them. A related issue is capacity. VPNs are becoming more and more popular as users become aware of the dangers of going online unprotected, so a provider that doesn’t have plenty of servers in the right places is likely to be slow today and slower tomorrow. Since different providers have different numbers of subscribers to accommodate, it’s impossible to say how many servers is “enough” – but ask your chosen provider about load and availability, and don’t be swayed by companies that advertise thousands of servers without saying how many users they’re shared between.

PRIVACY AND THE LAW When it comes to jurisdiction, it’s not only the outlets that are important: you also need to consider the national base of your chosen provider. Australia, the UK,

Privacy in Switzerland US, Canada and New or ExpressVPN in the Zealand all operate under British Virgin Islands, all the “Five Eyes” (FVEY) of which operate beyond agreement – described Fourteen-Eyes territory. by Edward Snowden as a “supra-national intelligence organisation THE ISSUE that doesn’t answer to the WITH LOGS known laws of its own While the standard countries”. In short, these advice is to steer clear countries routinely share of FVEY countries, surveillance data – and there may be beneits to have been known to help choosing a provider that one another out by spying co-operates with the law. on each others’ citizens. Back in 2011, UK-based So, if you choose a VPN VPN provider Hide My provider based in the Ass (hidemyass.com) iOS and Android both have US, your online activities was forced to hand over VPN clients built in, so might not be immediately logs relating to the online there’s often no need to use recorded within Australia. activity of a user who had a dedicated app But if the authorities want been been implicated in to know what you’ve been several major hacking up to, they can easily ask operations. Some users their US counterparts to subpoena were outraged at what they saw the provider’s records and pass as a betrayal of their trust, and them back to the local authorities. declared their intention to switch to FVEY isn’t the only formal data a service that didn’t store such logs. sharing agreement in operation. Yet, as the company made There are additional “Nine Eyes” clear on its blog (blog.hidemyass. and “Fourteen Eyes” arrangements com/lulzsec-iasco), no-one ever involving Belgium, Denmark, promised that using a VPN would France, Germany, Italy, the make you untouchable. “It is very Netherlands, Norway, Spain and naive to think that by paying a Sweden. And while close allies such subscription fee to a VPN service as Japan, Israel and South Korea you are free to break the law might not have a legal obligation without any consequences,” it to share surveillance information, explained. More signiicantly, HMA they may choose to do it anyway. pointed out that services claiming In short, if you really want to to keep no records at all “are more keep your browsing habits to likely to have their entire VPN yourself, you’ll need to ind a network monitored and tapped by provider based in one of the world’s law enforcement, thus affecting all more obscure jurisictions – such legitimate customers”. as NordVPN in Panama, Perfect For the record, Hide My Ass states that it only logs the times at which users connect to and disconnect from its service – purely for the sake of identifying abusive users – and doesn’t store any details of what you’re actually looking at.

ADDITIONAL SECURITY If you’re concerned that the VPN service you’re using isn’t entirely secure, or you want the highest possible degree of anonymity, it’s Ensure your provider has enough servers to cope with its subscriber base

possible to connect to multiple VPNs in sequence, feeding their data through each other and heavily obfuscating your location and identity. You can do this manually, by signing up with several providers and connecting to each one in turn without disconnecting any that are already active. A more elegant solution is to use a dedicated multi-hop (or “cascade”) service, which will automatically route your trafic through a series of anonymising servers. Anybody wanting to intercept your data would need to compromsie multiple different networks to obtain anything useful. Romanian provider VPN. ac implements double hops, while Switzerland’s Perfect Privacy can route your connection through up to four servers in sequence. While a VPN prevents outsiders from spying on your active connections, it offers only partial protection against services that track you using cookies, or by analysing your system coniguration. After all, if the sites you visit can positively identify you, that negates some of the privacy beneits of running a VPN in the irst place. VPN providers often provide additional security features to close off such tracking methods. NordVPN incorporates an optional service called CyberSec, which not only intercepts cookies, it also blocks ads and malware. Even better, it can cut the link between DDoS command servers and an infected PC, by checking a list of servers found to be hosting malware or DDoS control points, before passing on a user’s domain look-up request to the DNS server. Any positives will throw up a warning, and unless the feature is disabled through the VPN settings, you won’t be able to proceed any further. This gives you an opportunity to deal with the infection, and saves bandwidth too.

BUSINESS VPN ADMINISTRATION Several VPN providers offer

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packages tailored for business users, which simplify onboarding staff and managing both billing and use. One popular choice is Tunnelbear (tunnelbear.com/teams), as recommended by privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo (spreadprivacy.com/how-tochoose-a-vpn). Team subscriptions offer centralised billing, easy user management and flat pricing, at US$69 per user per year. Each user can connect up to ive devices simultaneously. VyprVPN, which bills itself as the world’s most powerful VPN, offers a dedicated IP address and dedicated server on its Business Cloud service, which starts at $569 per year. It’s also possible to set up your own VPN server: the feature is conveniently built into Windows 10, and can be conigured in just a few simple steps:

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Open Control Panel and use the search box to ind Network Connections. Pick “New Incoming Connection…” from the File menu and, on the pane that launches, choose which users should be able to use the VPN server you’re setting up.

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Click Next, conirm that you want connections to come

over the internet, then click Next again. Choose which networking options should be accessible remotely (leave at least TCP/IPv4 ticked), then click Allow Access. Your VPN is now active.

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To make it easier to connect to your VPN server, it’s a good idea to sign up for a free dynamic IP address. These days this feature is likely to be built into your router, so you can conigure it from there.

4

Finally, you need to tell your router to forward incoming connections to the VPN server. If there isn’t a predeined VPN option, you’ll need to create a new rule to forward incoming connections on port 1723 (Point-to-Point Tunnelling Protocol) to the machine hosting your VPN.

ALL-ROUND PROTECTION Don’t make the mistake of thinking that a VPN is only for your PC. Most VPN providers allow you to make at least two simultaneous connections, so you can also use it on your phone or tablet when you want to connect to a public Wi-Fi hotspot. You don’t even need to download an app: both iOS and Android have VPN support built-in. On iOS, you can ind it under Settings | General | VPN; on Android it will be in your Wireless and Networks settings, although the precise location varies on different devices. Once you ind it, just enter the server and login settings – and perhaps download and install a security certiicate if prompted – and you’re ready to browse in safety. PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 33

FEATURE DATA BREACHES

THE BIGGEST

PRIVACY BREACHES OF THE 21ST CENTURY DAVEY WINDER EXAMINES THE BIGGEST DATA BLUNDERS OF THE CENTURY TO DATE AND THE LESSONS WE SHOULD LEARN FROM THEM ata breaches have become so commonplace that to make the headlines, they need to be big – really big. But how do you measure size when it comes to a data breach? The metric might be a dollar value that reflects the cost to the organisation in terms of investigation, brand damage, clearing up and even ines. Or how about the number of users involved or records compromised? For this feature, we decided to opt for the metric that we feel is most relevant to our real-world audience: impact. We have considered what the impact has been on the organisation concerned, the users involved and the general cyber security landscape. By looking back at the mistakes that have been made, we offer advice on how to avoid repeating

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them in the future – and that advice is as relevant for the small business as it is to the multinational corporations. As for our timeline of 21st century breaches, not a lot really happened during the irst four years of the millennium – at least not as far as data theft was concerned. The year 2000 got off to an insecure start, though, with the ILOVEYOU worm (also known as the Love Letter or Love Bug) exploding across millions of Windowspowered computers in a matter of hours. The payload was a damaging rather than exiltrating one: a VBScript overwriting random iles on the local machine. More worms followed during the next couple of years and, in 2003, the Anonymous hacking collective was established. But we have to wait until 2004 for the data breach mayhem to really start…

PRIVACY BREACHES FEATURE

2004

AOL EMAIL THEFT

In 2004, it was revealed that a software engineer at the then internet behemoth AOL had stolen 92 million email addresses while using another employee’s credentials, in a forlorn attempt to cover his tracks. The email database, thought to impact at least 30 million AOL members, was then sold for $27,000 to a spammer, resulting in an estimated seven billion unsolicited emails that advertised an offshore gambling website flooding AOL inboxes. This makes it into our list not only because the impact on AOL users was huge, but the consequences of getting caught for stealing data were as well. The rogue employee was ultimately prosecuted under the newly introduced CANSPAM legislation in the US and sentenced to 15 months in prison. He was also ordered to pay $83,000 to

AOL in restitution. It was the irst time that a truly large irm had suffered a data loss such as this, and that breach had been made public. While there was little relevant legislation to protect data in the cyber realm 14 years ago, things have changed. Ryan Wilk, vice president at NuData Security, told PC & Tech Authority that organisations can help protect data by limiting both what is collected and how long it is kept. “While we never want to lose data that may one day be helpful, sensitive data should not be stored for no reason,” Ryan explained. “Security and data analytics teams should work together to understand what data is actually needed and what data can be deleted. If you only hold what you need, and only hold it for as long as you need it, you greatly limit your risk to exposure.”

2005/2006

TJX CREDIT CARD COMPROMISE In July 2005, systems that processed and stored data related to credit card payments at the TJX group of companies across the US were accessed illegally. The intruders were apparently able to continue accessing these systems unnoticed until mid-December 2006. With 96 million customers affected by credit and debit card information stolen during this period, it was the biggest such compromise ever at the time and is thought to have cost TJX, banks and insurers a total of $167 million. It has been reported that a “sniffer” was installed on the payment network, allowing the capture of at least 80GB of card data to be siphoned off. This was transferred to a remote server, again undetected, using TJX’s own high-speed network. Albert Gonzalez, a well-known hacker working as an informant for the US Secret Service at the time, was eventually convicted as the ringleader in this case and sentenced to 20 years. The mitigation against such an attack is the same now as it was then: regular security audits to ensure best practice is followed. TJX was culpable for misconigured wireless networks, inadequate intrusion detection, lax patching strategies and weak login systems. Multilayered protection and some measure of log analysis would have spotted the unusual data flow patterns and alerted TJX to the data exiltration.

2007

HEARTLAND SQL INJECTION SPYWARE Heartland Payment Systems, a US payments processing company, took the “biggest card compromise” crown from TJX after another long-undiscovered breach was finally spotted at the start of 2009. Responsible for 100 million card transactions a month, mainly on the behalf of small- to medium-sized traders, the breach compromised 134 million credit cards. Albert Gonzalez (yes, the same one) was convicted for the breach, but how did he do it? Very easily, using an SQL injection vulnerability to install spyware on the systems. The impact of this one was not dissimilar to the TJX breach, in that it reinforced the reality that criminal organisations will steal your credit card data if possible and that lessons were not being learned by those responsible for processing transactions. Heartland wasn’t compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) and ended up being prohibited from processing payments until four months later. As well as the reputational damage, Heartland also lost around $187 million in compensation for fraudulent payments.

2013

YAHOO SUFFERS BIGGEST BREACH IN HISTORY Fast forward to 2013 and the “big” label really starts to stick, nowhere more so than at Yahoo. When the irm disclosed, at the end of 2016, that a billion user accounts had been compromised in August 2013, it seemed bad enough. Eventually the true scale of the breach became known: three billion users, or every account at the time. It is thought that statesponsored actors were behind the breach, which likely involved accessing a backup Yahoo user database to reset passwords and

a Yahoo admin tool that could access and edit information in the user database. The impact on Yahoo was huge, not least as the disclosure occurred during merger negotiations with Verizon. The value of Yahoo fell by $445 million as a result. Most telling was the reputational damage, as Ondrej Kubovi, a security awareness specialist at Eset explained. “It was a showcase of how not to communicate in such situation. It took Yahoo more than three years to disclose it. Moreover, it took another year until the true extent of the case was revealed.” PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 35

FEATURE DATA BREACHES

2013 THE SNOWDEN WIKILEAKS REVELATIONS In 2012, a contractor working as a systems administrator for the National Security Agency (NSA) started downloading documents containing evidence of how the US intelligence agency was collecting data from emails, text messages and mobile phone calls using the PRISM surveillance program. Edward Snowden went on temporary leave in May 2013 and, whilst in Hong Kong, met with a Guardian journalist. This meeting kickstarted the public exposure of NSA surveillance methods and the publication of the now infamous WikiLeaks documents. The impact hardly needs explaining, as the true extent of nation-state intelligence gathering was a shock to the system for

most people. It also damaged the reputation (such as it was) of both government and spy agencies alike. Matt Middleton-Leal, general manager (EMEA) at Netwrix, told PC & Tech Auhority that Snowden’s leak exposes the common insider threat of privilege escalation: “An insider deliberately raises his or her level of permissions to get more access rights,” he explained, and for every business the mitigation will include “tightening up access controls and informing staff of the severe consequences of any transgression”.

2014 SUPERMARKET DATA SWEEP Talking of insider threats, the 2014 Morrisons breach makes our biggest breach list not because the 100,000 employee records compromised was so large – but rather because the methodology was so unsophisticated, yet so successful. Andrew Skelton, who worked for Morrisons in Bradford England, uploaded a database of sensitive information about his fellow workers, including bank details and salaries, to an external site. He was able to access the database using the credentials of another employee and was somehow allowed to copy the data and then upload it, unencrypted, to a public ilesharing service. Morrisons was found to be vicariously liable by a High Court judge in the irst successful case of a UK data leak class action suit, which was brought by 5,000 staff members. “The fact that the breach was unsophisticated is actually what makes it so scary,” said Egress Software Technologies CEO, Tony Pepper. “This ruling will have sent chills up the spines of many board members, who know that the risks of an employee leaking data are all too high. A recent survey of UK employees showed that one in four workers had maliciously leaked business data, and a further 35% admitted to sending sensitive information over email by accident.”

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2015 TALKTALK DISCLOSURE FIASCO If you thought that Yahoo made a ist of disclosing the biggest breach in history, European i rm TalkTalk managed to make them look like PR experts. The company fell victim to a SQL injection attack that enabled a cyber attacker to access data on 156,959 customers over a week in October 2015. The Information Commissioner ruled TalkTalk had failed “to implement the most basic cybersecurity measures” and i ned the i rm a record-breaking $700,000. But, the real impact of this attack was that it revealed how unprepared in terms of incident response and disclosure TalkTalk had been. Initially, it claimed the site was unavailable due to technical issues, but it wasn’t until 24 hours later that it admitted that a attack may have compromised customers’ data. And then things got really weird, with the media being told of a

possible distributed denialof-service (DDoS) attack being responsible for the data compromise (despite this not being possible) and this was followed by TalkTalk CEO Dido Harding insisting that stolen data wasn’t encrypted nor was it legally required so to do. “This breach highlights the importance of planning and preparing your incident response ahead of time,” said Steve Lamb, head of cyber consulting for Europe at Rapid7. “Having processes and tech in place to detect the early signs of a breach really come into their own in a crisis. Effective and timely communications are important as misinformation simply makes matters worse.”

PRIVACY BREACHES FEATURE

2017 WANNACRY

2016 AUSTRALIA’S SEXUAL HISTORY LEAK The Australian Red Cross Blood Service admitted in October 2016 that the personal data of 550,000 blood donors had been compromised. Anyone who had completed a form to submit blood between 2010 and 2016 was affected, and in the most egregious way possible. As well as names and addresses, these forms contained details of any “at risk” sexual history. “The breach occurred due to human error, when an administrator placed a database backup on a publicly facing web server,” Linus Chang, the founder and CEO of Scram Software explained. “My advice is that every SME should, at a minimum, encrypt all backup copies of data, whether in the cloud or stored locally. Primary copies of sensitive information should also be encrypted if stored in the cloud. Encryption should be done as early as possible, as copies of data can and do end up in places they shouldn’t. It’s the cheapest and most reliable way I know to defend against human errors.”

No round-up of breaches could be complete without mention of WannaCry. Even though no data was exiltrated, it was held to ransom and the impact was pretty much unprecedented. In May 2017, WannaCry was the biggest ransomware attack ever, hitting organisations across 150 countries, including 50 NHS trusts that in some cases had to cancel non-emergency admissions and routine clinical appointments as systems were taken down. $400 million in ransoms was demanded and 250,000 systems infected. WannaCry spread rapidly for two key reasons: it used a leaked NSA exploit called EternalBlue that targeted older Windows systems, and the available patch to protect against EternalBlue had not been installed. The real impact

was in making news across the world. As Richard Walters, chief security strategist at CensorNet told PC & Tech Authority: “It exploited a vulnerability for which there had been a patch available since March [2017]. Using a combination of cryptoransomware and a network worm was hardly a black swan event and, yet, it caught a lot of people out. The lesson to be learnt? Patch systems fast. SMEs need to forget about layering expensive security solutions to protect against zero-day attacks – they account for less than 0.1% of all attacks and it’s highly unlikely you’ll be a target. Focus on the basics irst.”

HOW TO AVOID BECOMING A BREACH VICTIM Identifying what each victim should have done to prevent a breach probably isn’t as valuable as looking at what all firms could have done to minimise the risk of such breaches. “What most of these breaches have in common is their lack of visibility into data access,” said Terry Ray, CTO at Imperva. “All major breaches, and most middle and minor ones, fail to immediately detect their breach, instead finding out weeks, months, or years after the fact, often from third parties finding breach data online.” Step one to protecting something is, therefore,

watching it. “Do we find it surprising that banks have cameras not only in their public areas, but also in their vaults, arguably their most secure locations?” Terry concluded. “They have an explicit zero-trust model. Why do organisations feel the need for implicit trust models for authorised users of their data, because they believe that it’s too difficult to watch all data users? It’s not.” Monitoring and analytics are beginning to solve the problem, with data collection and machine learning coming together to provide insight that could prevent your business from ending up in PC & Tech Authoritys next biggest breaches feature...

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 37

IN THE LABS

WE TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

REALITY BITES V  BEN MANSILL WONDERS WHERE THE VIRTUAL WORLDS HAVE GONE? irtual is starting to fragment. As we see in this issue, as well in previous coverage, Microsoft is in deep with its Mixed Reality standard. Along with a bevy of top tier consumer electronics companies, we have several virtually identical headsets all pitched at the mainstream. And let’s not forget, too, that Microsoft is also cornering the high-end professional space with its Hololens Augmented Reality system. What began as an enthusiast gamer product, the way led by Oculus Rift (a company now owned by Facebook), has permeated every day life. Well, sort of. It’s far from ubiquitous. You would be more likely to see a smartphone VR in use when you’re out and about, and I have, but those rare sightings are limited to once seeing someone on a park bench at lunch, and twice on international flights. Never once have I seen anyone on a train or bus using VR (can’t speak for ferries, wish I could, lovely way to go to work, that). Perhaps it’s the embarrassment? I know I’d feel more than a little self-conscious with VR on my face in public. You would absolutely know everyone is looking at you, or at least raised an eyebrow once or twice. Then there’s the fear of missing your stop because the world you’re in is so absorbing that you completely lose track of time.

But VR isn’t purely for gaming, or even the great many (and varied!) ‘virtual experiences’), it’s equally popular for media consumption. In Asian countries the situation is quite different. For one, VR HMDs (Head Mounted Displays) are used primarily for watching movies or recorded TV shows. At least it seems to me that way anecdotally, based on the huge number of VR products you can buy in China, and that their specs are clearly not for gaming thanks to a lower refresh rate which is useless for gaming but inconsequential for media. These Chinese HMDs can have wider ields of view than gamer HMDs, again better for media over gaming. I know we here at PCTA, and yours truly in particular, have effused about the world-changing potential of VR. I don’t recall being on record as ever saying everyone will use it at some stage, but in the couple of years that have passed since it really started to roll into the mainstream VR is still invisible. All my sim racing buddies either have VR or want it, but that’s pretty niche. A few ‘experience zones’ have opened up, and we’ve covered them in the past where you pay to play for an hour or so. So maybe it is mainstream, and it’s just something everyone does at home? Have you tried VR and walked away, or embraced it as life changing? Let me know [email protected].

EDITORlAL & PRODUCT SUBMISSION: PC & Tech Authority welcomes all information on new and upgraded products and services for possible coverage within the news or reviews pages. However, we respectfully point out that the magazine is not obliged to either review or return unsolicited products. Products not picked up within six months of submission will be used or donated to charity. The Editor is always pleased to receive ideas for articles, preferably sent in outline form, with details of author’s background, and – where available – samples of previously published work. We cannot, however, accept responsibility for unsolicited copy and would like to stress that it may take time for a reply to be sent out.

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INTRO REVIEWS

REVIEWS

HOW WE TEST

PCS & LAPTOPS Surface Book 2

Our benchmarking tests are the best in the business. Read on to find how they work…

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COMPONENTS

2D TESTS Desktop PCs and laptops are tested using our own custom bench testing suite, which has been carefully designed to test all aspects of a system and rate them in a way that’s useful to you. Our benchtesting cover three main tests: a typical video editing test, a demanding 4K video editing test and a multitasking test that stresses all aspects of the system. We look at the time it takes for each test to run, which is then compared to our reference PC to produce a normalised result. This score is shown on a graph, and to help you understand just where the PC we’re reviewing sits in the grand scheme of things, we will often include other system’s scores. On occasion we will run publically available bench testing software, predominantly PCMark 10 from Futuremark. This is run in the Home setting, in Accelerated mode. You can get PCMark 10 as well as 3DMark (below) from www.futuremark.com

3D TESTS

Asus Maximus X Formula Asus ROG Strix Vega 56 Intel Optane 800P

56 57 60

PERIPHERALS LG 32GK850G monitor LG 27BK750 monitor Asus PA27AC ProArt monitor Apple HomePod Nest Cam IQ Synology DS218J Billion 8700VAX-1600 Aten UH7230 Thunderbolt docking station Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID

47 48 49 52 53 54 55 58 58

For video cards, as well as Integrated Graphics Processing Units, we use:

HANDHELDS

• 3DMARK FIRESTRIKE • RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER • TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER 2 • GHOST RECON WILDLANDS

LG V30

SATA SSDS

3DMark is designed specifically to test video cards, and you can download and run the same tool as us to help you gauge where your own GPU ranks compared to what we are reviewing. The games were selected because they are relatively well balanced in performance between AMD and Nvidia, favouring neither. Rise of the Tomb Raider supports DX12. Ghost Recon Wildlands is a cutting edge 3D engine and can be optimised to stress either the CPU or GPU, while Total War: Warhammer is particularly good at stressing CPUs, and has beta DX12 support. Tests are run using three resolution ranges, depending on where the GPU sits in the market: ENTRY LEVEL: 1920 X 1080 MID-RANGE: 1920 X 1080 – 2560 X 1440 HIGH-END: 4K

BATTERY TESTS Screen brightness is set to 120cd/m2, playing a 720p video on loop until the device runs out of power.

Crucial MX500 Kingston SSDNow UV400 Samsung 860 Evo Samsung 860 Pro WD Blue 3D

69 70 71 72 73

KEYBOARDS Cooler Master MS120 Corsair K55 RGB Razer Cynosa Chroma Steel Series Apex 150

64 52 53 54

GAMES War Thunder Vermantide 2

86 89

Battery life Video playback 5hrs 0min

OVERALL 25

WEARABLES Sony WH-1000XM2

Benchmarks

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59

40 50

75

BREAKDOWN IMAGE EDITING SCORES 97

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

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100

125

150

VIDEO EDITING

MULTI TASKING

50

15

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

PC & Tech Authority’s comprehensive Real World testing sorts out the best products from the pack. Any product recommended by PC & Tech Authority is well above average for features, value for money and performance. PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 39

REVIEWS LAPTOPS & PCS

MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK 2 15IN

Don’t get excited – the Surface Pen isn’t included, despite this laptop’s astronomical price

A VERSATILE AND POWERFUL 2-IN-1 LAPTOP THAT ALSO OFFERS ALL-DAY BATTERY LIFE – BUT IT NEEDS BETTER SUPPORT t isn’t Vegemite; you won’t either love the Surface Book 2 or hate it. But you will fall one side of a divide: you’ll either see the point of a laptop with a detachable screen or you won’t. That was true of the 13.5in version and applies equally to this 15in spin. When I say “spin”, though, I may be exaggerating things. The 15in Surface Book 2 is essentially the same machine as its smaller sibling, right down to the weird fulcrum hinge and magniicent electromagnet system that locks the screen in place. One second it’s a 15in laptop and no amount of yanking will remove the screen, but with a press of a button you’ll hear a clunk and the screen can be easily removed. The only difference between the two models is that the screen and chassis are proportionally larger here. Naturally, this translates into weight too. The 15in Book 2 weighs 1.91kg with the keyboard, the 13.5in weighs 1.53kg. Used as a tablet alone, that’s 820g versus 720g.

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EXTRA GRUNT Where things diverge are inside. Evidently, Microsoft believes that those people who want a 15in laptop will also demand more power. So while you can order the 13.5in Surface Book 2 with a Core i5 processor and 8GB of RAM, its big brother only comes with a Core i7-8650U and 16GB of RAM. You can then choose from 256GB, 512GB and 1TB of storage, with each storage upgrade causing a $600 hop in price and a wider smile from Microsoft’s accountants. Note there’s no way to access this laptop’s innards, so you’re stuck with the amount you choose at time of purchase. The 15in version also comes with a discrete GeForce 1060 chip built into the keyboard base, with the tablet reverting to the CPU’s integrated Intel graphics when undocked. In laptop mode, you can expect a ine turn of pace in games: at 1,280 x 720, with settings turn to High, it scored an average 93fps in Dirt Showdown. That compares to 145fps from the Scan 3XS (see p57) at the same settings. Even at its native resolution, with quality upped to 40 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

Ultra, the Book 2 averaged 50fps. It coped just as well in Rise of the Tomb Raider, hitting 94fps at 1080p, Ultimate quality. Again, that’s some way behind the Scan’s 220fps, but unlike that gaming monster the Surface Book reaches those scores with a low-level fan whirr. In general use, the only noise you’ll hear from the Surface Book 2 is the tap of your ingers against the keyboard. This is one indication that Microsoft veers towards powersaving over all-out-grunt, but that makes sense for a machine like this. Nor should you underestimate what it can do. I put it through its paces in VR environments - both Microsoft’s and Steam’s, not to mention a few VR games - and it performed admirably. It scored 7 in Steam’s own VR Performance tests, which translates into “VR Ready”. If you want more power than this, you’ll need a gaming laptop.

EVERYDAY PERFORMANCE Few people will need any more everyday speed than this laptop offers. Its overall score of 104 in the PC & Tech Authority benchmarks is one of the highest we’ve seen from a machine this thin and light, and on a more anecdotal basis I noticed it was much more responsive in Adobe InDesign - a highly demanding application - than the 13.5in Surface Book 2. Microsoft’s emphasis on power management pays respectable dividends when it comes to battery life, too, with a result of 10hrs 47mins in our video-rundown tests.

That falls short of the “up to 17 hours” that Microsoft claims, but is a laudable result when you consider the power demands of the screen. The crucial thing is that you don’t need to worry about carrying around the 102W power brick during a working day. That’s fortunate, because this isn’t the smallest unit in the world. It weighs around 200g and is roughly the size of an iPhone 5 – but triple the thickness. If you’re using the tablet alone, you can expect around three hours of life based on our video-rundown tests, which may not sound great compared to the ten-plus hours of a modern iPad but in reality shouldn’t be an issue. Most scenarios will see you using the Surface Book in laptop mode at least 80% of the time.

A 15IN TABLET Despite its 15in screen, in tablet mode the Book 2 feels well-balanced in the hand. Even at 820g, I doubt many people will struggle to hold it for extended periods of time. If you’re watching TV then it’s an exceptional second screen, but in such situations it felt like overkill – I found it more natural to reach for my phone. It seems more likely that people will use the Surface Book in tablet mode for professional or artistic reasons. Here, though, the $139 Surface Pen is absolutely necessary, and I ind it irritating that Microsoft doesn’t bundle it with such an expensive device. Still, once you’ve bought the Pen, it’s a pleasure to write on and

LAPTOPS & PCS REVIEWS

Battery life Video playback 10hrs 47mins

Microsoft will happily sell you the Surface Dial, but a docking station is a better investment

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create drawings. As with the 13.5in Surface Book 2, it offers 4,096 pressure levels, which is approximately 4,090 more than I need but is a boon for artists. It supports the Surface Dial on-screen too, but I’m not convinced that it’s worth $149.

BIG SCREEN HIT Then we come to the quality of the screen. It’s to Microsoft’s credit that, even before I took the Surface Book 2 from the box, I knew what to expect. Fantastic colour accuracy, vibrant photos and an excellent range of brightness across all 3,240 x 2,160 pixels (the same 3:2 ratio as the 13.5in version, but with a few more pixels to play with). You can choose between two colour modes - Enhanced or sRGB - and it achieved a 88% coverage of the sRGB colour gamut in the former and 91% in the latter - both strong results, just not quite as high as I expected. I love the fact that the screen brightness is so adjustable, ranging from a low of 3.9cd/ m2 to 442cd/m2 through ten presses of the brightness button (F2) on the keyboard. The F7/keyboard backlight button is equally handy in dark conditions, cycling through three levels of brightness (and off). This laptop is a pleasure to type on too. While I prefer the more precise feel of, say, a typical ThinkPad, there’s nothing to irritate the touch-typist here, with plenty of space between the large keys. The Surface Book’s stunning party trick: to transform from laptop to tablet at the flick of a switch

With a large Backspace, Enter and spacebar, there’s only one reason I found my eyes flicking down to the keyboard to see what I was hitting: the up/down cursor keys are halfheight. If that’s the biggest criticism, though, you know Microsoft’s designers have got things right. The same is true of the touchpad, which is not only large (albeit no larger than the 13.5in Surface Book 2) but covered in a layer of glass that ensures ingers glide across the surface. If you can master Windows 10’s gestures then you’ll grow to love it.

MISSED CONNECTIONS In fact, there’s only one major criticism I have of the 15in Surface Book 2: the lack of ports. On the right, there’s a USB-C 3.1 port and Microsoft’s proprietary Surface Connect power and data connector. On the left, two traditional USB 3.1 ports and an SDXC slot that supports fast UHS-II cards. There are no ports on the screen itself. To get around this lack of connectivity for my 13.5in Surface Book 2, I invested in the Surface Dock power supply and docking station - even at £190, a much wiser buy than the Surface Dial. That not only widens the number of display connections available and provides a ready supply of USB ports when at my desk, but also compensates for the lack of Thunderbolt support. USB-C 3.1 has a maximum bandwitdth of 10Mbits/ sec to Thunderbolt 3’s 40Gbits/sec, and lacks the ability to daisy-chain devices. The Marvell Avastar wireless chip

provides Bluetooth 4.1 and 2x2 MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi, both of which proved reliable and fast during testing, and Xbox owners should note the inclusion of an Xbox Wireless Adapter too. This means you can use your Xbox wireless controller on the Surface Book 2, without needing to plug in an ugly dongle.

PRICE OF SUCCESS So to the big question: is the 15in Surface Book 2 worth the high price Microsoft demands? For some people, the answer will be a clear yes. If you have good reasons to opt for a 15in screen, and want the extra power on offer, and you love the Surface Book 2’s unique form factor, then close your eyes and press the Buy Now button. It falls short of a full-on recommendation for one reason, however. I can live with high prices for high-quality computer equipment, and the Surface Book 2 is undeniably that. What I ind harder to swallow is the combination of poor ixability - the 13.5in Book 2 scored the lowest possible score in iFixit’s tests, and I suspect this 15in verson will do too - and a one-year manufacturer warranty. When a company is charging this much for a laptop that’s clearly targeted at enthusiasts and professionals, it should back it up with a two- or even three-year warranty. TIM DANTON KEY SPECS Quad-core 1.9GHz Intel Core i7-8650U processor • switchable Nvidia GeForce 1060/ Intel UHD Graphics 620 • 3,240 x 2,160 touchscreen display • 512GB PCIe SSD • 16GB 1,866MHz LPDDR3 RAM • 2x2 MIMO 802.11ac Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 4.1 • Xbox Wireless controller • Surface Connect power/data connector • USB-C 3.1 • 2 x USB 3.1 Type-A • SDXC slot • Windows 10 Pro • 343 x 251 x 23mm (WDH) • 1.91kg • 1yr  RTB warranty $256GB, $3,649 • www.microsoft.com/en-au

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WINDOWS MIXED REALITY NOW SIX MONTHS OLD, IS THERE ENOUGH TO RECOMMEND MICROSOFT’S VERSION OF VIRTUAL REALITY VERSUS THE REST? hen Facebook bought Oculus Rift for US$2 billion back in 2014, I suspect it set off familiar “we’ve missed the boat” ripples in the Microsoft boardroom. While January 2015 saw the announcement of its futuristic HoloLens, it took a further twoand-a-half years before consumers could enter Microsoft’s virtual realm: Windows Mixed Reality (WMR). It’s a bit of a shame, then, that the launch was more of a pfftt than an explosion. WMR was released as part of the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update in October 2017, when Microsoft also announced “a range” of Windows Mixed Reality headsets. It was easier to grab Lord Lucan for a chat than to get hold of a headset to test, though, and when it came to content it was all jam tomorrow. That jam looked very tempting indeed, though, with the promise of support for Steam VR games to accompany the native VR apps and games that would surely arrive soon in the Windows Store. We waited. And waited. The jam began to look crusty. Over the “holiday” period of late 2017, however, things started to change. The headsets arrived, even if we Brits only have access to four compared to ive in the US (Samsung introduced a high-end version, equipped with an OLED rather than LCD

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screens, to partner its Windows laptops, but these aren’t sold in Australia). As promised, Steam added support for WMR. And, slowly, more apps and games started dripping into the Windows Store. Now, with the scent of spring in the 2018 air, it’s time to ask whether we should be taking Windows Mixed Reality seriously. In this in-depth review, we not only look at the WMR experience, but assesss the four available headsets, plus a PC and laptop that are perfect for VR.

FIRST STEPS This brings some obvious questions: what is Windows Mixed Reality anyway? How does it differ from virtual reality and augmented reality? What does it offer over Oculus Rift and the HTC Vive? In many ways, it’s identical to both of those offerings. Right now, unless you can afford a HoloLens along with your second Learjet, Windows Mixed Reality is virtual reality within a Microsoft environment. It is, in fact, a Windows Store app like any other. It’s just that this particular

app requires the use of an approved WMR headset. These are all based on a reference Microsoft design. The colours and contours may be different, but fundamentally all four headsets are more like identical quadruplets than brothers. It’s just that they’re wearing different clothing. So they all share the same core ingredients. That’s a pair of circular, 90Hz 1,440 x 1,400 LCD panels (one for each eye); HDMI inputs; a 3.5mm jack for connecting earphones; an adjustable headstrap; and a flip-up mechanism, so you can check your real-life environs without unstrapping the headset. Plug any of these devices into a USB 3 port and HDMI output, and the WMR app will start. Or at least, that’s the theory. Your computer will need to be running the Fall Creators Update of Windows 10, and you may ind you need to unplug your chosen headset a couple of times to persuade it to be recognised. You’ll also need to pair the Bluetooth controllers (see above right) with your system.

WEARABLES REVIEWS

Meet Cliff House, Microsoft’s VR environment that includes a big-screen den for watching films

“Unless you can afford a HoloLens along with your second Learjet, WMR is virtual reality within a Microsoft environment” Assuming success, you’ll be asked whether you want the “full” experience, where you can walk around, or a sitting-down version – with the former obviously being preferable. On selection, you’re asked to walk around the available space you have to play in, to create a virtual boundary. During play, a wireframe wall will appear whenever you step too close.

THE HEADSET EXPERIENCE With all the headsets being based on the same Microsoft design, it’s no surprise that the experience of wearing them is almost identical. They all include enough space to accommodate glasses, which I wore throughout testing. You might expect things to get uncomfortable, but I found it was possible to wear the lightest headsets (from Acer and Lenovo) for half an hour without really noticing them. The only annoyances were pressure on my nose, which meant I occasionally had to iddle with the headset to make it comfortable, and that sometimes my glasses were pushed down so text looked out of focus. The big plus of WMR headsets, compared to the Vive or Oculus Rift, is that you don’t need external sensors to avoid bumping into objects in your room. Along with the boundary

area you set up, a pair of lowresolution cameras keep a look-out for obstacles (it’s called “inside out tracking” in VR parlance). Naturally, you’re also bound by wires, but a generous 4m cable means you can have a large rectangular area to work within. All the currently available headsets include a 3.5mm jack for adding your own earphones or headphones (the latter should slip easily over the top strap), with the promise of spatial awareness via sound – but I never found this to be very effective.

CLIFF HOUSE With your headset on, and your real-world boundary set, the Mixed Reality app takes you through a couple of basic orientation steps – for example, introducing the controllermounted buttons that you use to ire weapons, select objects and activate controls in VR apps. Then you’ll hear the tweeting of birds: you have arrived in Cliff House. I think of this as a Windows desktop translated into 3D, because

ANATOMY OF THE WMR CONTROLLERS While you can theoretically use Windows Mixed Reality without the Bluetooth controllers, that’s only true in the same way that you could, theoretically, use Windows without a keyboard. Little wonder, then, that if you buy a WMR headset from the Microsoft Store then they all come bundled with controllers. And, aside from the manufacturer’s logos, they’re all identical. That’s fine, because they’re comfortable to hold and look suitably futuristic, with the dots of light sprinkled around the edges lighting up to show they’re on and connected. In contrast to the simple consolestyle controllers of the Oculus, there’s a panopoly of controls here. There’s a touchpad, a thumbstick, plus various buttons at the back and side. All these controls shift function depending upon the game and environment you’re in, which should make them deeply confusing to use, but in practice they’re surprisingly intuitive. It helps that the trigger is sensibly mounted at the rear. What’s universally annoying, though, is the way the controllers chew through batteries. Microsoft supplies four AA batteries, two per controller, but they’ll need replacing within a few hours of use.

you can place shortcuts (say, for the Edge browser or Windows Store) in a similar way to how Windows has always worked. It’s much slicker, though, and also offers options to add decorations, objets d’art and weird “live” holograms such as mime artists. It’s a polished offering, but it won’t be long before you grow bored and wonder what else you can do in Windows Mixed Reality other than explore your virtual home.

WHAT TO DO Thankfully, there’s an easy way to ind out. Pressing the Windows button on either controller – usefully, you can glance down and “see” the controllers in the virtual PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 43

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world – will bring up a menu for shortcuts such as Edge, Cortana and Skype. The one we’re interested in here, though, is the Windows Store, because this is the gateway to the Microsoft-sanctioned VR activities on offer. Browse through the available Mixed Reality apps – there’s a separate category within the store – and you can download them directly (or, if you prefer, via the Windows Store in its normal guise). Once installed, you can add a shortcut to your house and click on it. And then, rather surreally, the Cliff House world will fade to black, as a new 3D environment appears. Exactly what this is depends on the app you choose. For instance, Galaxy Explorer – made by Microsoft – places you in the midst of space. A short demo helps you place Earth as your home, and then you’re considered ready to explore this weird galaxy in which we live. You can shoot off to Alpha Centauri, for instance, and see planets spinning in front of you while a narrator provides an overview of what we know.

is a cute 11-minute tale of aliens struggling to avoid asteroids in deep space. Or there’s The Rose and I, which allows you to explore the lonely moon where she resides. And, naturally, there are games. I’ve shared a couple of my favourites from the Windows Store in 3 starter games for Windows Mixed Reality (see right), but, with rare exceptions, the same caveat applies about needing to pay before you ind out how good a game is. Which is why the inclusion of Steam is such good news.

STEAMY WINDOWS If you have a couple of minutes to while away, check the available VR games from the Windows Store. Then check what’s available on

3 STARTER GAMES FOR  WMR PINBALL FX2 VR $14.99 from Steam This is the one game that keeps drawing me back into virtual reality. While standing in front of a 3D pinball machine is never going to be quite the same as the real thing, it’s surprisingly close – and also allows for added atmosphere, such as an underwater feel in one of the sea-themed machines. You can buy an extension pack for $24.99, but $14.99 buys access to three machines, which is plenty to start of with. I’m still trying to get to grips with the fiendish Epic Quest machine…

There’s something oddly compelling about playing pinball in VR Decorate Cliff House how you see fit, right down to mime artist holograms

TINY TOWN VR $14.99 from Steam This is one for the kids. It’s a weird mix between Minecraft (which is also available in VR, but isn’t as well implemented), Lego and Sim City, allowing you to design your own, well, tiny town. Add buildings, create roads, build an airport, a farm – whatever your brain thinks of. Tiny Town VR may sound like a simple game, but it has the potential to keep children occupied and their imaginations active.

The majority of the apps aren’t as slick, however. For example, there’s an app called Walk the World, which promises that you can “explore anywhere in the world” using OpenStreetMap, Bing Maps and Google Maps. It’s clunky, though, with the one current review describing it as the “poor man’s Google Maps VR”. At least Walk the World is free. Many cost over $20 for no discernible reason, with few offering a trial option so you can check whether they’re worth the price. And because Windows Mixed Reality is yet to hit the big time in terms of numbers, you’ll be extremely fortunate if you can ind any reviews from buyers. To start with, then, you may ind yourself watching one of the free short 360-degree animations. For example, Asteroids! VR 44 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

Steam. You’ll soon realise why it’s such good news that you can download and run games directly from Steam that will work on your Windows Mixed Reality headset. I would be lying, though, if I suggested it was a seamless experience. Assuming you have a Steam account, and the software already on your system, you now need to download “Windows Mixed Reality for SteamVR” via Steam itself. After installing it, you’ll then need to run the Windows Mixed Reality environment as normal, and then load the game. Even then it won’t always work and you’ll need to restart WMR. It’s a pain, but it’s worth jumping

SERIOUS SAM VR: THE LAST HOPE $39.99 from Steam If there’s one game that demonstrated to me just how much more visceral VR is compared to normal gaming, it’s Serious Sam VR. Obviously, I was aware that this was a game – the clue being my transportation to a diferent world and the stream of alien creatures attacking me – but there’s something about looking down and seeing something biting your ankles that makes everything feel more real than on a normal screen. My heartbeat leapt up to over 150 whilst I was playing: if you need an adrenalin blast, this is a great game.

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through the hoops to gain access to the games. If the game supports Windows Mixed Reality – and the vast majority do, as indicated by a small Windows icon – then you should be able to run them without fuss. The sole exception I found was LA Noire: The VR Files, which I couldn’t persuade to run. Microsoft has much to thank Oculus Rift and HTC for: it’s inherited a ready-made VR gaming platform. Valve also appears keen to make the experience slicker, with a couple of bugs ixed via an update during the time I was conducting this review. I particularly like the way it has built a virtual extension to Cliff House, where you’re transported when you load SteamVR for Windows from within Microsoft’s environment. From here you can check out all your downloaded Steam games.

NEED FOR SPEED? One thing that distinguishes Windows Mixed Reality from Oculus Rift and HTC is that Microsoft has lowered the bar when it comes to PC requirements. You don’t even need a dedicated graphics card to take advantage: if your computer can run the notterribly-demanding Cliff House environment at 60fps then it will be deemed to pass muster. You can test it for yourself by downloading the Windows Mixed Reality PC Check from the Windows Store. Not unusually for Microsoft, it then muddies the waters by creating a class of Windows Mixed Reality Ultra. You’ll need a discrete graphics chip for this, because it must be

WHAT ABOUT HOLOLENS? Big companies and developers can already buy early editions of Microsoft’s HoloLens. This is a true augmented reality device, with all the computing power built into the glasses. I’ve tried HoloLens – under strict supervision from Microsoft – and in many ways was impressed by the way it overlaid reality in specific apps. The best example was an architectural project, where you could zoom into the building, add or remove walls, and generally get an idea of what the final build would be like. The narrow field of view (the amount of viewable area you can see with digital images projected upon it) limits its use, though. It doesn’t help that Microsoft set unrealistic expectations at the launch of HoloLens, with an on-stage demo showing what it would be like to play Minecraft using this augmented reality technology. It looked slick, with no sign of the restricted field of view that I saw in my hands-on demo. HoloLens is a great, promising technology – but it’s not available in the mainstream yet, and currently appears to have industrial rather than leisure applications.

able to run a VR environment at 90fps – while 60fps should be enough to avoid nausea, the increase to 90fps adds certainty. Really, though, you’re not going to have a pleasant VR life unless your computer can hit the green “Ready” mark in the SteamVR Performance Test (downloadable from Steam). For example, our system with a desktop GeForce GTX 1060 equipped with 6GB of RAM, hit 7.9 in the test – that equates to a “High” quality rating, while the Surface Book 2 15in, with its mobile GeForce GTX 1060, was deemed “Ready” with a High rating of 7. So how much speed you need will depend on how demanding the apps you use are. As with any “normal” demanding 3D game, you’ll need a fast pairing of processor and graphics chip to get the most enjoyable experience. The difference here is that frame rates are never sacriiced, so image quality is dropped instead.

Mixed Reality isn’t just for adults, with child-friendly games such as Tiny Town VR on offer

FIT FOR MARKET? Despite the many pluses, I fear for the future of Windows Mixed Reality. Microsoft is sending out mixed signals to developers, with blogs focusing on the HoloLens rather than the WMR environment for consumers. Indeed, you have to search quite hard to ind much talk about WMR on Microsoft’s websites as a whole. This makes me suspect WMR will fade into the background in time, but what it has done is given the big PC makers – Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung – a foothold in the consumer VR world, which until now was dominated by HTC and Oculus. (It’s worth distinguishing consumer from corporate here, because HP in particular has created VR-focused workstations for some time.) In doing so, it’s also driven down prices. The Oculus Rift is now around $800, with the HTC Vive closer to $1,000, and I look forward to seeing what price (and how good) the HTC Vive Pro will be when that’s released later this year. The question then becomes whether WMR is ready for the mainstream, and whether it’s worth forking out somewhere between$800 or more for any sort of headset. I certainly wouldn’t pay $800. If you look on the Microsoft Store at any one time (or head to Amazon) then you’re likely to ind a headset on offer. And, as my mini-reviews of headsets overleaf shows, there’s little to choose between them. In actual reality, if you buy now you’ll be an early adopter – with all that entails. First-generation hardware that’s likely to be improved, probably within the year; an uncertain future for Windows Mixed Reality as a platform; a thin, albeit growing, selection of things to do with the new product from the Windows Store. But, on the other side, you’re an early adopter. You’ll get to play with a developing platform as it grows, and due to the compatibility with Steam you can gain access to the latest games as they’re released. TIM DANTON FREE with Windows (software only)

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MIXED REALITY HEADSETS VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL HARDWARE AND PRICING. TIM DANTON PUTS FOUR THROUGH THEIR VIRTUAL PACES

ACER WINDOWS MIXED REALITY HEADSET $799 • www.acer.com/ac/en/au • Score: 3/5

DELL VISOR WINDOWS MIXED REALITY HEADSET $799 • www.microsoft.com • Score: 3/5

his is the cheapestlooking WMR headset, with a striking blue design that’s positively in-your-face compared to the futuristic HP. It’s quite light, feeling identical to the Lenovo Explorer when worn. Indeed, the only way I could tell the difference with my eyes closed was by feeling the texture of the cushioning fabric on the headband. It seems highly likely that both headsets are made in the same factory, with the same design of foam around the side of the goggles. Don’t worry about this coming off, though, because it’s designed to strip away and perhaps even be replaced in the future: it unpeels like Velcro, so that’s easy enough to do. With all these WMR headsets sharing nigh-on identical internal components, the Acer is a ine choice so long as you’re happy with the colour.

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HP WINDOWS MIXED REALITY HEADSET $799 • www.microsoft.com • Score: 4/5

he Dell Visor feels like a step up compared to the Acer and Lenovo headsets, with a durable feel to the white plastic and solid hinges. The drawback is that it’s heavier than both those rivals, which you start to notice after half an hour of wear. Everything about the Visor feels top-quality, though, and that even stretches to relatively minor aspects of its design, such as the adjustable dial and the faux leather protectors for the front and back of your head. Just like the HP, this WMR headset feels like it could last a few demo days on a stand. The problem for Dell is precisely the same as faced by the Lenovo: there’s little reason to buy this headset over its key rival (in this case the equally rugged HP) unless you can ind it on offer – or if you particularly like its all-white design.

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LENOVO EXPLORER WINDOWS MIXED REALITY HEADSET $799 • www.microsoft.com • Score: 3/5

he HP is a masculine headset, complete with a nonremovable engraving on the side that says 14402 SPATIAL COMPUTING. It’s heavier than the others but feels wellmade, and according to a sticker on the inside of the headband includes a two-year warranty – all the rest only have one. If you were to run a VR stand at an expo, you’d feel more conident with the HP than the other three. Despite its weight, it’s comfortable to wear for prolonged periods. I’m not a fan of its flip-up mechanism – I ended up taking the headset off if I needed to check what was happening around me – but one nice design touch is that the cable detaches from the headset, whereas all the others are ixed. That makes for tidier storage: you can loop the cable out of the way, or ile the headset neatly in a drawer. It’s close, but the HP is my pick of the WMR headsets.

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f you like the sound of the Acer but aren’t fond of its glossy blue inish, then I have excellent news: the Lenovo Explorer is essentially the same headset but with different livery. That means it shares all the same positives and all the same negatives: it’s light and comfortable to wear, but doesn’t have the ruggedity of the HP or Dell. While the matte black inish means that it’s arguably more stylish than the Acer, Lenovo undermines some of the Explorer’s visual appeal by placing its logo bang in the middle of the visor. It should have taken its cues from Dell and HP, both of which place their logos modestly on the side. The Lenovo Explorer isn’t a bad Windows Mixed Reality headset at all, but with no software bundle (unlike the Acer) or compelling design advantage, it needs to be discounted to a lower price than rivals to provide people with a good reason to buy it.

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PERIPHERALS REVIEWS

LG 32GK850G-B 31.5-INCH QHD G-SYNC GAMING MONITOR PERFECT IF YOU NEED A LARGE, HIGH RESOLUTION MONITOR WITH SUPPORT FOR NVIDA G-SYNC amers have never had it better, with a plethora of devices and accessories currently on the market to help them indulge in their passion. Monitors of course, are not immune from the gaming product sphere, with most manufacturers producing a range of displays made with the gamer in mind. LG’s latest monitor is a gamer’s delight, itted out with all the specs any demanding gamer will love. The 32GK850G-B is a 31.5-inch, 2560x1440 display with a VA-type panel. A VA-type

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LG has succombed to the dazzling lure of RGB

panel is the best choice for most gamers, as it retains a level of colour rendition superior to that of the cheaper TN type panels, but allows for faster refresh rates than IPS panels, which are normally used for colour accurate applications. LG’s use of a VA panel allows for a whopping 144Hz refresh rate, perfect for competitive FPS gaming or for the fussy enthusiast. To harness the full capability of a 144Hz refresh rate, the LG 32GK850G-B supports Nvidia’s G-Sync technology. If you’re unaware, G-Sync allows compatible video cards (Kepler, Maxwell, Pascal & Volta based GPUs) by adapting the frame-rate of the monitor to suit the GPU output. This prevents screen tearing - that annoying pixilation looking glitches or stuttering you sometimes see in 3D games when there’s a lot of fast action on the screen. Not everyone is a fan of G-Sync, as it’s expensive for monitor

manufacturers to implement compared to the free Adaptive Sync feature of DisplayPort 1.2a, which is used by AMD. But, if you have an Nvidia GPU and want the smooth frames on offer, you have no choice, so G-Sync it is. It works superbly on the LG 32GK850G-B, making for a silky-smooth experience. Even if your PC can’t go all the way to 144fps, even at lower rates, G-Sync will kick in and prevent unsightly tearing. Other features gamers will love include the ability to place a crosshair overlay in the middle of the display to ensure precise shooting in FPS games, and Black Stabilizer, which highlights dark areas, so you can see enemies hiding in the shadows. There’s also the ability to overclock the refresh rate to 165Hz, if you’re in to that sort of thing. If bling is your thing, the LG 32GK850G-B has you covered here too, with a giant LED ring at the rear of the display that can light up the wall and surrounding area in a set of pre-deined colours. In the dark, it looks fantastic. Unfortunately, there’s no way to get the LEDs to sync with platforms like Gigabyte’s Aorus or Asus Strix, and there’s no software from LG to control the lights from your PC. Nvidia gamers that want a 2560x1440 monitor that’s bigger than 27-inch, has a high refresh rate and G-Sync don’t have much choice. This translates to poor value for money compared to similar monitors with AMD’s FreeSync technology. Luckily, the LG 32GK850G-B is a top class monitor with excellent build quality, wicked fast refresh rates that’ll satisfy anyone after a big and fast display with G-Sync support. ANTHONY AGIUS KEY SPECS 31.5-inch diagonal • 2560x1440 resolution • VA-panel • 144Hz refresh rate • Nvidia G-Sync support • fully adjustable stand • slim bezel • rear RGB LED ambient lighting ring • USB 3.0 hub • 1x HDMI 1.4 • 1x DisplayPort 1.2 $1,299 • www.lg.com/au

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LG 27GK750F GAMING MONITOR INTERESTING, GAME-RELATED, PERFORMANCE-ENHANCING FEATURES COME AT THE EXPENSE OF DAY-TO-DAY USABILITY hen LG calls the 27GK750F a gaming monitor, it’s more than just marketing speak. It’s optimised for gaming in the same way a track car is optimised for track racing. But the flipside is also true: driving to the shops in a V8 Super Car is going to cause issues. The irst headline feature is a 240Hz refresh rate. It’s not the irst 240Hz model we’ve seen, but it is when tied to the next two headline features – a 1080p resolution and a 27-inch panel. In computing terms, that makes for a low-resolution monitor on a very-large, veryfast screen. This is exactly the sort of thing that competitive gamers love as it theoretically makes targets larger, headshots easier while offering greater screen real-estate. But it’s that 240Hz refresh time that’s worth dwelling on. While the human eye cannot see more than 30fps, the smoothness afforded by the extra frames is very-much observable. This comes across noticeably when playing racing games like Project Cars 2, especially at the start when multiple vehicles are jostling for position – the sense of immersion is enhanced. But it’s FPS games where the performance beneits are promoted most. Distant targets on a 60Hz panel with a tiny hit-box might move a greater distance than the screen can display when you try and shoot them. However, viewing four times more frames in the same time space offers better

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accuracy. If that rings alarm bells, it should. You’d need extremely fast reactions to make use of this and beneits would only materialise as a trend. In practice, the smoothness just makes everything look and feel better. Signiicantly better than 144Hz panels? No. But you can tell the difference when playing a lot and switching between the two. Still, LG has other enhancements at play. One is the Black Stabiliser which dials up contrast for dark colours only. It can still make everything look washed out but ramping it up makes it harder for snipers and campers to hide in shadows. The ability to add a crosshair to the centre of the screen proved particularly useful in shooters like Call of Duty WWII where Hardcore mode has no cross hair and some guns have awful sights. LG offers another setting to reduce Motion Blur to 1ms. This inserts a black frame in alternating frames to reduce blurring and ghosting. However, the panel already offers 2ms grey-to-grey performance and we saw no difference.

In practice, we found our Call of Duty performance improved but mainly due to increased target sizes and contrast. Rainbow 6 Siege was similar although exterior horizons got murkier - sometimes making it more-dificult to pick out team mates across the map. This was a particular headache for Arma 3 where seeing into the distance at a high resolution is more important than other enhancements. Overwatch was enhanced all-round but up-close hand-gestures looked super smooth. The problem is, when you’ve inished playing and return to work, getting desktop applications to appear comfortably on screen is a iddly challenge. Contrast was often an issue and text rarely sharp. A desktop app can change settings for different programs but this is iddly and annoying to use. A desktop preset would be most welcome. If you have middle-aged eyes and ind tiny text on 4K monitors a struggle, magnifying them on this large panel is unfortunately not the solution you might be hoping for. Such foibles affect movies less, but 1080p up close on 27-inches still presents quality issues. The OSD is intuitively controlled by a single directional button below the screen and a full complement of ports is included along with a powered USB 3 hub. The base looks good and feels solid. Ultimately, at $799 this is a very niche, high-performance product that will suit a particular market. Value will depend on just how competitive a gamer you are but there are better, cheaper all-round models to choose from. NICK ROSS KEY SPECS 27in 1,920 x 1,080 TN panel • 240Hz • 1ms response time • DisplayPort v.1.2 • 2 x HDMI v.2 • 3.5mm audio • 2 x USB 3 (with Quick Charge) • -5 to 15 tilt • -20 to 20 swivel • pivot • 110mm height adjustment • 625 x 272 x 466mm (WDH) • Supports AMD FreeSync • 3yr RTB Warrant $799 • www.lg.com/au

ASUS PROART PA27AC HDR PROFESSIONAL MONITOR QUALITY MONITOR FOR ANYONE WANTING WIDE COLOUR GAMUT AND THUNDERBOLT 3, BUT POOR VALUE FOR MONEY sus pitch the ProArt PA27AC as a “professional” monitor for anyone carrying out tasks on their computer that requires a no compromises approach to how colours are rendered. This display isn’t for gamers wanting insane refresh rates, nor is it a monitor for every day users who just want something that looks good to browse the web on. This monitor is a high-quality unit with colour accuracy in mind. The ProArt PA27AC is built around a 27-inch WQHD (2560x1440) IPS panel that supports 100% of the sRGB colour gamut and is calibrated from the factory. It also supports the HDR10 colour space if you’re using it over HDMI 2.0a. Connectivity wise, there’s DisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 1.4, 1x HDMI 2.0a and 2x Thunderbolt 3 USB-C pots (1x in, 1x out). The USB-C port will also deliver up to 45W of power and act as a DisplayPort input, so you can connect your laptop to the ProArt PA27AC with a single cable for power and video. The stand can be tilted, swivelled, pivoted and can be height extended to 120mm. There’s built-in speakers, but they’re only good for system noises, not pumping tunes. Colour accuracy is important for computer graphics professionals because colours aren’t always displayed the same between different computers. What looks like a nice shade of blue on one monitor might look grotesque on another, even though the computer is sending the same signal to both monitors. The same goes for when something is printed on paper versus displayed on a screen. The way monitors handle these discrepancies is called colour accuracy. A real-world example of the importance of colour accuracy is printing images to paper. If your monitor can’t display all the colours a

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printer can produce on paper, how are you meant to know what your inal product will look like? Luckily, there are standards that determine the colours a monitor should be able to display to match a print out, or a TV screen, or a projector. These are called colour standards some you may be familiar with are DCI-P3 (popular for digital movie projection), Rec. 2020 (for Ultra HD Blu-ray discs), Adobe RGB (Adobe’s attempt to match CMYK printers) and the most common, sRGB, which is used for digital images between computers. The ProArt PA27AC’s panel claims to support 100% of the sRGB colour gamut and comes pre-calibrated from the factory. In testing with an X-rite i1 Display Pro calibration device, Asus delivers on this claim. This makes the ProArt PA27AC an ideal monitor for people doing colour sensitive work that doesn’t need to be printed. The ProArt PA27AC makes it easy to calibrate too, as its settings can be controlled via the hardware calibrators like the X-rite i1 Display Pro and Datacolor Spyder 5. Unfortunately, the ProArt PA27AC doesn’t support the full Adobe RGB gamut, nor does it support

the full DCI-P3 colour gamut. If you’re in the market for a monitor to use to match your digital photos to a printing process or your video colour grading to a projection standard, you’ll need to shell out more cash for a monitor with a wider colour gamut. That’s that issue with the ProArt PA27AC - who exactly is it for? The refresh rate isn’t suitable for gamers, the colour gamut support isn’t wide enough for true professionals and the $1,200 price tag is quite high for anyone simply wanting a solid, good looking monitor. For $400 less than the ProArt PA27AC, Dell sell the UltraSharp UP2716D, which does 100% Adobe RGB, 100% sRGB, 100% REC 709 and 98% DCI-P3, the only thing it lacks is Thunderbolt 3 support and that’s a niche requirement anyway. The Asus ProArt PA27AC is a great looking monitor and the Thunderbolt 3 ports with 45W of power delivery are nice, but when you can get the superior UP2716D from Dell, the Asus ProArt PA27AC is tough to recommend. ANTHONY AGIUS KEY SPECS 27-inch 16:9 • 2560 x 1440 resolution • 5ms GtG response • flicker free • low blue light • 100% sRGB colour gamut • HDR10 support • 2x Thunderbolt 3 USB-C • 2x HDMI 1.4 • 1x HDMI 2.0 • 1x DisplayPort 1.2 $1,199 • www.asus.com.au

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APPLE HOMEPOD THE APPLE HOMEPOD SOUNDS INCREDIBLE – BUT IT’S NOT AS INTELLIGENT AS ITS RIVALS hat’s the deinition of “smart” when talking about smart speakers? This isn’t a rhetorical question, because in some ways the Apple HomePod is the smartest of them all; and in some ways it’s the dumbest. In the context of Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home, smart means responding to voice commands to play music or radio. It means controlling your home’s smart lights and thermostats, making voice and video calls, and asking about the weather. It means setting up timers and alarms and telling jokes on request. And, according to this deinition of “smart”, the Apple HomePod falls a long way short. But that’s not the only meaning of the word and, in other ways, Apple’s answer to the Echo and Home is streets ahead.

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SOUND DESIGN Apple’s biggest weapon in the smart speaker wars is its ingenious audio engineering. Beneath that attractive yet unassuming exterior – a softly curved, 7in cylinder, all clad in spongy mesh fabric – is an incredibly complex arrangement of tweeters, woofers and microphones. At the top of the speaker’s housing is an upwards-iring 4in woofer, which Apple tells me has a peak-to-peak cone “excursion” of 20mm. That’s no traditional speaker driver speciication. Normally, one would talk about parameters such as QTS, XMAX and VD when discussing the physical characteristics of a speaker driver before excursion distances. However, it’s still a lot for such a small driver and it goes some way towards explaining how the HomePod can reproduce such prodigious and enjoyable bass. The trouble is that with more excursion

can come a lack of control and deinition. If you push the driver to the edge of its performance, there’s also a greater risk of “bottoming out”, or distortion. More expensive speaker drivers combat this by using huge magnets, which allow for more exacting control. The weight of the

“A speaker this size simply has no right to sound this good, with crisp sweetness that most small speakers struggle to reproduce” HomePod (2.4kg) tells you there’s almost certainly a beefy one here, but Apple complements this with its own clever technology. Using a microphone, it continually monitors the position of the woofer and its output to prevent over-extension and thus distortion, while at the same time maximising performance. That’s not all, though. The HomePod is also aware of its environment. Pick it up and accelerometers inside tell the speaker to start a scan as soon as you put it down again. Sonos’ When it comes to smarts, the HomePod has both pluses and minuses

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TruePlay does a similar thing but it’s a slow and manual process where you wave your iPhone around the room to scan your surroundings and optimise the sound. The HomePod carries out this process automatically, while the music is playing, and the amazing thing is you can actually hear it working. While playing Beck’s latest single, Colors, I moved the HomePod from the kitchen table onto an enclosed shelf; with most speakers, a recipe for muddy sound and overbearing bass. That’s what I got at irst. Almost miraculously, though, after ten seconds the HomePod sorted itself out, rebalanced the treble, mids and bass and sounded great once again. I moved the speaker back onto the table and initially the music sounded thin and lacking in body; but before long the bass was back, injecting the track with muchneeded energy. With seven tweeters surrounding the bottom of the speaker in a ring, the HomePod is also capable of directional sound. With each one working together with the speaker’s room-scanning tech, the HomePod can spread the sound so that music has both a sense of space and coherence.

PERIPHERALS REVIEWS

SOUND QUALITY The question is, how does this speaker sound in real-world use? The answer: preposterously good. It’s better the $299 Sonos Play One, which sounds flat and boring in comparison, and in a different league to Google Home and the second generation Amazon Echo. It produces a fuller, deeper, more three-dimensional and broader sound than Amazon’s best-sounding speaker, the Echo Show, with much more bass. A speaker this size simply has no right to sound this good. In the mids and highs there’s a crisp sweetness to audio reproduction that most small speakers struggle to reproduce. And at the bottom end a surprising amount of low-down thump and richness. Still, it isn’t perfect. It’s not as warm in the mids as I’d like it to be, and can take on a harsh edge with tracks when you crank the volume all the way up. But most of the time I’ve spent with the HomePod has seen me gleefully exploring the full range of its sonic capabilities, and I can report that it has very few weaknesses. The only negative is that there’s no way to take the output of the HomePod and send it to another audio system or speaker via a 3.5mm output (it doesn’t have one) or Bluetooth transmission. But with sound quality this good, who would want to?

We suspect a rather large magnet is hidden inside to combat distortion

voice commands spoken quietly against a background of moderately loud music. Still, it goes to show that Apple has this essential part of smart speaker design nailed. I found the microphone array could pick up voice commands from a few metres away no matter what was playing: even with the music turned up to room-illing volume, you don’t have to shout. The things it can tell you about the music on offer are impressive, too, particularly the way you can ask about what’s playing right now. You can ask Siri who the drummer is on

a track, for instance, or request more information about the album or even the producer. You can ask the HomePod to play more tracks like the one you’re listening to, for different versions of it – or for something completely different. These are capabilities missing from Amazon’s Echo speakers which won’t even let you “play it again” unless you’re using Amazon Music. Having said that, the HomePod isn’t perfect. Often, it didn’t know who was playing on a particular track, instead opting to inform me who has played the drums/guitars/ bongos for the band in the past. And it has a problem with distinguishing between singers and bands. When asked, “who’s singing?” while LCD Soundsystem’s Oh baby was playing, “LCD Soundsystem” came the rather obviously incorrect answer. Thanks, Siri. Only if you ask – very slowly and very clearly – “tell me more about the singer” will you get that information.

SOUNDS STUPID This is symptomatic of the smart speaker experience on the Apple HomePod. Indeed, Siri on the HomePod is very much like Siri on

SOUNDS SMART This isn’t only a speaker for listening to music, though. It’s intended to take on the best Amazon has to offer in the smart speaker business, and this is where things start to unravel for the HomePod. That said, it starts off strongly. Just as with the Amazon Echo range, the speaker’s microphones are capable of picking up the wake phrase - “Hey Siri” - from across the room. I lined up the HomePod next to an Amazon Echo Show and found that, across the room and up close, the Apple device’s microphones were more effective at picking up my voice when speaking at normal volume. To be fair, this isn’t the Show’s strongest suit; the Echo Plus is much more effective and matches the HomePod stride for stride in recognising Apple isn’t afraid to lay bare the technology inside the HomePod PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 51

REVIEWS PERIPHERALS

the iPhone: occasionally useful, prescriptive about the phrases you must use, and not nearly as accomplished as either Alexa or Google Assistant in interpreting the naturally spoken word. Nor is that the end of the HomePod’s quirks. Next on my personal hit list is its inability to set up more than one timer simultaneously. You can set up plenty of alarms, but it offers to cancel your existing timer if you try to set up a second. If you’re juggling dishes in the kitchen, that’s very frustrating. Of greater importance to non-chefs, there’s no voice-controlled way of listening to radio stations, other than Beats 1 (which is Siri’s “favourite radio station on Earth”) or other streaming services. You can pick up your phone and stream radio from BBC iPlayer Radio, Spotify, Tidal and so on via Apple AirPlay, but without an Apple Music subscription you’ll be missing out on whole point of HomePod. True, the Echo is similarly biased towards Amazon Music Unlimited (as shown by my earlier example about playing a track again), but it does at least let you pick and choose songs with your voice. You can’t also yet associate the HomePod with different Apple Music accounts. With Apple Music constantly monitoring what you listen to so it can build its famed personalised playlists, this could be a problem if the little people in your house insist on listening to Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing on Rainbows when you’re not at home. Fortunately, you can prevent this from influencing your music recommendations via Apple Music by flicking a switch in the settings. Another thing you might want to disable is the HomePod’s ability to send and read out text messages. Since Apple’s smart speaker doesn’t distinguish between voices, anyone can use the speaker to send texts via your phone and read them out, even if you or your phone aren’t in the room. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s barely worth having the HomePod’s smart facilities, though, as some critics have. After all, the HomePod can do some of the things just as well as its rivals. It can read out the news and, helpfully, you can switch sources on the fly. It can advise on trafic conditions on your daily commute and carry out various actions with a single trigger phrase using HomeKit’s Scenes capability. “Hey Siri, good morning” can trigger an action that turns on the kitchen lights and starts the kettle boiling, for instance. HomeKit’s location awareness is another neat feature that plays nicely with HomePod. Set the target device’s location so it’s the same 52 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

Setting up the HomePod is as easy as you might expect

as the speaker, and you can carry out certain actions without having to spell them out. “Hey Siri, turn on the lights”, for instance, will switch on all the smart lights in the room the speaker is in; you don’t have to tell it where. This all works well, but your smart home gear has to be HomeKit capable to work with HomePod, and it’s another area in which Apple cedes the advantage to Amazon. Not only can Amazon’s Echo Plus speaker support devices natively via its embedded Zigbee wireless chip, but all of Amazon’s smart speakers currently support a much broader range of smart devices than HomeKit does via Alexa’s thirdparty “Skills”.

SOUND ADVICE The Apple HomePod arrives late to the smart speaker party and There are no extra outputs, but with quality like this there’s no need

it’s considerably more expensive than its rivals, so it needs to offer something extra over and above the competition. In some ways it does just that. It’s a phenomenal speaker, packed with exciting engineering and innovative technology. It blows every other smart speaker out of the water when it comes to audio quality and it will do so wherever you happen to put it. It isn’t as “smart” as Amazon’s Echo or Google Home, bafflingly omitting radio playback, Spotify support and basic things such as multiple timers. Unless you’ve already invested in HomeKit equipment, support for home automation is limited. And although she can hear you clearly across a room, Siri isn’t as good at interpreting what you say. If all you’ve been waiting for is a great-sounding speaker that you can control with your voice, and money is no object, then you’ll grow to adore the Apple HomePod. But this isn’t the transformative, marketleading product that Apple probably hoped it would be. JONATHAN BRAY KEY SPECS High-excursion woofer with custom amplifier • seven horn-loaded tweeters • six-microphone array • internal low-frequency calibration microphone for automatic bass correction • direct and ambient audio beamforming • 802.11ac Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 5 • 142 x 142 x 172mm (WDH) • 2.5kg • 1yr RTB warranty $499 • www.apple.com/au

CAMERAS REVIEWS

NEST CAM IQ INDOOR EASY TO SETUP AND USE, BUT EXPENSIVE ONGOING COSTS AND FAST INTERNET REQUIREMENTS CAN STING f you’ve been in the market for an IP camera and looked online for reviews, you’ve probably heard about the Nest Cam. The brand has been incredibly popular in the USA, releasing multiple cameras with varying features. Google (Nest is a division of Google) has i nally made the brand available in Australia, bringing the flagship Nest Cam IQ to our shores. The build quality of the Nest Cam IQ is great, and the sleek white minimalist design will suit most homes. The fully adjustable stand and long USB-C power cable makes placement easy, but the bulky USB power adaptor prevents plugging in another appliance next to it. Setup of the Nest Cam IQ is a piece of cake. Download the very polished iOS or Android app and you’re guided through the process of adding the camera to your Wi-Fi network and creating a Nest account. Unlike other Wi-Fi cameras, the Nest needs an always on Internet connection. There is no way to store video locally. The upside of always needing an Internet connection is that your video is safe if

We were very impressed with the build quality of the Nest Cam

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someone breaks in and vandalises the camera. It also allows Google to work its machine learning magic

“Unlike other Wi-Fi cameras, the Nest needs an always on Internet connection.” on your video. The downside however, is an ongoing cost to access that video and the need for a fast Internet connection. Pricing for a Nest Aware subscription starts at $7 a month and provides a 5-day video history. If you don’t pay, the camera still works, just with fewer features. Nest say the camera requires between 800 to 2,000 Kbps of upload bandwidth, so those on ADSL and NBN tiers below 50/20 will struggle, as will those with Internet plans that count upload data. At its highest quality setting, the Nest Cam IQ can use around 400GB/m of data. That’s just for one camera - if you place three in a home, that’s even more of a strain on your Internet connection and almost 1TB of data a month sent to the cloud. The Nest smartphone app has a handy “Home/Away Assist” feature that can set your camera to turn on only when you’re away from home, conserving bandwidth. When your phone leaves your home’s boundaries, the camera turns on. When you come back, it turns off. You can also set a schedule to only record certain

days and times. The Nest app also allows you to give access to the camera to family members, so they can keep an eye on things and use the Home/Away Assist feature. The beneit of sending video Google is that they can use their large server power to analyse your video and do face recognition. This is a level above normal motion detection, allowing you to receive alerts only when strangers wander by. The technology isn’t perfect however, sending alerts for people already registered in the Nest system quite frequently. Image quality from the Nest Cam IQ is solid provided your Internet connection is fast enough. Night vision is monochrome and the IR light bright enough to cover most indoor spaces with ease. Disappointing is the fact that the camera has a 4K sensor, yet only captures 1080p video. It would be nice to have it capture 4K H.265 video for those with the Internet connections to support it. The microphone feature is handy to get the attention of pets or tradies when you aren’t home. Compared to other IP cameras, the Nest Cam IQ is expensive at $479. Then there’s the monthly payments you pretty much have to pay to get the full feature set. Plus, you need a really fast Internet connection to make everything run smoothly. That’s a lot of conditions, but if you can tick all those boxes, the Nest Cam IQ is a high-quality product. ANTHONY AGIUS

KEY SPECS 1/2.5-inch • 8-megapixel sensor with 12x digital zoom • 1080p at 30 frames/sec H.264 HDR video • 4K stills • 130-degree FoV • 940nm infrared LED night vision • 3-microphone array • 802.11ac 2.4 GHz & 5 GHz. $349 • www.nest.com/au

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REVIEWS PERIPHERALS

SYNOLOGY DS218J A VERY WELL-FEATURED, TWODISK, NAS DEVICE THAT OFFERS RESPECTABLE PERFORMANCE ALL HOUSED IN A CHEAPO BOX t won’t take you long to igure out that Synology’s new DS218j lies at the budget end of its NAS range. The white plastic box literally slides apart giving you access to internals that allow for two SATA hard disks (3.5-inch or 2.5-inch) while the (optional) screws which seal it shut are in a separate bag. So you’re essentially paying for a cheap, hollow plastic box with some circuitry inside. We approve. Over the years we’ve been served all manner of two-bay NAS devices including many, overheating, sealed units which became door-stops as soon as any part of them failed. Here, we pulled the box apart, slid in two hard drives, closed it up and turned it on. Too easy. Synology makes (very) many NAS devices. The DS218j is one of the two-bay value models with the ‘j’ designation referring to its cloud capabilities (natch). Inside is a 1.3GHz dualcore processor with 512MB RAM. Outside there are two USB 3.0 ports plus Gigabit Ethernet. The lack of powerful innards keep power consumption down with it consuming almost 18W when under heavy operation which is impressive for a device that’s always on. A Wake On LAN function means you can keep it practically hibernating much of the time too. When it is up and running there may be some audible whirrings from the hard drives but the box itself is very quiet – even with its solitary fan going. It’s unobtrusive enough for the Lounge Room. As with some other, two-disk, Synology devices, it offers maximum sequential read speeds of 113MB/s and write speeds of 112MB/s over Gigabit Ethernet, although your mileage will vary depending on ile sizes and network congestion. You can double this speed with Synology’s superior siblings, but at signiicantly-higher cost. Of course, the highlight of Synology’s products is the DiskStation software and Synology’s feature set continues to balloon. Nowadays this manifests as a modular, browser-based application suite and multiple mobile apps. Synology itself provides a host of backup,

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security, multimedia (serving and organisational) tools. However, the range of high-quality, third-party, add-ons is also impressive. These include more backup compatibility from the likes of Acronis, media server functions from Logitech, Apple and Plex, ile management and server applications from the likes of Apache, various mail server tools plus developer options for coders. As for core features, the DS218j can perform real-time, incremental backups using small ile sizes to prevent bloating. It also will keep multiple backups synchronised across a network. The QuickConnect tool allows you to set a secure online address for remotely access over the internet without coniguring access rules on your router. Another potentially-major application is the Surveillance Station app which will manage security cameras for you. For some users, this is worth purchasing the DS218j for alone. However, the software is not without quirks. For all the stated functionality, it has a bit of a One of the best value NAS devices

dated, Windows 95 feel to it. While installing packages generally went without a hitch, the Synology Assistant app on one networked laptop couldn’t ind the NAS while the wizard that promised to automatically conigure our router failed. However, with everything accessible through a web browser window and the QuickConnect working like a charm, all was forgiven. That it so-simply streamed our 4K videos from a USBconnected drive via a web address was impressive. Build quality lends itself to home and home-ofice usage and its lack of robustness limits portability. While it will cater for a familysized number of users, it will likely struggle acting as any kind of a professional workhorse. You can ind cheaper alternatives, but few offer the flexibility, features and performance that the DS218j offers. It’s a great choice for anyone who wants to stick a disk or two in a box and have access to almost every feature on the market. However, if you work with large iles, require portability you’ll be better off with a more-expensive option. NICK ROSS KEY SPECS 2x SATA 3 2.5in/3.5in drive bays • Marvell Armada 385 88F6820 dual-core 1.3GHz CPU • 512MB DDR3 RAM • 2x USB 3.0 • 1x Gigabit Ethernet $299 • www.synology.com

PERIPHERALS REVIEWS

BILLION BIPAC 8700VAX–1600 VDSL2 WI-FI ROUTER BILLION IS BACK AND SOLID AS USUAL, BUT THE REST OF THE INDUSTRY HAS MOVED ON illion has been in the ADSL modem game for decades, right at the very start of ADSL technology rolling out in Australia. Their latest high-end home and SOHO router is the BiPAC 8700VAX and it is packed with features like VoIP and VDSL2 for FTTN NBN connections at a friendly pricepoint. The BiPAC 8700VAX has three WAN ports - a VDSL2/ADSL2 connection, a Gigabit Ethernet port or the ability to use the USB port with a 4G modem for redundancy. Rounding out the ports is 4-port Gigabit Ethernet (if the Ethernet WAN port isn’t in use, it can be a 5th switch port) and two RJ-11 FXS ports for hooking up landline telephones to VoIP services. For those who are still using a landline, VOIP is fully supported on the BiPAC 8700VAX, with a range of audio codecs,

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telephony features (call waiting, echo cancellation, voice activity detection to name a few) and SIP protocols built in. Impressive for a modem router that’s only $229. Wi-Fi on the BiPAC 8700VAX is handled by a dual radio 802.11ac chip, with support for three spatial streams for MIMO that’s capable of a theoretical maximum of 1300 Mbps on 5GHz and 300 Mbps on 2.4GHz. Billion makes no mention of beamforming capabilities, which is becoming common on similar midpriced routers. There’s only 128MB

“packed with features like VoIP and VDSL2 for FTTN NBN connections” of RAM in the BiPAC 8700VAX, but that’s not unusual for a router at this price-point and it can handle a large amount of BitTorrent action ine - just not an obscene amount of BitTorrent action. Billion’s website is nice enough to put up a demonstration page of the BiPAC 8700VAX’s user interface, so you can see all its features and what it’s like to set the unit up. Unfortunately, this is where Billion falls behind more advanced competitors like Asus and Netgear. For starters, the interface is very bland and not user friendly. The more tech savvy individuals who have been setting up routers for decades mighty appreciate the plain UI, but the average user would not ind this intuitive at all compared to the super easy to set up wizards in other routers. Even something as common as connecting to an OpenVPN server is intimidating compared to the ease of doing so on an Asus router. Setting up QoS rules is confusing and that’s not acceptable for a router aimed at consumers in 2018. Then there’s the fact Billion has no smartphone or tablet app.

Using a desktop PC to set up a router is so mid-2000s. It’s not unreasonable to expect an app with often used features (i.e: setting Wi-Fi schedules, enabling/disabling VPN connections, viewing a list of connected Wi-Fi devices, modifying QoS rules via application types) readily available to tweak without having to move over to a desktop computer and load up the router’s full administration interface. Most telling is the lack of useful advanced features found on competitor’s units. For example, Asus has AiMesh for linking up multiple routers around the home, AiCloud to access your iles anywhere on the Internet and easy to use and advanced content iltering with AiProtection. Billion has none of those features that make life easy for the users. That isn’t to say the Billion lacks features, it has most that a typical user would need, they’re just hidden under layers of jargon that their competitors make easy to conigure. Billion’s hardware is solid, and the price is right at $229, but the home Wi-Fi market is saturated with competition these days. Billion hasn’t changed a thing for over a decade now and it’s starting to show. If you don’t need VoIP support, there’s more modern units like the Netgear D6400 that’ll do a better job and be easier to use. But if you need a VDSL2 modem with 802.11ac Wi-Fi and full VoIP support that won’t break the bank, Billion has you covered with the BiPAC 8700VAX. ANTHONY AGIUS KEY SPECS VDSL2/ADSL2+ compliance • dual band 802.11ac Wi-Fi • two RJ-11 FXS ports for VOIP • 1x USB 2.0 port • 5x Gigabit Ethernet ports • support for 16x IPSec VPN tunnels & L2TP • PPTP • OpenVPN. $229 • au.billion.com

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REVIEWS COMPONENTS

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS X FORMULA A FORMULA FOR Z370 SUCCESS sus Republic of Gamers motherboards frequently ind their way onto PC enthusiast’s shortlists. Take just one glance at it and you know you’re looking at a seriously high end motherboard. It looks rather like a blend of the full cover Sabretooth series combined with the functionality of the Apex models. Looks are only a part of it of course. Its chock full of features and it should be capable of getting the most from your Intel Coffee Lake processor. The feature list is comprehensive as you’d expect. An EK water block is a signiicant inclusion which gives you an idea of its target audience. As you can see, most of the board is covered on the front AND the back which adds to the look. The I/O area has an integrated shield and is packed with loads of USB ports and AC Wi-Fi along with the usual array of ports. Ideally we’d like to see a 5G or 10G Ethernet port on a top end board like this for a little bit of future prooing. Six SATA ports and a pair of M.2 slots take care of storage needs. If we are to nit-pick, perhaps an extra pair of SATA ports would be nice?

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parameters or be customized with your own design. Super cool! There’s a healthy dose of RGB lighting as you’d expect, but it appears to be almost understated in an age of RGB overload. It really does look good. The Z370 chipset, being an evolution of Z270 means that the platform is mature and performance is within a few percent across all Z370 motherboards. In our benchmarks, a 5GHz i7-8700K paired with a GTX 1080 Ti put out some really nice frame rates with our demanding test suite at 1080p. This is of course a key for cranking out FPS on high refresh rate monitors. In system benchmarks we see the power of the overclocked 8700K with excellent Cinebench and PCMark results.

BLING! One of the eye catching features is something Asus calls LiveDash, which is a user customizable 1.3in OLED panel in the centre of the board. It can show various system CINEBENCH 15

CINEBENCH 15

PCMARK 10

Multi thread Score

Single thread Score

Score Compute

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS X FORMULA

1632

217

7023

MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC

1636

218

6949

3DMARK FIRESTRIKE SU

3DMARK FIRESTRIKE EXTREME

RISE OF THE TOMB RAIDER

GHOST RECON: WILDLANDS

TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER II

Score

Score

1080p, Very High, Avg FPS

1080p, Very high, DX11 ,Avg FPS

1080p, High, DX11 Avg FPS

ASUS ROG MAXIMUS X FORMULA

24835

13191

171.29

101.66

88.20

MSI Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC

24815

13196.00

170.63

101.75

87.90

56 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

OVERCLOCKING TO THE MAXIMUS Unless your CPU is a dud you can pretty much get away with bumping the clock multiplier and some extra voltage to achieve speeds of 5GHz+ across all cores. Your cooling will give out well before the motherboard breaks a sweat. We also tried a set of very fast G.Skill DDR4-3866 and got it purring with zero effort with the XMP setting. Tweakers who like to wring out every last bit of performance will be impressed with a familiar fully featured ROG bios. The Asus Maximus X Formula is a very nice looking motherboard. The somewhat subtle RGB implementation and OLED display demand to be showed off in a windowed case. You always have to pay a relative premium for ROG boards but if you’re looking for a motherboard to rock your 8th generation processor and look good doing it, then this one deserves to be on your shortlist. CHRIS SZEWCZYK KEY SPECS Intel Z370 Chipset • Support for 8th generation Intel Core processors • 2x M.2; Up to 3x USB 3.1 Gen 2, 6x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 6x USB 2.0 • HDMI & DP 1.2 video outputs • 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi • Intel I219V Gigabit LAN • ROG SupremeFX 8-Channel High Definition Audio • ATX Form Factor $699 • www.asus.com.au

COMPONENTS REVIEWS

TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER II (HIGH PRESET DX11) 1920 x 1080

ASUS ROG STRIX

AVG

NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 TI NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080

RX VEGA 56

AMD RADEON VEGA 56 ASUS ROG STRIX RADEON RX VEGA 56

VEGA IS GOING NOVA

ASUS ROG STRIX RADEON RX VEGA 64

eviewing a card like the Asus ROG Strix RX Vega 56 is somewhat dificult at this time. Graphics cards might as well be called mining cards. Currently, gamers are being forced to pay crazy money for decent high resolution gaming performance in AAA games. Do you delay your upgrade or sell a kidney? Mining aside, Vega is actually a competent gaming GPU and Asus have produced a stellar design in the ROG Strix Vega 56. It’s an absolute beast of a card that offers an excellent feature set. It’s effectively a triple slot design, which is something to keep in mind. The Strix Vega 56 is simply miles ahead of noisy reference cards. The Asus Strix is cooler and quieter thanks to its triple dust resistant fan implementation, much larger in surface area and lapped base for maximum heat transfer. The card is fed by dual 8 pin power connectors which are deinitely needed if you want to overclock to any meaningful degree. Asus has included some attractive RGB lighting on the lovely back plate and on the shroud of the card. You can control the lighting with the Asus Aura Sync app and we have to say it looks really good when paired with a motherboard like our Asus Maximus IX Apex. The card has a total of ive video outputs consisting of two DP v1.4, two HDMI 2.0b and one DVI-D port. Asus includes a pair of fan headers for connecting to adjacent case fans that can ramp up under heavy load.

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YOU CAN GAME WITH IT TOO Gaming performance is strong, but not outstanding compared to the Nvidia competition. It trades blows with the GTX 1070 Ti and as we see in Total War: Warhammer II, it even ends up ahead of the GTX 1080 at 1080p and 1440p. During testing, the recorded

temperatures were excellent with a highest reading of just over 70c. Very good! Power consumption is a concern for all Vega cards with total system draw at 463w. This goes to show just how effective the Strix cooler is. If it can handle this hungry GPU, it can handle anything.

THE VALUE QUESTION Now we come to the crux of it. A wise man once said: There are no bad graphics cards, only bad prices. The mining craze means Vega cards are poor options for gamers at this time due to extreme price inflation. If you’re a gamer, grab a GTX 1070 Ti or GTX 1080. The 1080 performs better, runs cooler, uses less power and doesn’t have the same level of price inflation. Price aside, the Asus Strix Vega 56 is a decent gaming card. Sure it uses too much power for our liking but in the end it provides solid performance to go along with the unique AMD features like Freesync. That price though. No. Just no. Having said that, if the Vega cards ever come back to their RRPs then they become more compelling. CHRIS SZEWCZYK KEY SPECS AMD Radeon RX Vega 56 GPU • 3584 Stream Processors • 1297 MHz Core Clock • 1573 MHz Boost Clock • 8GB HBM2 Memory • 2048-bit bus • 800 MHz Memory Clock • 2x DP 1.4 • 2x HDMI 2.0b • 1x DVI-D $1,299 • www.asus.com.au

0

2560 x 1440

20

40

60

80

100

AVG

NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 TI NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 AMD RADEON VEGA 56 ASUS ROG STRIX RADEON RX VEGA 56 ASUS ROG STRIX RADEO RX VEGA 64 0

3840 X 2160

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

30

35

AVG

NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 TI NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 AMD RADEON VEGA 56 ASUS ROG STRIX RADEON RX VEGA 56 ASUS ROG STRIX RADEON RX VEGA 64 0

5

10

15

20

25

3DMARK FIRESTRIKE NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 TI NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 AMD RADEON VEGA 56 ASUS ROG STRIX RADEON RX VEGA 56 ASUS ROG STRIX RADEON RX VEGA 64 0

5000

10000

15000

20000

FIRESTRIKE EXTREME NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 TI NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070 NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1080 AMD RADEON VEGA 56 ASUS ROG STRIX RADEON RX VEGA 56 ASUS ROG STRIX RADEON RX VEGA 64 0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 57

REVIEWS PERIPHERALS

ATEN UH7230 THUNDERBOLT 3 DOCK EVERYTHING YOU NEED FOR A LAPTOP DOCK, BUT NOT AS SLEEK OR FULL FEATURED AS THE CHEAPER COMPETITION nstead of getting to your desk and wasting time plugging your laptop in to ive or more different devices, Aten’s UH7230 gives any Thunderbolt 3 enabled laptop a Gigabit Ethernet port, 2x USB3.1 Gen1 type-A ports, 1x USB3.1 Gen1 type-C port, separate 3.5mm audio input and output sockets, plus two graphics outputs - all via a single cable. The DisplayPort output will pump out 4096x2160 at 60Hz, but if you have a 5K monitor with Thunderbolt 3 (i.e the LG UltraFine 5K Display), you can hook it up to the USB-C port and get the full 5120x2880 at 60Hz. You can use two 4K monitors at once if your computer’s graphics card can handle it. The UH7230’s most useful feature is being able to supply 85W of power over the USB-C port. This means laptops like the 15in

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MacBook Pro don’t need a separate power adaptor to charge. The UH7230 can supply all its power needs and you can leave the power brick in your bag. Setup is easy, with no drivers required. Just plug it in to your Thunderbolt 3 enabled computer and off you go. All the ports are available with built-in drivers on Windows and Mac. Aten are nice enough to include a Thunderbolt 3 USB-C cable in the UH7230’s box too, so you can get started right away. With a street price of $559, the Aten UH7230 is $100 more than CalDigit’s TS3 Plus that does everything the Aten does, but $100 cheaper and with an extra USB port plus an SD card reader. The

Elgato Thunderbolt 3 dock is also cheaper than the Aten, looks nicer and has identical ports. However, the CalDigit and the Elgato units do not include a Thunderbolt 3 cable, which on its own is a $50 purchase for a 1-meter length. Despite the free cable, it’s dificult to recommend the UH7230. It costs more, isn’t as pretty and lacks the ports of its competitors. ANTHONY AGIUS

KEY SPECS Gigabit Ethernet • 3x USB 3.1 Gen 1 ports (1x USB-C) • 3.5mm mic input • 3.5mm headphone output • 1x Thunderbolt 3 USB-C output with 85W power delivery • 1x DisplayPort $599 • www.aten.com/au

MICROSOFT MODERN KEYBOARD WITH FINGERPRINT ID A SLICK SLAB OF CLEVER ALUMINIUM FOR A CLASSY DESK itting aloof upon its executive pedestal amid the rainbow deluge of RGB mechanical keyboards sits this. Despite its probably plain appearance on the page photo, in the metallic flesh this is a real stunner to behold. The sharp-edged base is just 4mm high, and the base slab is suficiently – and no more – large enough for the keys. This austere look is class all over, and with the grey keys with white markings it really is a slick piece of kit. Running along the base underneath is the battery pack, which does double duty as a stand that gives it a comfortable typing angle. It is not adjustable, and its presence means you

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can’t lie this flat on your desk, not that you would want to. Microsoft claims four months of battery life in normal use. And, that battery is being consumed by the Bluetooth transmitter, for this is wireless. Pairing is simplicity itself. When you irst connect it to your PC with the removable cable it pairs, and that’s that. Good to go. There’s no perceptible delay when it needs to come to life. Waking a PC from sleep it takes a tiny moment, perhaps a

second or less, for it to activate. The keys are chiclet and that’s always make or break for us, but the execution here is top notch, dare I say even the new gold standard. Key depression is lengthy, the pressure is springy and the keys rebound instantly. There’s no slop in the movement at all and you could write a book on this thing, no worries. Its party trick is the ingerprint scanner, which can be used for Windows log in. In my two weeks testing it never failed to detect, making this keyboard a winner on every front. BEN MANSILL

$209.95 • microsoft.com/en-au

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HANDHELDS REVIEWS

SONY XPERIA XA2 ULTRA THE BEST PHONE SONY HAS PRODUCED IN YEARS. IT’S BIG, BUT YOU GET A LOT OF PHONE FOR YOUR MONEY he Sony Xperia XA2 has one key attraction: its price. At around $620, it costs less than almost every premium phone out there. What you get for your money is impressive, starting with the phone’s most obvious feature: an enormous 6in screen. When Sony says Ultra, it means Ultra. There’s no trendy 18:9 aspect-ratio display. Sony sticks with 16:9 and, while the bezels to the left and right are suitably thin, its forehead and chin bezels are chunky by modern standards. The resolution is a conservative 1,080 x 1,920, too. Still, if you watch Netflix, iPlayer or Amazon Video on your commute, you’ll ind 1080p on a 6in screen isn’t a bad thing at all. Graphics look crisp and sharp-edged with no visible pixellation, while 1080p displays usually require less power to run than screens with more pixels.

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such as Threes and Candy Crush, you’ll have to play more demanding titles like Asphalt with the quality dialled right down. The battery life is predictably pretty good, though, with the phone’s 3,580mAh battery comfortably lasting a day to a day and a half with moderate use and stretching to 16hrs 54mins in our video-rundown test.

NIFTY SELFIES BEASTLY DESIGN The downside is that the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra is a beast of a phone. In fact, this is the largest handset I’ve tried to slide into my pocket recently. It’s 163mm tall, 9.5mm thick and weighs a positively obese 221g. The Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra is also stuffed with features. A ingerprint reader sits in the centre of the rear panel, just below the camera, while NFC means you can use it for contactless credit-card payments. The microSD slot will take cards of up to 256GB and you get a 3.5mm headphone jack, USB-C for data transfer and charging, and even a dedicated, two-stage shutter button for the camera on the right edge.

SOLID PERFORMANCE With such good build, design and screen performance, there has to be some give and, for the XA2, that comes in the phone’s performance. An octa-core Snapdragon 630 processor, Adreno 508 GPU and 4GB of RAM means that, when compared with the OnePlus 5T, it’s positively sluggish. You can feel it in everyday use, too, and although the 1080p display keeps things smooth in casual games

If the price and size of the Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra grabs all the headlines, it’s the camera tech that’s most interesting. For once, not the rear: this is a 23-megapixel camera with an f/2.0 aperture, a decentsized 1/2.3in sensor, phase-detect autofocus and a single-tone LED flash. What’s curious is the front arrangement, which includes two cameras. One has a resolution of 16 megapixels, an aperture of f/2.0, optical image stabilisation and a 1/2.6in sensor. The other is an 8-megapixel snapper with an f/2.4 aperture and a smaller 1/4in sensor. There’s also a single LED flash. These allow you to capture regular selies with the 16-megapixel camera and wide-angle shots with the 8-megapixel one, useful when you want to capture a small group of three or four friends. YThe rear camera, on the other hand, is seriously impressive. At sunset, pitched against the excellent OnePlus 5T, the Sony’s camera

consistently outperformed the OnePlus, especially with HDR mode enabled. It reproduced the golden light cast by the winter sun superbly, while exposing the foreground with just enough brightness to avoid looking unnatural. It falls down in low light without the flash enabled, though, and my test shots were rife with compression artefacts and distracting chroma noise. Here, it’s the OnePlus 5T that does better, capturing cleaner, less blotchy images. As for video, 4K capture is possible, but not in the main part of the video recording app, which is annoying. There’s also no image stabilisation in the phone’s 1080p 60fps mode, but you do get HDR video at 1080p and very good stabilisation. Overall, the Sony Xperia XA2 has an excellent sets of cameras for the money, adding to the phone’s allround appeal.

EASY DECISION? In fact, there’s very little to complain about with the XA2 Ultra aside from its sheer size. The screen is great to look at; the phone itself looks good; the rear camera produces excellentquality stills and video; and the battery life is great too. This is the best phone Sony has produced in years – the only thing that might give you pause is the competition. Choosing a phone is a personal decision, though, and while the XA2 Ultra isn’t perfect it makes a pleasant change to say that this Sony is a genuine contender. JONATHAN BRAY KEY SPECS Octa-core 2.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 processor • 4GB RAM • Adreno 508 graphics • 6in IPS screen, 1,080 x 1,920 resolution • 32GB storage • microSDXC slot (up to 256GB) • 23MP rear camera • dual 16MP/8MP front camera • 802.11n Wi-Fi • Bluetooth 5 • NFC • USB-C connector • 3,580mAh battery • Android 8 • 80 x 9.5 x 163mm (WDH) • 221g • 1yr warranty $620 • www.sonymobile.com/au

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 59

REVIEWS COMPONENTS

INTEL OPTANE OPTANE FOR THE MASSE ntel and its production partner Micron have never been shy about promoting the advantages of their Optane technology. Indeed it is a potential game changer. So far we’ve seen a few products that show off just what this exciting technology is capable of. The irst products were the somewhat lacklustre Optane cache drives which provided a few beneits, but they didn’t really set the world on ire. Then we saw the excellent high end 900P and its enterprise counterparts which under many workloads are simply the fastest SSDs available. Finally we have an Optane drive that the masses can sink their teeth into. The 800P that we are reviewing here is the irst truly consumer oriented model and one that promises to shake up the traditional SSD market. But the obvious question is: Can it?

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with a Kaby Lake CPU and newer only. Unlike most NVMe SSDs, the 800P only uses two PCIe 3.0 lanes which will limit the raw bandwidth of the drive. Intel claims that the 800P is designed for low latency and random performance, which doesn’t require the typical four PCIe lanes. We have the 58Gb version on hand to test with. While 58Gb is enough for a Windows install, it doesn’t leave much room for many applications, let alone a meaty game, which might even be too large for the entire drive.

NAND HAS SOME COMPETITION Intel claims that 3D XPoint memory is inherently superior to traditional NAND flash based SSDs by offering signiicantly better random access performance, lower latency and improved endurance. It also negates a weakness of traditional SSDs which degrade in performance as they ill with data. In terms of reliability, the 58Gb 800P is rated for a very respectable 182.5 terabytes written. The 118Gb version doubles that. These really are excellent ratings and are a real strength of the Optane 800P. The 800P series are M.2 drives that available in 58Gb and 118Gb capacities. They plug straight into a regular M.2 slot, but only if you are using a 200 series chipset motherboard

GROUND BREAKING RESPONSIVENESS When it comes to performance, the 800P performs exceptionally well in some areas, while being average in others. The strength of the 800P is its insane random read and write performance and in/out operations per second (IOPS). The random read performance in particular is many times that of a Samsung 960 pro which itself is no slouch. This kind of read performance paired

CRYSTAL DISK MARK READ MB/S

ANVIL STORAGE UTILITIES

AS-SSD

WRITE MB/S

Seq

Random 4k

Seq

Random 4k

Score

Score

SAMSUNG 860 PRO 1TB

562.8

46.8

531.9

164.3

5491.40

1234

SAMSUNG 860 EVO 1TB

563.3

44.2

533.5

163.6

5417.15

1230

SAMSUNG 960 EVO 1TB

3256.0

51.1

1917.1

205.6

15238.40

4166

CRUCIAL MX500 1TB

563.0

46.6

513.3

148.9

5044.83

1190

INTEL OPTANE 800P 58GB

1449.3

308.7

637.2

279.1

13558.00

3400

with sky high IOPS makes the 800P a very responsive SSD, and perfect for a main boot drive where Windows is doing all sorts of things in the background all the time. The sequential read and write performance is right back in the pack, though far from bad. Intel has clearly designed the 800P as a boot or application drive rather than as a storage device where its performance advantage is negated. We have had a taste of what’s to come in the form of the much more expensive 900P, and we are really excited to see what Intel could do with a future M.2 variant with a PCIe x4 connection and 1Tb+ capacity. If priced appropriately, that could be the true game changer we hope 3D Xpoint products can be.

WE WANT TO LOVE IT We like the Optane 800P. It delivers a new level of responsiveness, but it has avoidable issues. The irst issue is the capacity. The 58Gb capacity of our test sample is not enough to justify itself as a boot and application drive. Even the 118Gb version is about the minimum you’d want to use as a main drive in 2018. The second issue is the steep price which puts it well into the crosshairs of higher capacity SSDs. The market needs a 250Gb and higher 800P drive and we hope such a beast arrives with more palatable pricing. If you’re prepared to pay to play, then the 800P is a solid product. Optane is starting to show promise, and we are excited to see what Intel comes up with next. CHRIS SZEWCZYK KEY SPECS 58Gb capacity • M.2 2280 Form Factor • PCIe 3.0 x2 Interface • 1450 MB/s sequential read • 640 MB/s sequential write • 250K Random Read IOPS • 145K Random Write IOPS • 182.5 TBW Endurance rating • 5 Year Warranty $TBA • www.intel.com.au

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HANDHELDS REVIEWS

Xxxxx xxxx xxxx x x x xxxx xxxx xxxx x x x xxxx xxxx x

LG V30+ LG’S FLAGSHIP LOOKS, FEELS AND WORKS VERY WELL. BUT THE CAMERAS ARE DISAPPOINTING AND SIMILAR FUNCTIONALITY CAN BE HAD FOR LESS MONEY n Australia, LG has pushed its G-series phone as its flagship model while the morereined V-series has been hard to source. But now the company has oficially released a souped-up V30 to these shores and it looks impressive. The irst thing you’ll notice is the thin, glass chassis which is reminiscent of HTC’s fancy rivals. The six-inch screen is surrounded by a thin bezel on all sides – just enough to look sharp but not so thin that simply holding it executes unwanted commands at the side of the screen when you hold it. Turning it on immediately shows off the brilliance of 6-inch OLED screen which is bright, colourful and responsive. Even when not being used, the always-on, high-contrast, time and notiication icons look great floating on a jet-black pool. Under the hood, an 2.45GHz SnapDragon octa-core processor ensures there’s no lag when opening and running any apps while the GPU plays all the most-demanding Android games with no issues. In short, it looks good, feels great and runs very fast. Other features include a 3.5mm audio jack which is paired with a B&O-tuned DAC to make audio sound great - that’s so long as you’re using decent headphones as the solitary, external, speaker – while impressively loud – is rather tinny. The phone is IP68-certiied dust and waterproof. It performed impressively in our steam-room test although there’s only

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so drenched touch-screens can get before becoming usable. Two SIMslots are provided (one doubles as a micro-SD slot). The rear-mounted ingerprint reader (and power button) is responsive and accurate. We also like LG’s knock codes which can unlock the phone when its lying down. Android aicionados will lament the lack of the latest Android version (Oreo), but Nougat works well nonetheless. The camera could produce great pictures but there are issues. The two cameras at the back don’t combine to create impressive Bokeh focus effects like competitors – the second lens is for wide-angle shots. Most pictures make use of an automatic HDR mode, which noticeably improves exposure. It comes at the expense of some very-slight shutter lag. Included ilters range from useful to gimmicky. We particularly liked the food mode with a slider that enhanced or reduced colour saturation to a mouth-watering degree. Unfortunately, the selie camera focused accurately only intermittently. However, while photos in good, balanced lighting usually looked sharp, vibrant and well exposed,

it didn’t take much for focusing to soften and for noise to appear when light started dropping. Too many of our indoors shots of small kids were blurred. In near-dark circumstances, things start looking like a horror ilm quickly – creepy, blurred igures staring out of the darkness. Samsung’s ‘S’ phones perform much better here. Video was also a mixed bag. Some of the effects are impressive but in general usage, at full 4K resolution, the image wobbled considerably with any motion. This only slightly improved at the smoother, 60fps, Full HD setting. Images were also very grainy in low light. However, for such a thin phone, we were impressed by the longevity of the beefy, 3,300mAh battery. This routinely lasted all day under heavy usage and could sometimes make it half way through the following day too. It can also be fast-charged or wirelessly (slow) charged. The LG V30+ its in well to the super-premium smartphone market and only photography enthusiasts will not be happy with it. However, the price hike to reach this market tier is exponential and tends to be inversely-proportional to value. The LG-manufactured Google Pixel 2 can be had for almost $200 less while a lower-speciied Samsung Galaxy S9 can be had for the same price. However, the real issue is that LG’s older G6 offers similar functionality and a better camera for one-quarter of the price nowadays (albeit in a less-reined package). So, with the LG V30+, you’re paying much more for form than function and, at this price, it should be perfect. NICK ROSS KEY SPECS 6in • 1440 x 2880 OLED screen, 128GB/4GB RAM • 2.45GHz Octa-core Snapdragon 835 CPU • Adreno 540 GPU • 16MP/13MP rear cameras (regular and wide-angle), 5MP front camera • microSD (dual SIM slot) • USB-C • IP68 dust/waterproof • Android 7.1.2 • Google Assistant • Google Daydream VR 3,300mAh battery • 152 x 75 x 7mm • 158g $1,199 • www.lg.com/au

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 61

REVIEWS WEARABLES

SONY WH-1000XM2 THE BEAUTIFUL SOUND OF SILENCE idway through last year I switched from Bose QC35’s to the new Sony MDR-1000X noise cancelling headphones for travelling. While the Bose QC35’s were excellent the Sony’s were just that little bit better, than even the newer Bose QC40. There was nothing in it for noise cancelling – although some reviewers claim the Sony’s were superior. What got me was the clearly better audio, so much so that the Sony’s are now my main home music listening cans. The original MDR-1000X’s can now be had for around $370 (way down from the launch price of $699), and at that price are extremely good value. Now there’s a slightly improved model, the Sony WH-1000XM2, and you can pick a pair up for a bit under $400, despite the oficial launch RRP of $499 and that’s deinitely the way to go, effectively rendering the old set unappealing from a value standpoint. The new model is built from better materials, Sony says, but in terms of look and feel they’re essentially the same, though the important claim is that the new model is more resistant to cracking around the band, which is apparently an issue though mine are still perfect. The new model also retains the wonderful ability to mute sound by simply cupping your hand over the right cup, which is the quick and easy way to ask the flight attendant for another little bottle of red wine. Touch controls are also embedded on the right cup for playback control as well as answering calls. The new WH-1000XM2’s have a very nifty noise cancelling optimiser that, over the course of a few seconds, analyses the ambient noise and adapts the signal processing for best effect. The older model had this too, but it’s since been improved. So, for a white noise background like a plane it delivers optimal silence for that environment, while on a train it adjusts itself to do a better job of cutting random peak noises, noisy chit chat and overall clatter. It’s certainly noticeable over default noise cancelling, though for short trips on the train I usually don’t bother because default is ine, but for flights it’s now a ritual routine I go through after take-off. It’s a far

Elegant. Understated. And VERY comfortable

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better solution than having to iddle around with an app-based EQ preset! On flights a new feature really comes into its own. The WH1000XM2’s do a very neat trick called atmospheric pressure optimisation, which measures barometric pressure around you and then tweaks the output to compensate. Sony explained that in flights in particular what you hear is directly affected by the unusual pressure inside a cabin, so the idea here is to optimise for a proper ground-level listening experience. To the best of my knowledge no other audio product does this. These features all combine to make the Sony WH-1000XM2’s probably the most technically sophisticated headset on the market today. With these improvements you would expect an improvement in audio quality as well, but this has been left alone, and that’s ine. Like its predecessor, the WH-1000XM2 offers a powerful sound that’s EQ neutral. Beats by Dre these are not, yet they can still deliver a deep kick that’s clear and deined, not boomy. They easily stack up against home headphones in the $500 - $1,000 range. In passive mode sound is as good as any but when cabled they come into their own with a full and rich sound. And that’s with the power off... power them up and the

ampliication strengthens the sound perfectly, and it’s better again with NC enabled. You can see from the specs that the frequency response effectively doubles when they’re powered up. Comfort is good, but these would beneit from a little more cup padding. They do fully enclose my average-sized ears which is more than many allegedly ‘’over-ear’ cans claim, and for an hour or two they can’t be criticised at all, it’s only when the flight enters double digit hours that the relatively sparse padding becomes a little irritating. They’re certainly soft enough, but slightly thicker padding wouldn’t go astray. Clamp force is just about perfect, they hold themselves in place very well when manoeuvring out of an economy seat but don’t apply uncomfortable pressure. Speaking of which, you can now run for 30 hours of non-stop NC listening, up from 20 hours of battery life in the previous model. That’s very handy for long connecting flights with extensive layovers and no access to a charger. So, they’ll easily handle SydneyLondon with enough juice to carry you through the cab to the hotel. That rounds off a very appealing package from Sony and by all accounts, and my own experience, the WH-1000XM2’s now lead the pack for the best NC headphones you can currently buy – helped enormously by the far lower launch price than the $699 the previous set was priced at. BEN MANSILL KEY SPECS 40mm drivers • 4Hz-40,000Hz frequency response (active operation) 20Hz-20,000Hz frequency response in Bluetooth mode • 30hr battery NC • micro USB + stereo mini jack + Bluetooth connectivity $499 • www.sony.com

SATA SSDS GROUP TEST

LABS TEST

PICK YOUR MEMBRANE WANT A GAMING KEYBOARD BUT DON’T WANT TO SPEND LOADS OF CASH? DON’T LIKE THE CLICKETY CLACK OF MECHANICAL KEY SWITCHES? A MEMBRANE KEYBOARD COULD BE JUST WHAT YOU WANT. MIKE JENNINGS CHECKS OUT FOUR OF THE LATEST MODELS HOW HOWWE WE TEST TEST It’s when you’re choosing a gaming It’s important importanttotoget getititright right when you’re choosing a keyboard. After all, After the keyboard mouseand are mouse the devices gaming keyboard. all, the and keyboard are with which you’ll contact the devices with have whichmost you’ll havewhen most you’re contactplaying when games, as well as typing.asNot everyone hasNot more than $200 you’re playing games, well as typing. everyone to spend mechanical units, though, and not has moreon the than latest $200 to spend on the latest mechanical everyone likes the sound of mechanical switches units, though, andfeel notand everyone likes the feel and sound anyway. of mechanical switches anyway. That’s come in.in. Instead of That’swhere whereMembrane Membranekeyboards keyboards come Instead having individual keyskeys constructed usingusing physical switches, of having individual constructed physical membrane keyboard keys press down into a down layer of plastic switches, membrane keyboard keys press into a that across the whole across keyboard. down layerstretches of plastic that stretches the Pressing whole keyboard. the membrane that plasticforces to connect an electronic Pressing downforces the membrane that plastic to circuit, key circuit, presses.registering key presses. connectregistering an electronic That’s manufacturers vary their That’sthe thebasic basicprinciple, principle,but but manufacturers vary designs to enhance certaincertain attributes. Some will replace their designs to enhance attributes. Some willthe rubber used beneath individual keys with replacedomes the rubber domes used beneath individual keys

with constructions that mimic mechanical designs – a constructions that mimic mechanical – afast-paced move move that’s designed to be better fordesigns twitchy, that’s designed be better forthose twitchy, fast-paced gaming. Otherstowill modify rubber domesgaming. to make Others will modify those rubber domes to make their their keyboards softer and quieter. keyboards softereach and keyboard quieter. in this Labs test in a bevy We’ve tested tested each in this of Labs testdevices in a bevy of ofWe’ve popular games tokeyboard fi nd out which these can popular games to fi nd out which of these devices can cope cope with competitive, fast action, as well as typing on with them.competitive, fast action, as well as typing on them. The Labs are cheaper than The membrane membranekeyboards keyboardsininthis this Labs are cheaper their counterparts, but thatbut doesn’t mean we than mechanical their mechanical counterparts, that doesn’t ignore their features orfeatures build quality. mean we ignore their or build quality. We’re withstand frequent use We’re looking lookingfor forunits unitsthat thatcan can withstand frequent and transporting to LAN events. We’veWe’ve also paid use and transporting to LAN events. alsoattention paid to the RGBtoLED andoptions macro recording and attention the options RGB LED and macrosettings, recording the software to manageused these settings, andused the software tofeatures. manage Plus, thesewe’ve taken a look at each keyboard’s accessories, such as wrist features. Plus, we’ve taken a look at each keyboard’s rests and extra buttons. accessories, such as wrist rests and extra buttons. PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 63

COOLER MASTER MASTERSET MS120 ooler Master’s MasterSet MS121 is the least expensive product in this Labs (along with the Razer Cynosa Chroma), and yet it’s the only keyboard that’s packaged alongside a gaming mouse. The keyboard is by far the most interesting product in the box though. Cooler Master has built this unit with the aim of mimicking mechanical switches. The hardware beneath the MS121’s plastic keycaps still uses a membrane base, but it’s otherwise designed like a mechanical switch, so there’s a spring and plunger. Hands-on time reveals that Cooler Master’s hybrid switches are the closest option on test to a true mechanical unit. The keys have the loudest typing sound of any in this group, and they certainly feel tactile like a mechanical keyboard. They don’t have a bump in the middle of their action, and they have an actuation force of 50g – the same as a Cherry Blue switch. That’s a good start, but the MS121 can’t match a true mechanical unit in some crucial areas. The keys aren’t as sturdy as the buttons found on mechanical keyboards, and they’re certainly lighter. And while they hammer down with good speed, they still feel spongy when they bottom out. Also, while the MS121 might be fast, light and loud, it’s not necessarily better than some of its rivals. The Corsair K55’s keys still mimic mechanical design while proving more consistent and reassuring, and the SteelSeries and Razer boards are both softer and more welcoming – especially for typing. Head beyond the hybrid switches

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and only the basics are included. There’s 26-key anti-ghosting, but no provision for macro recording on the keyboard itself, or even in software. Meanwhile, the keycaps have a slight concave design, but a basic font and no fancy textures, and they stand proud from the plastic chassis – even taller than the Corsair’s buttons. The keys have individual RGB backlighting too, but the lack of software limits customisation.

“It’s otherwise designed like a mechanical switch, so there’s a spring and plunger” Keyboard shortcuts can be used to combine shades of red, green or blue to create different shades, and other shortcuts cycle between different speeds and effects. As a point of comparison, Razer’s keyboard also has individual key illumination, but it has software to provide proper customisation. Elsewhere, the MS121 doesn’t have dedicated media or volume controls. The cable isn’t braided, and there’s no snazzy design – the keyboard is hemmed in by a plain plastic case. It’s weaker than most of the others here too – gripping and pulling at the plastic reveals a level of flex that isn’t present on the

SteelSeries keyboard, for example. The MS121’s included optical mouse follows a similar blueprint. It’s made of plastic and rubber, with no textured surfaces for improving the grip. The design is comfortable and works with all common gaming grips, and there are two thumb buttons and a DPI switcher above the scroll wheel. The 91g weight also leaves the mouse feeling a little light, and while the Omron switches under the main two buttons are ine for basic gaming, they’re a little too soft and push down too far – if you’re really into gaming, you’d be better off spending more money on a better gaming mouse instead.

CONCLUSION That’s the crux of it, really. The MS120’s mouse and keyboard are good enough for most gamers, but keen and competitive players will need better hardware. The MS120’s hybrid switches may be the closest to true mechanical action on test, but the Corsair K55’s keys are irmer, and every other keyboard in this Labs test has more features than the MS120 too. Cooler Master’s kit is an affordable route if you need a keyboard and mouse and aren’t fussed about expansive features. VERDICT This keyboard and mouse set is fine for most gamers, but firmer, faster hardware with better features can be found elsewhere. $99 • www.ccoolermaster.com

BUDGET GAMING KEYBOARDS GROUP TEST

CORSAIR GAMING K55 he Corsair K55 is the cheapest keyboard in this Labs test, but it still looks the part – and has a solid set of features. It’s also the only keyboard in this group to have dedicated macro keys alongside the usual 105 buttons. That’s great for gaming, and the six buttons are set apart from the rest of the keys in a column on the left of the main keyboard. Those aren’t the only extra buttons either. There are four media buttons and three volume controls in the top-right portion of the device, and three small buttons are designed to record macros, change the lighting brightness and disable the Windows keys. The extra buttons add versatility, making it easy to control music playback when you’re working, and also means those functions aren’t tied to the Function keys. Get to the main event, and the K55 continues to impress. It may be a membrane keyboard, but it’s one of the closest we’ve seen to a proper mechanical unit. The keys are faster than those on the SteelSeries and Razer, with a irmer base and more consistent design than the lightweight Cooler Master - the K55’s buttons work well for hammering down during frantic gaming sessions. The keys are physically larger too, with no bevelled edges and a marginally wider top section. The keys also stand proud of the chassis, as with a proper mechanical keyboard – they’re not sunken like the keys on the Razer or SteelSeries units. We only have minor quibbles. The font on some of the supplementary keys is very small, which makes them tricky to see in the heat of the moment. Also, the media and lighting buttons feel a little flimsy compared with the main keys. The K55 pairs its mechanical-style action with eight-key rollover, which is the lowest on test. Most people won’t notice that

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limit, but it’s worth bearing in mind if you play complex or competitive games where you push a wide range of buttons a lot. Build quality is ine – the K55 is solid, even if the SteelSeries is a bit stronger. It also has a detachable wrist rest coated with soft rubber, for example, and the media buttons and Corsair logo are highlighted in a strip of glossy plastic at the top. The latter is admittedly a bit of a dust magnet, but the rest of the K55 is made from matt plastic, pushing attention towards the RGB LEDs. Instead of having individual lights for each key, Corsair has installed three lighting zones across the K55, behind the membrane’s translucent plastic base layer. That means you get less control than

“The keys stand proud of the chassis, as with a proper mechanical keyboard” per-key lighting, but the effect is almost ethereal. The lighting can be controlled with Corsair’s Cue software, even though the manual makes no mention of it, which is just as well, as the shortcuts on the keyboard itself are complex and restrictive – you can access numerous patterns and static colour options, but only eight shades of static colour. In Cue, though, any RGB shade can be chosen, alongside any brightness level and numerous

speed options. Custom effects can also be created, and Cue makes macro recording easier. You don’t have to iddle with the macro button on the keyboard and hope you’ve pressed the right keys – instead, you can see it right there on the screen.

CONCLUSION The Corsair K55 offers the best balance of any keyboard in this group test. It has a irmer action than the Razer and SteelSeries units, and its keys are heavier and more consistent than the lighter buttons on the Cooler Master MS120. Elsewhere, it’s the only keyboard on test with macro buttons, and it has media buttons, reasonable build quality and a detachable wrist rest. It’s one of the cheapest on test too, which means poorer RGB LED versatility and rollover, but those are inevitable and acceptable compromises for the vast majority of players. Otherwise, the lower price, good action and solid features make the K55 our favourite membrane keyboard. If mechanical units are too expensive for you, the K55 will sate most of your needs for half the price. VERDICT A good price, well-balanced typing action, solid build quality and decent features make the K55 a winner. $120 • www.corsair.com

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GROUP TEST SATA SSDS

RAZER CYNOSA CHROMA azer’s Cynosa Chroma is one of the pricier keyboards on test this month, and Razer is making some big claims about this keyboard’s performance levels and design. For starters, the Cynosa Chroma serves up individually backlit keys that can be customised in the latest version of Razer’s Synapse software. It will also work with custom proiles in different games, so you can have game-speciic lighting in Overwatch, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided or Call of Duty: WWII, for example. You’re immediately thrust into the latest version of Synapse as soon as you start – simply plugging the keyboard into your USB port results in you being invited to download the beta of the latest software, so you don’t have to go and ind it yourself. We were up and running within minutes, and Synapse 3 is impressive – the Chroma module can be used to apply eight different lighting effects with varying speeds and colours, and every key has its own RGB backlight, so your customisation options are more flexible than on any other keyboard on test this month. Razer’s Hypershift system can also be used to add secondary functions to every key on the Chroma, and there’s a macro-recording module – although this keyboard doesn’t have any dedicated macro keys, unlike the Corsair Gaming K55. There’s more lighting available on the Chroma Pro version of the keyboard, which icludes illumination around the edges of the keyboard to add a glow to your desk. Moving to the keys, Razer has kitted out the Chroma with its gaming-grade keys, which are designed to provide a softer and more comfortable action than normal keys, while still allowing for precise gaming at a high standard. The Chroma certainly does have soft, comfortable keys. Their action is

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noticeably mushy when compared with the keys on the more tactile Corsair K55, and they bottom out with more of a cushioned bump. The SteelSeries Apex 150 is softer and heavier still, but the Razer represents a middle ground. The base is still irm, and they keys still have plenty of travel –

“Every key has its own RGB backlight, so your customisation options are more flexible” just as much as the other units in this group, in fact. The keycaps themselves also feel comfortable under your ingers, thanks to a soft-touch inish on top of every key. The Razer’s softer and more welcoming keys are reminiscent of Alienware laptops rather than desktop keyboards. That’s not necessarily bad, but it does mean the Corsair K55 is better suited to more conventional gaming, where you want to really feel your key presses. The Corsair and Cooler Master devices on test this month are faster and irmer in this respect. Meanwhile, the Cynosa Chroma has ten-key rollover and antighosting (better than the Corsair’s eight-key rollover), and its feet have two levels of height adjustment. Build quality is ine, and there’s a Gaming mode to disable the Windows key. The buttons are recessed into the chassis, just like

the SteelSeries Apex 150, but unlike the more prominent buttons on the Corsair. The buttons also have subtle, sharp lettering that we had no problems reading when compared with the larger designs on the Corsair’s keys. The Razer is missing a few features once you venture beyond its soft-touch keys and extensive lighting, however. There are no macro buttons or dedicated media keys, for example, and unlike the Corsair, there’s no detachable wrist rest either.

CONCLUSION The comparatively expensive Cynosa Chroma may have good lighting and plenty of software integration, but it joins the SteelSeries in this group by having keys that are noticeably softer than those of the Corsair and Cooler Master keyboards. It’s a setup that makes for a good all-round keyboard, but not one that will please gamers who like to feel a bit of tactile feedback when pressing a key. If you require a irmer keyboard that’s more reminiscent of a mechanical gaming unit, the cheaper Corsair K55 is a better bet. VERDICT The Cynosa Chroma’s expense is justified by reasonable features and a very flexible lighting system, but its gaming performance is hindered by soft typing action. $99 • www.razerzone.com

BUDGET GAMING KEYBOARDS GROUP TEST

STEELSERIES APEX 150 he mid-priced SteelSeries Apex 150 is a curious beast – it’s larger and stands taller than every other keyboard in this test, but its buttons are more reminiscent of a laptop keyboard than the other keyboards here. The Apex’s 105 keys use SteelSeries’ thermoplastic design, which is built for low friction and impressive stability. It has an iron base, and SteelSeries boasts about its customtuned rubber domes and custom-moulded housing for each button. Get hands on, though, and the Apex’s buttons border on the unusual. The keys have plenty of travel, and they feel heavy enough, but the action is softer than the Corsair and Razer buttons when they eventually bottom out. The soft, comfortable action is paired with the quietest typing action here too – ideal if you’re in an environment where a clacking keyboard won’t be welcome. The soft, quiet action will be familiar to anyone who has used a gaming laptop extensively over the past few years. That’s great for typing and mainstream gaming, but it’s a long way from the tactile feeling of precision you get from a proper mechanical unit, and far away from the rapid, irm response we prefer in a gaming keyboard. If you’re a casual gamer who also wants a keyboard for work, the Apex 150 is ine, but the soft touch of this keyboard and the little bit of extra force required to push down the buttons is a distraction in gaming. The Corsair K55 is better in this regard. Several other aspects of the Apex 150’s design are geared towards comfort too. The top of every key is slightly concave, for example, which is good, as it naturally gathers the ingertips towards the centre of the button. However, every key also has a slight bevel, which makes these buttons seem a little narrower than the keys on the

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other keyboards this month. On the plus side, the keys all feature large, clearly legible lettering. The Apex 150 is also taller than the Razer and Corsair models, even without its feet extended, and unfolding those small plastic stands props up the Apex even higher. That height may suit some people, but it’s disappointing that this design’s higher angle isn’t paired with a detachable wrist rest. The SteelSeries is also a little more compact than its rivals this month. That’s good news if you have a small desk, but it also limits the

“The soft, comfortable action is paired with the quietest typing action here too” extra features on the Apex. It doesn’t have macro keys or discrete media buttons, for example, and there are no status lights beyond the ones for the usual key-locking features. Meanwhile, the Apex’s compact border is decorated with subtle, diagonal accents that are inished in glossy plastic, so they stand out against the sturdy matt plastic that’s used elsewhere. Build quality is also great. In terms of lighting, the SteelSeries has ive RGB LED lighting zones – two more than the Corsair, but not as much versatility as the individual key lighting on the Razer. The lights are managed by the SteelSeries Engine app, and each zone can be conigured to any

RGB shade and one of only two different lighting patterns. There’s a brightness slider if you want more control than you get from the options on the keyboard, and the macro editor offers all of the usual options. The Engine app also has tie-in software, so it works with Discord, CS:GO, Minecraft, DOTA 2 and a handful of other games. That’s useful, but Razer’s keyboard ties in with a much wider selection of games. The Apex 150 has 24-key rollover and anti-ghosting – a speciication that’s on a par with the Cooler Master unit, and better than the Corsair and Razer products, although you’ll need to be doing some serious button mashing to notice it.

CONCLUSION SteelSeries’ Apex 150 is taller, sturdier and more compact than any other keyboard on test this month, and it pairs its solid construction with reasonable features – including lighting that can be tweaked in software. It doesn’t have macro or media buttons, though, and its curiously heavy keys have a soft action and a concave design that, while ine for typing, isn’t going to suit all gamers. VERDICT Rock-solid design and a reasonable price, but its mushy action makes it better for all-round use than gaming. $120 • www.steelseries.com

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SATA SSDS GROUP TEST

LABS TEST

SATA DAY EDWARD CHESTER TAKES A LOOK AT THE LATEST SATA SOLID STATE DRIVES TO FIND WHICH ONES OFFER THE BEST BANG PER BUCK HOW WE TEST SATA drives might not represent the glamorous end of the SSD market, but they’re fast enough to cope with large ile transfers, while offering quick Windows boots and fast game loading times. Some games still take a while to load, but the bottleneck is seldom storage, unlike in the days of hard drives. What’s more, there are a couple of exciting new additions to the world of SATA SSDs. Both Samsung and Micron have released brand-new models, and while performance is still limited by the SATA interface, capacities are up and prices are set to trickle downwards. While NVMe M.2 drives can be much quicker in some tests, they also tend to be around 40 per cent more expensive. Unless you have a speciic need for that speed, it’s seldom worth it. You can also get SATA SSDs in an M.2 form factor, so you can still get a value option without compromising your tiny build. For this test, though, we’ve stuck to traditional 2.5in drives. Testing was carried out with an Asus Z-170A motherboard, an Intel Core i5-6600K, 16GB of Corsair Vengeance LPX 2666MHz DDR4 RAM and a Sapphire Vapor-X R9 290 graphics card. We start with two stalwarts of synthetic SSD benchmarking, CrystalDiskMark and AS SSD. These tests are run at default settings, other than changing the workload size to 5/4GB, to give the drives a bit more of a sustained run. These benchmarks give a solid indication of peak sequential read and write speeds, as well as random read and write speeds at several queue depths. Each test is run three times and the average is recorded. Next up is PCMark 8’s secondary storage test, which runs a series of real app storage traces to gauge performance in difference application scenarios. The traces include loading games, running both a heavy and light workload in Photoshop, and running lighter traces in Word and Excel. Our inal test is IOmeter, which puts each drive under a sustained random read and write workload. We can then check that the drive’s claimed random IOPS igures hold up. We used to also test boot speed using Bootracer, but with these drives all being limited to SATA, there’s now no practical difference in Windows load times.

drops a little. After around 180GB, its write speed drops to 400MB/sec. It’s when it comes to performance that the MX500 makes the biggest splash though. While the MX300 was no dog of a drive – we’re well past even cheap drives

“Its sequential read speeds are about as fast as they come for SATA drives”

CRUCIAL MX500 500GB

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rucial is playing a cautious game with its SSDs. It still hasn’t launched a consumer PCI-E NVMe SSD, and when it debuted its irst 3D NAND two years ago, it did so with a mid-range product, the MX300. That drive offered good value for money and perfectly adequate performance for most users, but was noticeably slower than several other mainstream drives. Now Crucial’s back with the MX500 and, seemingly, the story remains the same. This drive sees the debut of Micron’s 64-layer 3D NAND, up from the 32-layer NAND of the MX300, but there’s still no NVMe option and this SATA version still isn’t an all-out performance model. However, while the picture doesn’t appear to have changed much, dig a little deeper and the MX500 shows it has a lot more going for it. But irst, the basics. The new range is available in capacities of 250GB, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB. That’s a departure from the MX300; due to the odd 384Gb capacity of its

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NAND dies, this was available in 275GB and 525GB versions. The new 64-layer dies have a more conventional 256Gb capacity. Despite the drop in some capacities, the drives essentially offer the same value, with this 500GB model sitting at the bottom end of the price range for 500GB drives. The drives are all rated to run at up to 560MB/sec sequential read and 510MB/sec sequential write speeds, along with 95K IOPS read and 90K IOPS write speeds. So, unlike several other drives, there’s no drop in performance for the lower capacity models, making the 250GB drive a great option for budget systems. The MX500 also sees a bump up in the length of its warranty from its predecessor, with the drive now getting ive years of cover. Write endurance has also increased slightly, with this 500GB model moving up from 160TB to 180TB. Like nearly all the other drives on test, the MX500 uses TLC NAND, rather than MLC, so its write speed has to be bolstered by a portion of the NAND acting in an SLC manner. However, this SLC cache is dynamically managed in a way that means write performance only

having genuinely troublesome performance – it was noticeably a step behind the best. The MX500, though, is right up there with the front runners. For a start, its sequential read speeds in both CrystalDiskMark and AS SSD are about as fast as they come for SATA drives, although sequential write speeds are just a smidge behind the fastest drives on test. Meanwhile, random performance has also been pushed about as high as possible, with the drive surpassing its claimed IOPS performance in IOmeter. As for PCMark 8, an overall score that exactly matches the Samsung 860 Evo shows this drive’s capabilities perfectly. In fact, its total bandwidth score is beaten only by the much more expensive Samsung 860 Pro. As far as mainstream SATA SSDs go, this drive has all the performance you could need.

CONCLUSION Given the modest performance of the Crucial MX300, you’d be forgiven for expecting the MX500 to deliver much of the same. However, the Crucial MX500 is as nippy a SATA SSD as you can ind, without opting for a pro-level drive. With competitive pricing and a lengthy ive-year warranty, it’s now the drive to put at the top of your shortlist. VERDICT Fast, cheap and with a lengthy warranty, the Crucial MX500 is a great option for anyone who doesn’t need a pro-level drive. $220 • www.crucial.com

SATA SSDS GROUP TEST

KINGSTON SSD-

NOW UV400 480GB

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he Kingston SSDNow UV400 is a couple of years old now, but it remains the company’s latest mainstream SSD option – Kingston’s performance drive is the HyperX Savage. Unlike all the other drives in this test, it’s based on planar TLC NAND rather than a form of 3D NAND, which you might think would suggest it’s at a disadvantage, given that 3D NAND is the newer technology. However, if it’s used in the right way, planar NAND can still produce good performance, so there’s certainly no reason to dismiss it immediately. That said, the UV400 is a valueorientated drive and its performance igures support that description. Available in capacities from 120GB up to 960GB, it’s one of the few drives in this test where performance does vary depending on capacity, and at the lower end it’s very slow. The 120GB drive can deliver a 550MB/sec read speed but just a 350MB/ sec write speed in sequential tests, while for random workloads it can also produce a decent 90,000 IOPS when reading, but a frankly dreadful 15,000 IOPS when writing. In other words, the UV400 is a drive that’s very much meant for having data written to it once, and then just recalling that data quickly for you. As such, it’s still potentially suited to working as a boot drive – in everyday use, most users don’t write much data to their PC, and it would also be ideal for use as a secondary drive for storing your Steam library.

However, it would be less suited for use as a scratch disk for Adobe Premiere Pro, Photoshop or any other application where large volumes of data are regularly written. All that said, once you move up to the 480GB drive, performance improves. The sequential write speed jumps to 500MB/sec, while random writes hit 35,000 IOPS. The performance still isn’t market-leading, but it’s much more manageable. Of course, that sequential write speed is only achieved thanks to SLC caching. Kingston hasn’t speciied the exact size of the cache, but illing the drive with data showed a drop in write speed at around 40GB, and the drop-off in performance was big too – around 100MB/sec, in fact. However, 40GB is still a large enough cache that you should very seldom hit the lower write speed igure, at least while the drive still has a decent amount of spare capacity. It’s no surprise that this valueorientated drive doesn’t offer the ive-year warranty of some of the other drives on test either, with it making do with three years instead. Total written data is also lower, with this 480GB model rated to 200TB.

“Our tests largely prove that, for all read operations, this drive is as good as any other” Coming to our benchmarks, the Kingston UV400 indeed proved itself to be no powerhouse. That said, our tests largely prove the point that, for all read operations, this drive is as good as any other. It’s only really in PCMark 8 where we see a difference, with the overall bandwidth of 176MB/sec being markedly below the other drives on test. The other test that shows the limitations of this drive is IOmeter, where a read operations score of 79,994 IOPS is a little behind the rest of the pack. But much worse is the write operations. At peak, the drive can manage 70,057 IOPS but it regularly drops to under 40,000 IOPS. That’s actually higher than its rated performance, but is still well down on most of the other drives on test.

CONCLUSION The Kingston UV400 is designed as a low-cost drive that’s simply meant to deliver the basics of SSD performance, and sure enough, it lags behind the best in some areas. That would be ine, except that right now the UV400 isn’t signiicantly cheaper than some faster drives, with the Crucial MX500 now outperforming and undercutting it, making the latter drive the superior choice. VERDICT SATA SSDs are now all about price, and right now this comparatively underperforming drive’s price isn’t low enough. $189 • www.kingston.com

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SAMSUNG 860 EVO 500GB

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or four years now, Samsung’s 850 Evo has reigned supreme as the go-to SSD for anyone seeking the ideal balance between performance and price. Thanks to Samsung being the irst company to market with its cost-effective 3D NAND, it was able to keep the cost of its drives low. Meanwhile, the company’s nippy MGX and MEX controllers kept the drives ticking along quickly too. Not even when Crucial and Toshiba had started producing their own 3D NAND could any commercially available drive really challenge the 850 Evo. In fact, it’s only with the brand-new Crucial MX500 that Samsung has really faced a true ight. It’s just as well, then, that Samsung also has a brand-new drive of its own. The Samsung 860 Evo is Samsung’s longawaited refresh of the 850 Evo. It’s still limited to the SATA interface but, like the 850 Evo, it’s available in M.2 and mSATA form factors too. The big upgrade is the move from 256Gb dies to 512Gb dies, although this move hasn’t enabled Samsung to increase the maximum capacity of these drives. The 850 Evo already had a 4TB version, and that’s again the most capacious version of the 860 Evo – a snip at !,850. The M.2 version tops out at 2TB, however. Another key change is the move to LPDDR4 DRAM, which uses less power than the LPDDR3 RAM used in the previous drives. With up to 4GB of this memory on each drive, the power saving could be signiicant too,

especially for laptop makers. The inal piece of the puzzle is Samsung’s new MJX controller. Samsung hasn’t revealed much about it, but one of its key challenges will be ensuring performance is up to snuff despite the move to

“Another key change is the move to LPDDR4 DRAM, which uses less power” larger-capacity dies. Normally, having fewer, larger-capacity dies makes it more challenging to keep up performance, as there’s less opportunity to distribute the workload, but clearly Samsung has found a way around this problem. We say clearly, as Samsung’s performance claims are healthy enough. Sequential speeds of 560MB/sec read and 520MB/sec write, and random speeds of 100K IOPS read and 90K IOPS write, are faster than any those of any other competing drive. What’s more, you get the same speeds for every capacity and form factor. Of course, as with all TLC-based SSDs, the sequential write performance is bolstered by the use of a cache of SLC NAND. If you ill up the drive, the cache runs out at around the 50GB mark, and performance then drops to 290MB/ sec.

Meanwhile, when it comes to longevity, Samsung provides a ive-year warranty and the drives are rated to last between 150TB and 2,400TB, depending on capacity. The 500GB drive is rated to 300TB, which puts it at the higher end for a mainstream TLC drive. Firing up our benchmarks saw the 860 Evo deliver exactly what we expected, with it either topping the charts or missing out to only the Samsung 860 Pro in all our tests. Essentially, it’s as fast as a SATA SSD can get. All of which is well and good, but this drive is also comparatively expensive, so for many users, the tiny extra amount of performance over a drive such as the MX500 won’t justify the extra spend.

CONCLUSION Samsung retains its crown as the maker of the best mainstream, TLC-based SATA SSD on the market. However, the competition is now greater than in the 850 Evo’s heyday, and for most people, the premium demanded by the 860 Evo simply won’t be worth it, as the SATA interface simply holds back performance too much.

VERDICT The best TLC-based SATA SSD available, but it can’t justify its high price premium. $250 • www.samsung.com

SATA SSDS GROUP TEST

SAMSUNG 860 PRO 512GB

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ust as the Samsung 850 Evo has dominated the upper end of the mainstream SATA SSD market, so the Samsung 850 Pro has dominated the professional end. Thanks to its use of MLC 3D NAND (rather than TLC), it provided long-lasting, consistently fast performance. If you didn’t necessarily want the fastest drive, but required rock-solid performance right up to the last gigabyte, all while having a reassuringly long warranty and endurance, it was the drive to get. The formula remains the same with the Samsung 860 Pro, though, as with the 860 Evo, the hardware under the hood is completely new. The cornerstone is Samsung’s new 64-layer 3D NAND flash memory; due to its use of MLC rather than TLC, this comes in 256Gb dies. These dies are joined by the same new MJX controller as the 860 Evo and, again, you get support for LPDDR4. The result is a drive that ekes out the tiniest smidge of extra raw performance over the 860 Evo, with read speeds going from 550MB/sec to 560MB/sec, while write speeds are also up by 10MB/sec to 530MB/sec. However, random speeds remain the same at 100K IOPS for reads and 90K IOPS for writes. Instead, one of the major improvements is in power consumption, with the new controller,

DRAM and NAND all using a little less power than before. Not that this small power saving would have much impact in the vast majority of usage cases, of course. A seemingly more practical

“The cornerstone is Samsung’s new 64-layer 3D NAND flash memory” improvement is in endurance, with all the capacities of the 860 Pro now having at least double the endurance of before – this 512GB model can take 600TB. However, Samsung has also halved the warranty period from ten years to ive years. This change leaves us in the situation where the 860 Pro has considerably less appeal. Even the 850 Pro was overkill for most home users, but at least with a ten-year warranty, all that write

endurance and consistent MLC performance could potentially be put to the test with long-term professional use. Many people will look to upgrade before that warranty is up anyway, but it nonetheless narrows this drive’s appeal. What’s more, when it comes to performance, this drive doesn’t really do all that much to justify its price premium. It’s not slow – it tops all our test results graphs and, crucially, it doesn’t have any of the issues of SLC caching and reduced write performance of the TLC drives on test. However, the effect in terms of real-world performance is minimal. The Samsung 860 Evo and Crucial MX500 deliver all but identical performance that you’ll actually notice. As such, while the 860 Pro is a technical achievement and certainly retains its crown as the fastest SATA SSD, it doesn’t really make a case for why you should buy one. With its price being so high, it encroaches on NVMe drives – for any capacity lower than 4TB, you might as well go for one of those drives. There’s still a sizeable jump if you opt for a Samsung 960 Pro, but then that drive itself is also overkill for most users. That said, at least the 960 Pro can genuinely claim to be seven times faster than the 860 Pro.

CONCLUSION Samsung has once again proven that it’s at the top of the SSD hill, with its 860 Pro taking the SATA performance crown. However, the case for a high-end SATA drive was already weak, and with a drop in the length of warranty, this drive makes even less sense for most users. It’s a great product, but most people can get a drive that’s more than fast enough for their needs for much less money elsewhere. VERDICT With a reduced warranty and only a miniscule performance advantage, the 860 Pro is massively overpriced. $345 • www.samsung.com

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 73

GROUP TEST SATA SSDS

WD BLUE 3D 500GB

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or a long while, SanDisk was the only company to have a credible alternative to the supreme Samsung 850 Pro, in the shape of the very quick SanDisk Extreme Pro. However, with the company’s takeover by Western Digital, its line-up of high-performance drives has fallen by the wayside. After a fashion, the SanDisk name still lives on with the Ultra 3D, but it really is only in name, as the drive is technically identical to the drive we’re looking at here, the WD Blue 3D. Both drives, then, are aimed at the lower end of the SATA SSD market, with prices and performance igures to match. Intriguingly, Western Digital also makes the WD Green, which is an even more budget-focused range that’s only available in capacities of up to 240GB, and is even slower than the company’s other SSDs. The WD Blue 3D, though, is available in four capacities, ranging from 250GB up to 2TB. It also comes in an M.2 form factor, though not mSATA. Under the hood is SanDisk’s thirdgeneration 3D NAND flash memory, which uses a 64-layer charge trap flash technology that it shares with Toshiba. As a mainstream drive, it’s conigured to run in a TLC mode, with each die having a capacity of 256Gb. It uses the popular Marvell 88SS1074 4-channel controller and, like the other cheaper drives on test, it relies on LPDDR3 DRAM to keep its performance up to snuff. 74 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

The performance of the drives varies depending on capacity, though, with the 250GB model rated at 550MB/sec read and 525MB/sec write reads, while the 2TB version is rated at 560MB/sec read and 530MB/sec write speeds. All the drives manage 95K IOPS on random reads, but the 250GB drive

“Under the hood is SanDisk’s thirdgeneration 3D NAND flash memory” sees a slight drop in random writes, managing 81K IOPS compared to the rest of the range’s 84K. Meanwhile, there’s no hardware encryption, which is a bit of a rarity these days anyway, and the warranty is a typical three years. As for write endurance, the 500GB model is rated to write 200TB, which is on a par with other lowercost drives. Also on a par with lowercost drives is the WD Blue 3D’s performance. For the most part, it holds up okay, delivering SATAmaximising sequential read and write speeds, and comparable

random read and write speeds to most of the other drives on test, at least in CrystalDiskMark. In AS SSD, it’s similarly okay for sequential performance, but random performance is noticeably behind even the Kingston UV400. In the IOmeter test, it beats the Kingston drive, but its 79K IOPS random read was below the rest of the drives on test. Write speeds were a little better in IOmeter, but they were also inconsistent, flipping between around 85K IOPS and 70K IOPS. Similarly, in PCMark 8, the overall bandwidth score of 224.5MB/sec is noticeably below all the other drives, except the Kingston. All told, there’s enough performance here that the WD Blue comfortably outdoes the Kingston UV400, and thanks to a more competitive price, it’s clearly the better option. However, the Crucial MX500 offers even better value, costing slightly less money and delivering consistently better performance too. As such, the WD Blue 3D is only really worth considering if you can ind it at a bargain price.

CONCLUSION The WD Blue 3D is a perfectly decent mainstream SATA SSD that largely makes the most of the SATA interface. However, in a few areas, its performance trails the cheaper Crucial MX500, making it a solid but not outstanding choice. VERDICT A perfectly capable SATA SSD, but you can get slightly quicker performance for less money from the Crucial MX500. $220 • www.wdc.com

SATA SSDS GROUP TEST

CRYSTALDISKMARK

CRYSTALDISKMARK

Sequential read QD32 (MB/sec)

Random read QD32, 4 threads (MB/sec)

WD Blue 3D 500GB

563.9

Crucial MX500 500GB

406.1

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

563.5

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

404.1

Crucial MX500 500GB

563

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

403.9

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

562.5

WD Blue 3D 500GB

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB

555.6 0

150

300

392.4

450

600

355.3 0

105

210

315

CRYSTALDISKMARK

CRYSTALDISKMARK

Sequential write QD32 (MB/sec)

Random write QD32, 4 threads (MB/sec)

420

WD Blue 3D 500GB

534.5

Crucial MX500 500GB

362.3

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

533.2

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

362

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

531.2

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

360.7

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB

528.2

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB

Crucial MX500 500GB

WD Blue 3D 500GB

519.9 0

150

300

450

600

320.6 0

100

200

PCMARK 8

PCMARK 8

Battlefield 3 (seconds)

Bandwidth (MB/sec)

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

132.5

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

Crucial MX500 500GB

132.7

Crucial MX500 500GB

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

133

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

WD Blue 3D 500GB

133.2

WD Blue 3D 500GB

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB 35

70

105

140 Lower is better

0

300

400

299.8

290

285.7

224.5

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB

134.8 0

343.4

176.3 75

PCMARK 8

150

225

300

PCMARK 8

Photoshop Heavy trace (seconds)

Overall score

WD Blue 3D 500GB

368.2

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

5,000

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB

364

Crucial MX500 500GB

4,993

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

363.9

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

4,993

Crucial MX500 500GB

361.9

WD Blue 3D 500GB

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

360.8

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB

0

100

200

300

400 Lower is better

0

IOMETER - 4K RANDOM READ

4,946

4,753 1,250

2,500,

3750

IOMETER - 4K RANDOM WRITE

IO operations per second

IO operations per second

Crucial MX500 500GB

99,117

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

Samsung 860 Evo 500GB

98,625

Crucial MX500 500GB

88,354

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

98,536

Samsung 860 Pro 512GB

88,184

WD Blue 3D 500GB

79,994

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB

70,780 0

25,000

50,000

5,000

75,000

100,000

Kingston SSDNow UV400 480GB

70,057

WD Blue 3D 500GB

69,605

0

25,000

50,000

88,635

75,000

100,000

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 75

AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE TO

UPGRADING YOUR HARD DISK SHORT ON SPACE? CRAVING THAT SSD SPEED BOOST? DARIEN GRAHAM-SMITH EXPLAINS HOW TO CHOOSE AND INSTALL YOUR NEXT DRIVE

here are two good reasons to upgrade your hard disk. Perhaps you need more storage – or you want to speed up your PC by switching from a traditional mechanical drive to an SSD. Unfortunately, upgrading isn’t quite as simple as just buying a bigger disk and plugging it in: if you’re not au fait with the market, you’re liable to end up buying a drive that won’t do the job, or that simply can’t be used with your computer. Fortunately, the mysteries of mass storage aren’t hard to understand – and this is one of those increasingly rare upgrades that you can, in most cases, do yourself in just a few minutes, armed with nothing more than a screwdriver

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to see if anyone else has upgraded their hard disk. If you’re using a slimline laptop or two-in-one hybrid, then alas, it’s probably not possible to upgrade the hard disk. You may not even be able to open the case, and the storage may be soldered onto the motherboard, meaning you couldn’t replace it anyway. The situation isn’t totally hopeless, though: see the “What if you can’t upgrade?” boxout opposite.

WHICH DRIVES WORK? If you can upgrade your system, the next question is what sort of drive is compatible. There are quite

CAN YOU UPGRADE? The irst question is whether it’s physically possible to replace the hard disk in your computer. If you’re using a conventional desktop PC, the answer is almost certainly yes: most systems have mountings for ive or six drives. If you’re using a slick all-in-one, or a business laptop, then it’s a maybe. Sometimes upgradability is sacriiced in the name of a compact design: check the documentation, or have a look at user forums 76 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

Once you’re sure you can upgrade, find out which of the drive technologies and formats are compatible with your system

a few sorts on the market, so it’s worth reminding ourselves oft the various technologies and formats. The irst is the mechanical hard disk. This technology isn’t very fashionable these days as it’s a lot slower than any SSD. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper, though – you’re looking at $60 - $100 for a 1TB mechanical drive, versus around $400 for a basic SSD of the same size. For this reason, mechanical drives remain very popular as secondary drives in desktop PCs. But we can’t recommend that you use one as your main system disk; the performance hit, compared to an SSD, is just too painful. Turning to SSDs, there are two major formats to choose from. The standard SATA type is the most popular, and will work with a wide range of desktops and laptops. However, newer systems may offer an M.2 slot as well as (or instead of) SATA – either on the bottom of a laptop, or tucked away on the motherboard of a desktop. This is effectively a miniature PCIExpress socket, with a theoretical maximum bandwidth of 32Gbits/ sec, versus SATA’s 6Gbits/sec, so drives using this connector can hit much faster speeds than are possible over SATA. Actual performance varies, but premium M.2 drives use a technology called NVMe that lets them deliver close to four times the speed of a SATA drive.

DISK UPGRADES FEATURE

WHAT IF YOU CAN’T UPGRADE?

If you’ve got a screwdriver handy, you can easily install your new SSD in a matter of minutes

One last wrinkle to consider is physical size. All M.2 drives have standard dimensions, while SATA disks almost invariably use the long-established 2.5in format. However, a SATA drive might be either 7mm or 9.5mm thick. If you have a desktop system then you don’t need to worry about this, but for a laptop it’s an issue worth investigating – see the “Physical installation” boxout overleaf.

WHAT TO EXPECT Before we get stuck into the practicalities, let’s briefly run through what you can expect from your new disk. If it’s connected via SATA then it should broadly be able to read and write iles at the full speed of the connector – around 500MB/sec, or around twice as fast as a typical mechanical drive. Spring for a pricey M.2 drive and you can get speeds close to 2GB/sec. The performance difference between an SSD and a mechanical disk isn’t just about transfer speed, however: it has a lot to do with seek time. On a conventional hard drive, the head wastes a lot of time whizzing back and forth between different areas of the disk, as it fetches bits of data for different programs and processes. On an SSD, by contrast, all storage locations are instantly addressable – so things feel perfectly smooth and responsive, even when there are lots of programs running at the same time. The

beneit is palpable, regardless of whether you choose a SATA SSD or an M.2 one. As for capacity: it’s possible to buy a 128GB SSD, but unless your needs are very modest – and you’re certain that they won’t grow over the next few years – a 256GB SSD is a bare minimum for Windows and a typical set of applications. A 512GB drive is probably a safer bet, especially if you’re upgrading a laptop and don’t have

IT’S POSSIBLE TO BUY A 128GB SSD, BUT FOR MOST A 256GBDISK IS A BARE MINIMUM the option of installing a secondary drive for data storage. With halfterabyte SATA units available for less than $200, it’s an affordable bit of future-prooing. Clean installation Some people like to perform a clean reinstallation of Windows from time to time, to clear out old

If your laptop has a soldered-in SSD – or if you simply can’t get it open to upgrade the disk – then clearly you can’t drop in a new drive. However, if there’s an SD or microSD slot, you could use this to expand your storage. Buy the fastest media you can though, because the slowest cards are achingly slow – we’re talking 4MB/sec, versus the 500MB/sec you’ll get from a regular SSD. Alternatively, USB 3 flash drives are getting impressively compact and capacious. The SanDisk Ultra Fit USB drive, for example, is tiny, and holds a massive 128GB for just $35. Remember, though, that SD cards and USB flash drives can very easily be lost or stolen. We would caution against using a device such as this as a permanent home for valuable data: at the least, if you’re going this route, make sure everything is duplicated on local storage or remotely.

junk and ensure that everything’s running smoothly. If that sounds good, a new drive presents the perfect opportunity to make a fresh start. However, before you dive in, there are two important issues to address. The irst is how exactly you’re going to install Windows on your new drive. Do you happen to have an installation disc lying around? Didn’t think so. Happily, this isn’t the problem it used to be, as Microsoft now offers ISO images of Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 on its website for direct download, along with a handy Media Creation tool that can be used to burn the images to a DVD or a USB flash drive (you’ll need a capacity of at least 4GB for Windows 7 or 8.1, or 8GB for Windows 10). If you’re reinstalling Windows 10, the installer should automatically recognise that your PC has previously been activated, and reactivate without issue. For Windows 7 or 8.1, you’ll need your product key to validate the PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 77

The deadly serious Magical Jelly Bean Keyfinder will discover your Windows product key free of charge…

Laptop hard disks are normally held in place by a custom mount, which you should carefully unscrew before installing your new disk

...or you could simply hunt down the product key sticker on your computer to validate a Windows 7/8.1 installation

M.2 drives are a cinch to install: just push your drive into the slot and screw the retaining screw at the opposite end into place

installation. If this isn’t printed on a sticker on your computer, you can discover it using a free tool such as Magical Jelly Bean Keyinder (magicaljellybean.com/keyi nder). One quick tip for Windows 8 users: if your product key is for the original Windows 8 (rather than Windows 8.1), it might be rejected by the installer. You can get around this by providing a generic key to get through the setup procedure, then changing it to your personal key once Windows is up and running. A list of usable keys can be found at tinyurl.com/y8urecgs. With your Windows installation media sorted, the other question is how you’re going to get your personal data from the old drive onto the new one. If you have an external hard disk or a NAS appliance, one option is to simply copy everything onto there by hand, then copy it back onto your new disk once it’s up and running. A more elegant approach is to copy your iles directly from the old disk onto the new one. If you’re on a desktop, this is easy: connect the old drive to a 78 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

spare SATA port and it’ll pop up as a secondary drive in Windows, so you can drag-and-drop iles as you please. If you do take this route, check your BIOS settings to make sure that Windows boots from the new drive and not the old one. If a spare SATA port isn’t available, another possibility is to connect the disk via USB using a cheap external adaptor. For a 2.5in drive, this should cost less than $20 If it’s extra space you need, rather than speed, consider investing $35 in this 128GB USB stick

online – but make sure the model you choose supports USB 3, as your iles will take an age to copy over USB 2. Caddies for 3.5in drives are a bit more expensive because this type of drive requires an integrated power supply, but you’re still only looking at an outlay of around $30.

CLONING AND IMAGING If the clean-installation route doesn’t appeal, it’s time to get cloning – copying everything from your old disk, including your OS, applications and personal data, onto the new drive. You’ll need some third-party software to achieve this, but there are reliable tools to choose from – such as O&O DiskImage that we’ve given away in previous issues of PC & tech Authority. If you’re going down this route, there are – once again – just two things you might need to think about. The irst is to do with space: if you’re upgrading from an old

DISK UPGRADES FEATURE

PHYSICAL INSTALLATION Installing a new hard disk is normally easy, but the specifics vary from case to case. Simplest of all is an M.2 drive: simply push your drive into the slot, and screw the retaining screw at the opposite end into place. M.2 drives are notched, so you physically can’t insert them the wrong way around. To install a 3.5in SATA hard disk in a desktop, you’ll need to connect it to the motherboard using a 7-pin SATA data cable; these cables are reversible, and the plugs are L-shaped, so again it’s very hard to get wrong. If you’re replacing an older disk, it’s a good idea to connect the new one to the same SATA port on the motherboard. Steer clear of legacy SATA 2 ports, though, as these are only capable of half the speed of regular sockets. You’ll also need to plug a 15-pin SATA power connector into the drive: your PC’s internal power supply should provide one of these. If not, a few pounds will buy you an adaptor that will let you use the drive with an older four-pin Molex power connector. Once you’ve got both cables hooked up, slide the drive into an available bay in your desktop case and screw it firmly into place from both sides. With a 2.5in SATA SSD, the procedure depends on what you’re putting it into. For a desktop system, it’s exactly the same as above. The only diference might be that if your case doesn’t have a dedicated 2.5in bay, you’ll need an adaptor to make it fit it into a 3.5in bay. Or, you can just screw it into one side of a 3.5in bay and leave it hanging – this should be secure enough, as long as you don’t regularly move your PC around. On a laptop, the hard disk is normally held in place by a custom mounting: unscrew this, then pull the drive carefully away from the SATA data and power connectors to disconnect it. Then, attach the mount to your new drive; if the new disk is thinner than the old one, you might also need to affix plastic or foam spacers – these are often provided with the drive. Finally, drop the new disk into the drive cavity, push it firmly onto the SATA contacts and screw it into place.

To install a 3.5in SATA hard disk in a desktop, connect it to the motherboard via a 7-pin SATA data cable – it’s a piece of cake

A NEW DRIVE PRESENTS THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A FRESH START

mechanical drive to an SSD, your new disk might be smaller than the old one. Consider clearing out some old iles, or moving them off onto remote storage, to ensure that everything its comfortably onto the new drive. The other potential gotcha is that cloning requires both the source and destination disks to be connected at the same time. That’s no problem if you’re using a desktop system, but on a laptop or an all-in-one it may not be possible. You can’t hook up your destination drive via USB either, as the cloning software needs to have low-level write access to it. No need to panic, though – the answer is easy. Rather than directly copying one disk to another, you can simply create a virtual image of your original hard disk, then swap over the drives and write the contents of the image to the blank

drive. All you need is an external drive that’s big enough to hold the image, and a bootable USB stick or CD containing the imaging software (which you can create with a few clicks from inside O&O DiskImage). The imaging approach also means you can choose which iles to include and exclude from the image, to ensure it its on the destination disk, without having to actually delete them from your source disk. Once you’ve imaged the drive, it should work like its predecessor; just make sure you image the entire disk, and not the Windows partition alone, as the correct layout is needed to make it bootable. If you’re running Windows 7 and have moved from a mechanical drive to an SSD, open the Windows Experience Index tool and hit “ReRun Assessment” so Windows recognises that the drive type has changed. This will make it turn off auto-defragmentation and enable TRIM, to prolong the SSD’s life and keep it running at peak performance. Later versions of Windows will work this out for themselves. PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 79

THE PESSIMIST’S

GUIDE TO THE

FUTURE TIRED OF HEARING ABOUT VR? NOT SOLD ON BITCOIN OR THE BLOCKCHAIN? DON’T BUY THE DRIVERLESS CAR HYPE? NICOLE KOBIE REVEALS THE ARGUMENTS AGAINST SUCH TECHNOLOGIES FROM LEADING SCEPTICS ACROSS THE INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA

ype fuels the technology industry. A few years from now, we will be shuttled about in driverless cars, lose our jobs to AI and robots, and forget our troubles in virtual worlds. Hyperloop will zip us across countries, chatbots will organise our lives, and drones will deliver our shopping paid for with digital currencies. Don’t buy it? You’re not alone. While we will uncover plenty of arguments against overhyped future tech, it’s worth noting that gleefully imagining a sci-i future isn’t foolish. Driverless cars could cut deaths from car crashes, robotics in factories could end industrial injuries, and digital currencies could give us i nancial freedom from the big banks. Such ideas are worth working towards, but while dreaming of a better future, we must beware the snake oil salesmen shilling technologies that don’t exist and may never happen. Why are such technologies overhyped? We in the media love a good headline as much as people love reading them. Startups and Silicon Valley giants alike need attention to win investment. The analyst i rms are often paid by the tech industry itself, and positive predictions mean repeat customers. That all combines to make scepticism rare, but doubt should be more common – because successful products aren’t, noted Duncan Stewart, director of research for technology, media and telecoms at Deloitte Canada. “Not only is tech not very good at inventing the next big thing, it isn’t even good at inventing the next little thing.”

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The global market for consumer hardware was $1.2 trillion last year, he explained, and $1 trillion of that was from three product categories: smartphones, computers and TVs. “There isn’t really anything else that threatens them,” he said. “Everybody else wants to come up with the next big thing, but since the tablet in 2010, there has not been another consumer technology that has cracked the $10 billion a year barrier. Not only has there not been another $100 billion product, there hasn’t been one a tenth that big.” So forget the spoon-fed hype about the next big thing and read on to i nd out why it’s time to be dubious about virtual reality, Bitcoin and the blockchain, artiicial intelligence and even driverless cars.

VIRTUAL REALITY Virtual reality headsets have long been the next big thing, but that’s not based on anything approaching reality. At the start of 2017, analyst i rm CSS Insight predicted sales of 14 million VR headsets that year. They were wrong. Figures from Canalys at the end of 2017 showed quarterly sales of VR headsets i nally breaching the one million mark, half of which

Many users are put off using VR headsets by motion sickness, the feeling of isolation – and the heaviness of the hardware itself

were Sony’s $550 PlayStation VR. Unless holiday sales leapt by an order of magnitude, VR headsets remain a niche product category that’s not meeting analyst predictions. And, in case half a million in sales in a single quarter doesn’t sound low to you, for context Apple sold 46.7 million iPhones during the same period. VR headsets have improved and prices have fallen. So why aren’t they selling? Stewart points to one main reason: headsets are uncomfortable. They also cause motion sickness in some, and are socially isolating, as vision in both eyes is blocked. Oh, and they’re heavy: the PlayStation VR headset weighs 600g. “Wearing half a pound of electronics on our heads is not something the average consumer is keen on doing,” he said. Those who do shell out for a heavy headset i nd they don’t use them as much as expected, Stewart added. “In my experience, I have never found a hardware technology that is more loathed by its users than VR headsets,” he said. “People actively hate wearing them. That’s seldom a driver of signiicant user adoption.” The same challenges have

PESSIMIST’S SPECIAL FUTURES

the exchange left standing. And all of this is before we consider the signiicant sustainability issues, as mining bitcoins chews through an immeasurable amount of energy. “None of it works right, it attracts scammers like fl ies, the exchanges are incompetent, and now with the bubble there’s irresponsible press coverage making

“Irresponsible press coverage is making people think that theycould get rich quick with Bitcoin”

followed augmented reality (AR) hardware such as Google Glass and Snapchat Spectacles. Both products failed in the consumer market – the Snapchat developer reportedly had hundreds of thousands of the photosnapping glasses left over in a warehouse – although Stewart predicts AR will continue to be popular on phones for games, selies and “looking at furniture” for interior design. VR and AR technology still aren’t a total bust, as they’re already useful in the business world, particularly in manufacturing, medicine and architecture. However, their lack of success in the consumer market still presents problems for corporate use because scale matters. Look at smartphones: they cost hundreds of pounds now, but if they weren’t manufactured in such large volumes, they would cost ten times as much. “If VR is not a consumer success and only an enterprise tool, there will be discomfort [learning to use the] device, the developer base will be small, the pace of innovation will

Bitcoin isn’t useful for shopping as unstable exchanges mean that fees are high and transactions can be achingly slow

be slow, and it will be expensive, because it’s a million-unit market and not a billion,” said Stewart. Virtual reality bites, doesn’t it?

BITCOIN Bitcoin has made some people very rich indeed – and made some of us wish we had bought into the digital currency back when we were i rst reporting on it (darn!). But you don’t need to be bitter about missing your chance to be a Bitcoin billionaire to see there are flaws in the system. Whether Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies become little more than an odd historical footnote or a i nancial force to be reckoned with remains to be seen, but it’s not looking good. Costs are rising and exchanges can’t keep up with transfers. Scammers are also creating new coins for virtual Ponzi schemes, leading Facebook to ban adverts for new currencies and to credit card companies blocking purchases of them. Hackers keep targeting

people think they could get rich quick,” said David Gerard, the author of Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain. “And of course a lot of people are going to get badly burnt when this pops.” What’s the point of such digital currencies, other than making millionaires out of speculators? It’s not for anonymous transactions anymore, if that was ever the intent. Early Bitcoin stories marvelled at the ability to anonymously purchase anything from drugs to pizza online, but those looking to use bitcoins for shopping now may be disappointed. The drastically fluctuating value and unstable exchanges mean it’s not all that useful for shopping, as fees are high and transactions are slow. “It can’t possibly work as a useful currency – it’s really bad at the job of being a currency,” Gerard said. Indeed, payments i rm Stripe stopped supporting the currency, with founder Tom Karlo noting in a blog post that fees of tens of dollars are common, making paying with bitcoins as expensive as a bank wire. “By the time the transaction is conirmed, fluctuations in Bitcoin price mean that it’s for the ‘wrong’ amount,” he added. Karlo said Stripe is still “optimistic” about cryptocurrencies, pointing to Bitcoin Cash – which forked from standard Bitcoin last year – and other rivals as potentially learning from the original digital currency’s mistakes. But some of those have been no more than scams, with authorities shutting down BitConnect, My Big Coin and Proof of Weak Hands Coin, while others have collapsed. “I have never owned any bitcoins,” Gerard said. “I did have six Dogecoins, but I lost them when I reformatted the laptop they were on. If I’d held onto them they could be worth six cents now.” If Bitcoin isn’t for buying, what else could it be useful for? It could become an asset like gold, said Professor Ferdinando Maria PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 81

FUTURES PESSIMIST’S SPECIAL

Ametrano, who teaches classes on Bitcoin and blockchain at Politecnico di Milano and the University of Milano-Bicocca . He’s a fan of cryptocurrencies, calling it “incredible” that we’ve built a digital asset that can be transferred but not duplicated. But he said that, if Bitcoin is money, it’s useless – if it’s an asset like gold, we could be onto something. “If it is digital gold, it’s still undervalued... If it’s not digital gold, its price will go to zero.” However, Jack Bogle, founder of The Vanguard Group, has suggested that the idea of Bitcoin as an asset is based on nothing more than “the hope that you will sell it to someone for more than you paid for it”. Hence the hype.

BLOCKCHAIN Even if you don’t care about Bitcoin, defenders can rightly point out that it delivered blockchain into the world. That refers to the distributed ledger at the core of Bitcoin, tracking all the transactions without letting anyone meddle with the igures. Plenty believe that blockchain technology is the true innovation, with startups using blockchain to offer smart contracts, organise electronic voting, and even track consent in sexual relationships. Gerard isn’t convinced that such projects use real blockchains. “The main problem with ‘blockchain’ is that it’s become a hype word,” he said. “It used to mean a full Bitcoin-style blockchain, with a currency and competing coin miners and so on, but that’s completely useless for anything business does. So you have ‘blockchain’ getting redei ned to mean bits of stuff that works sort of like a Bitcoin-style blockchain – but the trouble there is that the good bits aren’t original, and the original bits turn out not to be much good.” He added: “Transaction ledgers that you can only add to, with cryptographic tamperprooi ng, are the sort of idea that’s obviously useful. And, of course, we had them for years before bitcoin. But they seem to be getting more attention with the buzzword ‘blockchain’ attached.” As an example, he pointed to Estonia, which is pushing blockchain to manage its digital citizenship efforts. “But their ‘blockchain’, Guardtime KSI Blockchain, isn’t actually a blockchain, and was only rebranded a few years ago,” he said, noting the technology is essentially a tamperevident ledger. Ametrano agrees that blockchain has become a catch-all term without much meaning. “Bitcoin is a nuclear explosion, and there’s a radioactive fallout that is 82 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

AI might have conquered the world of Go, but your job is probably safe for the time being

applied cryptography,” he said. “Many people are realising that applied cryptography can be used to harness existing business processes. They may want to call this blockchain technology, but it’s not – it’s just cryptography. That’s the confusion nowadays.” Ametrano notes that most so-called blockchain projects are merely proof-of-concepts that haven’t been properly tested in the

“Bitcoin is a nuclear explosion, andthere’s a radioactive fallout that’s applied cryptography” real world. “The fact they can work in a restricted lab doesn’t mean it could work in an adversarial environment,” he said. At the core of the problem is people use the Bitcoin blockchain because it makes them money. “Without an active digital asset or token providing economic incentive, distributed consensus cannot be reached.” Why would anyone do the work if they weren’t getting paid? Blockchain could have uses, particularly for digital

notarisation, but Ametrano argues the rest isn’t likely to work in the real world. “Frankly speaking, after two or three years of blockchain hype... they haven’t delivered a single application in production,” he said. In other words, if it’s so useful, why aren’t we using it?

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Artiicial intelligence (AI) is coming for our jobs, according to a myriad of reports from the economists at PwC to academics at the University of Oxford. These suggest that a third of existing employment roles will disappear into a black hole of smart computing in the next decade or so. But anyone who has used a chatbot knows it’s not time to panic – the AI-based online helpers can be irritatingly useless – and there are plenty of examples of neural networks incorrectly labelling images or tripping up to hilarious effect. That said, there has been a string of AI successes of late, particularly in deep learning work on games such as Go from researchers at Google and its DeepMind division.

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FUTURES PESSIMIST’S SPECIAL

This year, the deep-learning company’s AlphaGo Zero project beat a world champion at the game after learning the rules and tactics through trial and error; it effectively acted as its own teacher, meaning it “is no longer constrained by the limits of human knowledge”. But such “claims are overstated”, said Gary Marcus, professor of psychology and neural science at New York University, and formerly the director of Uber’s AI labs. That’s because AlphaZero came with gameplaying techniques built-in rather than starting with a blank slate. It didn’t need to learn to play games, it only needed to learn to play Go. Those exaggerated claims aside, Marcus argues that a wider problem is “mistaking solutions on narrow, closed problems like Go for broader challenges in the openended world, like common sense reasoning and natural language understanding”. Indeed, AI may be able to play Go, but that same system can’t learn to do your job. Well-designed AI, such as AlphaZero, can do a single task well, but it’s not good at multitasking like us humans. “I think of artiicial general intelligence [AGI] as artiicial intelligence that is genuinely intelligent, rather than more like a specialised idiot savant,” Marcus said. “Thus far, we have lots of narrow intelligence, but nothing broad and flexible.”

So we’ve had plenty of AI wins, but they’re at limited tasks; that’s still useful, but it means that most of us are more likely to use smart computing tools in our work than be replaced by machines. There’s another reason AI is overhyped: we only hear about AI successes, not their failures. Marcus notes in a paper that it

“Most of us are more likely to usesmart computing tools in our work than be replaced by machines” seems unlikely the researchers using AI to win at Go haven’t tried their system on other games, but we haven’t heard about it because it failed. That he refers to as the “ile drawer problem”, when academics leave results to rot in their desks. “People never want to report their failures; successes are much more exciting,” he said. “But the net effect (which we have recently seen come home to roost in other ields such as medicine There is a lot of industry hype about the exciting potential of blockchain, but most projects have yet to be tested in the real world

and psychology) is that you wind up with a misleading picture about how robust something is. Medical treatments in which failures aren’t reported turn out not to be reliable, and artiicial intelligence techniques that work in papers that selectively report successes rather than failures typically turn out to be less robust than you might expect when applied to new problems.” Medicine makes a good example of the beneits and limits of AI. DeepMind is perhaps best known for its work in the NHS, and its irst project is a kidney illnessdetecting app – which uses a pre-existing algorithm to analyse symptoms, rather than AI as initially intended. Instead, the work has centred on rolling out an app that’s useful for both patients and clinicians in a care setting. Doctors and developers, your jobs are safe.

DRIVERLESS CARS Think self-driving cars will ferry you about in the next ive years? You can hit the road. That includes Google with its Waymo driverless car due in 2020, and Elon Musk, who promises a fully autonomous model by the end of 2018. Transport pundit and author of Driverless Cars: On a Road to Nowhere, Christian Wolmar hasn’t always been sceptical about driverless cars. A few years back, he even wrote a letter to a local newspaper joyfully expounding the many beneits they could offer. “I was sold on the hype”, he explained, “but then I started reading up on it and found there was so much exaggeration.” Wolmar offers an example of driverless cars being used to deliver pizza, a marketing stunt from Domino’s Pizza last year. “You read about it and ind out there are two people in the car with the pizzas, one’s an engineer and one’s the overseeing driver,” he said. “There are no pizzas being delivered with driverless cars. Why would

PESSIMIST’S SPECIAL FUTURES

attention when we’re not actively driving. It’s the model behind the fatal crash in a Tesla – the driver was watching a ilm and neither he nor the car spotted a lorry in the road – and Google has all but given up on the idea of Level 3 cars, instead leaping straight up to Level 5, Wolmar claimed. But Dr Jack Stilgoe, senior lecturer in science and technology studies, believes that Level 5 will never be possible. “The only

“We humans tend to get distractedand stop paying attention when we’re not actively driving”

you have pizza delivery with a driverless car – you want a guy to take the pizza to your door! It’s patently nonsensical.” It’s no surprise that a muchhyped, exciting idea such as driverless cars is being used by pizza companies, but what of the technology itself? Tech irms and universities alike are racing to be the irst to develop a viable autonomous vehicle, but demos of the prototypes aren’t always impressive. Some follow preordained routes, like trams without tracks. Others take to real roads, but Wolmar offered the example of a Nissan trial where the car overtook a cyclist too closely, with the company reportedly later admitting that cyclists are a challenge because they are unpredictable. “Maybe we don’t want your driverless cars if they can’t handle cyclists,” Wolmar said. There are plenty of other challenges. Wolmar noted that most driverless cars don’t take to the road at night, as their vision isn’t as good in the dark. To be truly autonomous, they’ll also

There’s a lot of hype and hope around autonomous cars, but prototypes have yet to convince cynics

need to manage unmapped dirt roads, navigate when snow covers road markings, and understand car parks, petrol stations and everywhere else we go. While those may sound like problems that can be solved one by one, driverless cars aren’t developed gradually. There are six levels of automation in cars, from Level 0 with no machine help at all to Level 5 with no driver required, but development isn’t progressive. Adding a few skills doesn’t automatically bump a car from Level 3 to 4; instead, the differences in development are exponential. For Level 5, cars will need artiicial intelligence well beyond current capabilities. That’s why many self-driving systems are actually Level 3, with tasks such as steering and braking done by the car until it meets a challenge it can’t handle. It will then pass off the driving to a human. That doesn’t work very well because we humans tend to get distracted and stop paying

prediction I’m willing to make is that the socalled Level 5 automated car – able to drive on any road in the world in any weather – will never exist,” he said. “There are reasons why cars are being tested in predictable, well-behaved cities such as Phoenix rather than in Rome or rural Wales. The promise of self-driving cars is that everyone will beneit, that road deaths will be cut and people without access to transport... will be able to get around. The reality will be that access to the technology will be very uneven.” Some of those beneits aren’t clear anyway. Driverless cars may promise safer roads, but if they’re forced to stop for all people, we will have to tighten up against jaywalking and ban pedestrians from roads entirely, or autonomous cars will be continually halted in their tracks. Driverless proponents suggest we will no longer need to own cars, as autonomous vehicles can be hailed as needed, but Wolmar noted that’s no different from car sharing and Uber today. Others suggest it will mean the end of large-scale parking lots, as the cars won’t sit idle all day, but Wolmar argued the vehicles will still need a place to park when they’re not in use. “They are presenting these changes as technical changes when in fact they are social changes,” Wolmar said. And, argues Stilgoe, if the companies selling this tech don’t admit its uncertainties, then there is a real danger of a public backlash. “It is only by chance that the one person so far to die from self-driving technology was the driver of a Tesla Model S and a cheerleader for the technology,” he said. “When a bystander gets killed and companies start getting sued, the backlash could set back selfdriving technology by years.” A little less hype, or autonomous cars may have to hit the brakes. PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 85

INTERVIEW: WAR THUNDER’S CREATIVE DIRECTOR KIRILL YUDINTSEV WAR THUNDER ENTERS THE 1970S AND 80S ERA WITH NEW BATTLEFIELD BEASTS AND A JUICED-UP VERSION OF ITS ALREADY AMAZING ENGINE. BEN MANSILL SPEAKS WITH GAIJIN’S CREATIVE DIRECTOR ometimes Gaijin’s War Thunder feels like the best kept secret in gaming. Its gaming battleield opponent World of Tanks gets all the attention, yet War Thunder has a vastly superior air game, debatably superior tank and ground game, and its naval component, while still in beta, is shaping up very nicely. It averages well over 10,000 concurrent users at any time, and has peaked at over 100,000 users playing simultaneously. And yet it feels like only those in the know, know about it. Gaijin doesn’t do much to advertise War Thunder but, mostly I imagine, people that stumble upon it have a go and love it, and many stay for the long haul.

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WHY WAR THUNDER ROCKS It supports combined arms, with players from around the world battling on maps that have pilots in the air providing cover for ground units while killing off enemy planes, and bombing and attacking ground targets while fending off enemy ighters. Meanwhile 86 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

players down on the ground at the same time are smashing it out in tank battles, and eventually naval battles off the coast will enter the fray, too. All together at once – and remarkably that includes pitching PlayStation and PC gamers together in a single arena.

AMAZING GRAPHICS AND SMOOTH FRAMES Its graphic engine is one of the most beautiful in all gaming – and has been for many years. It can handle thousands of objects flying around at once –not just planes and tanks, but bullets and shells – every one of which has precise physics, impact and damage properties – making a mess of vehicles and structures that are equally precisely modelled for damage, with materials, underlying structures and relatively small,

well-deined hit zones. And it does this even on very low-end PCs. It really is one of the most impressive game engines anywhere.

PLAY TIME And it’s free. While it’s true that paying for premium vehicles and upgrades can give you an edge, the game is (debatably – and it is much debated!) not pay to win. With three main modes – Arcade, Realistic and Simulator – on offer it caters to all levels of seriousness. The fascinating ‘Enduring Confrontation’ mode pops in and out of public beta testing from time to time, too. That will offer enormous maps and very long battles that pull together all forces in an ebbing and flowing war that can take many hours to win, or lose.

GAMES INTERVIEW

Set from roughly WW1 through to the Korean War era (your rank determines what you have access to), War Thunder has just levelled itself up with the release of the 1.77 update known as Advancing Storm. Besides the usual multi-page list of tweaks to gameplay, vehicles and the economy, Advancing Storm rolls out signiicant advances to its graphics and physics engine, plus new vehicles that take the game further ahead in time, now encompassing planes and tanks from the 1970s and 1980s. That shifting forward in time alone is a radical change for the game!

THE PRETTIES AND THE POUNDERS Among the new vehicles is the irst iteration of the formidable M1 Abrams, along with the Soviet T-64B and British Challenger 1 tanks. Quite a step up from the relatively simple tanks we’ve been playing in the game until now! Up in the air there’s a little less excitement. The most interesting new planes are the German He 177 Greif bomber which is a veritable porcupine of defensive armament, the Martin Baker M.B.5, one of the last ‘super props’ ever made, and the unusual Soviet La-200 jet ighter. The new graphics include much better global lighting, gorgeous weather effects with volumetric fog and smoke. We also get new temporal anti-aliasing to smooth out distant objects as well as displacement mapping that allows for potholes in roads, puddles and the like. Small things in the grand scheme, but for players on the ground it’s a feast of eye candy. I like War Thunder. I play it a lot. Several hours a week regularly for the last few years, in fact. So when the opportunity to put a

few questions to Gaijin’s Creative Director Kirill Yudintsev I jumped at the chance. PCTA: War Thunder has always had a beautiful looking game engine that runs very well on low end PCs. How do you achieve such high graphical performance compared to other game engines? Krill Yudintsev: We’ve been working with our proprietary Dagor Engine for more than 15 years now, almost since the very beginning of our company’s history. We have been very committed to continuously

improving its visuals ever since, often pioneering the implementation of new graphic technologies. This, however, has always been subject to maintaining the greatest possible performance with as many system speciications as possible. For an online title like War Thunder this is vital, as the player base is huge and the PCs range from ofice laptops to high end gaming computers, and the game should be equally available for all of them. Your netcode supports a vast number of objects, which includes vehicles and munitions all with complex physics, how are you able to achieve that for clients in the game from all corners of the world – many on poor connections? The War Thunder netcode is very complex, sophisticated and heavily server-based. This allows us to run complex physics calculations (including positional prediction and hit detection for thousands of shells being ired at the same second) on a very streamlined server architecture that requires only limited communication with the local clients. If the local connection is somewhat stable and with little packet loss (nothing can be done if the information is lost entirely), the game is well playable even on very slow connections and with bad latency, including mobile networks. Will you be licensing the Dagor Engine for use by other developers? The Dagor Engine is currently also PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 87

used by Darkflow Software to develop the squad-combat based World War II Shooter Enlisted, which is published by Gaijin Entertainment. Can you give me an update on the plans for Enduring Confrontation, and will it be available to all three game modes? Enduring Confrontation is a very speciic game mode, which has seen its biggest success in Simulator and, to some extent, Realistic Battles. We are still developing it further and currently have it available regularly for Simulator players in the “Events” tab, and less often in Realistic mode, as well. Currently, there are no plans to adapt the mode for the Arcade dificulty. How will you handle new aircraft that should include radar and missiles? And further to that, will War Thunder evolve to include groundbased SAM systems, bringing it even closer to modern hardcore military flightsims? We have started testing jet aircraft of the Vietnam War period, those which were equipped with guided rockets and radar. These missiles have limitations for launch like minimal and maximal distances, and their maneuverability is not as good as modern missiles. It means that probably these aircraft can be used in War Thunder’s aerial battles in their current gameplay modes. The results of the test will show if and how these aircraft will be added to the game. What for the ground vehicles, there are already a few models in game that featured a radar device of some sorts historically. With the 1.77 “Advancing Storm” update ZSU-23-4,
163, FlakPanzer Gepard, AMX-30 DCA and Type 87 will now provide players with lead indication in higher dificulty modes, like Realistic. How are you working to make the experience for bomber pilots more rewarding? In most aircraft game modes, bomber pilots are already an important if not deciding factor in battle, as they are destroying the ground targets necessary to achieve victory. 88 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

We are, of course, always looking for ways to make the gameplay on any kind of vehicle more engaging. Here in Australia we would love to fly the CAC Mustang, which was developed here towards the end of WW2. We are thinking of possibly adding the CAC CA-17/18 at some point in the future. Helicopters! Yes, no, maybe? Our current focus is to extend the available ground vehicles on Rank VI, and the new Update 1.77 is an important part of this. But we have indeed noticed the very positive feedback on our April Fool’s 2017 event, which featured current-era tanks and helicopters. Plus, we have relevant experience developing helicopter combat games thanks to Apache Air Assault, which was a very successful title back in its days. So, maybe! The inal decision will be based on the results of our internal tests. How popular is naval gameplay? Are you pleased or disappointed with how many players it has attracted? We still consider our Naval Forces to be in an early stage of development, which we call pre-beta. We have passed a long way from torpedo boats to bigger ships like destroyers since the irst introduction of War Thunder naval battles in 2016. We’ve been testing physics for different types of the ships and various gameplay modes. Each prebeta session gave players access to several models of ships. With the beginning of Closed Beta testers will be using the whole research trees for different nations. We are

illing them with various models right now and inalizing the progression system. As soon as it is done, we’ll be ready to move to the next testing stage, where we will invite more players to join. Players who had a chance to participate in pre-beta testing sessions give us very positive feedback. We are happy to see that all the types of vehicles in the battle are equally interesting and important. A destroyer, a torpedo boat or an aircraft, each can signiicantly change the situation on the battleield. What are the most important elements in designing a ground combat map to create exciting and strategically rewarding gameplay? We are approaching map design from a variety of angles. For example, ground combat maps must provide a certain level of combat fluidity and action by preventing boring stalemates or overly long average mission time. They should also offer tactical opportunities for any kind of land vehicle in the game, be that a pre-war light tank, a late-war heavy tank or a modern MBT (hence, with Update 1.77, we’ve introduced variable-size maps to better account for the higher speed of modern vehicles). Maps for aircraft Arcade battles are made to have challenging 3D gameplay, on different altitudes. The ones for Realistic battles should also represent real battles of WW2 and be historically accurate. What is this year’s April Fools cool fun thing going to be? Tell me tell me tell me! It will be something special, as it is tradition! But what exactly, we can’t share yet – of course. You’ll see!

GAMES REVIEWS

WARHAMMER VERMINTIDE II

“ATTACK: MOUSE LEFT” BUT THERE ISN’T A MOUSE ON MY LEFT? eil Gaiman, in his irst but rather obscure book Ghastly Beyond Belief: The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of Quotations, has an early section that makes fun of blurbs. The blurb for James Herbert’s Lair reads: “Frenzied mutant super-rats bloodlusting for human flesh.” Which led Gaiman to note that the author took 244 pages to say what the blurb writer managed to convey in eight words. Which neatly dispenses with the concept for Vermintide II. Except to add that this sequel builds further on Fat Shark’s “Left 4 Dead except with a Warhammer license” irst outing into the world of Skaven and Rotbloods. It’s slightly more complex, panders slightly more to the current trend of “loot boxes”, but also keeps the solid mix of characters and weapons and general rat-mutilation that Vermintide’s fans demand. For the uninitiated: this game is a fourplayer (humans or helper AI) action FPS/RPG hybrid, where each time you run through one of the 13 missions, the AI “Director” spawns different monsters, at different places. The Director builds on Fat Shark’s previous work with Left 4 Dead (a game of four survivors vs zombies, geddit?). Rather than enemies spawning at predictable spots when scripts are triggers, the Director makes supposedly effective decisions about when to create say, six skinny naked rat dudes, or one gigantic agent of Chaos, which kills you in seconds flat.

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Chaos? That’s right, this time the forces of Chaos and their unlikely helmets have come to help the frenzied mutant super-rats take over a world which is apparently in its End Times anyway, so who knows why they are bothering. Anyway, point is the enemies you are likely to encounter are any moment aren’t entirely predictable. Sometimes it’s a cakewalk. Sometimes, the Director dumps a mix of baddies on you that’s, you’ll swear, actually impossible to beat. Complete a mission and the reward is of course sweet loot. The game does, somewhat irritatingly, make you click to “open” a treasure chest (short animation), which creates some other... thingies you have to click one (short animation) by one (short animation) to open. This is the future of gaming. Virtual packaging being hard to

tear off a virtual gift. Inside, various weapons and other Warhammertype artefacts make whichever character you have selected increasingly muricidal. Vermintide isn’t really about story, and it’s not quite an RPG as we usually understand the genre. It’s a player-versus-environment game where entertainment is derived from nearly dying over and over. The most satisfying missions are those where the Director spawns the perfect mix of enemies - where companions drop one by one until it’s just you and the last frenzied mutant super-rat. Each of the ive characters can unlock new careers as they progress. This tweaks their weapon proiciencies, adds new abilities, all the usual RPG stuff. Oddly, the game gives a sense that stat minmaxing will be rewarded... but then hides all the actual numbers so you can’t see exactly how much your Strength or whatever has increased. The biggest issue with the game is, as usual, in multiplayer. Fundamentally this is a co-op multiplayer title: four humans versus the AI. But each mission must be hosted by one player, and if they rage-quit or their GPU explodes, you lose all progress in the mission. And yeah, even after two Left 4 Dead games and a previous round of rat-stomping, this Directorled swarm-the-player gameplay does still feel somewhat like an experiment in game design. The rat-splattering scratches a primal itch, but the loot boxes and semiobfuscated RPG paperwork just get in the way. ANTHONY FORDHAM KEY SPECS Genre: FPP RPG • Developer: Fat Shark • Publisher: Fat Shark • Platform: PC, XONE, PS4 www.vermintide.com

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THE A-LIST

THE BEST PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET, AS PICKED BY OUR EDITORS

No additions or subtractions this month. Just loads of good gear.

PREMIUM LAPTOPS DELL XPS 13

Ultraportable from $1,599 Dell only needed to refine its brilliant XPS 13 design to keep top spot, and that’s what it does: it’s slightly quicker and adds more options, but it’s the edge -to-edge 13.3in display and compact chassis that lift it above the opposition. Oh, and it’s now available in Rose Gold.

ALTERNATIVES MICROSOFT SURFACE BOOK 2 A unique and versatile laptop with a screen that detaches to become a tablet. From $2,199 from microsoft.com/store

LENOVO YOGA 920

HP SPECTRE 13

An ultra-thin convertible from Lenovo that not only looks great, and has supreme power, but lasted for over 12 hours in our battery tests. From $1,899/au from lenovo. com

The best laptop on the market for anyone wanting uncompromised performance, extreme portability and something other than a grey rectangle. $2,599

EVERYDAY LAPTOPS ASUS ZENBOOK UX310UA

ALTERNATIVES

Great quality on a budget, $1,299

ACER CHROMEBOOK R13

HP CHROMEBOOK 13 G1

ASUS ZENBOOK UX330UA

It’s a basic Core i3-powered system with 4GB of RAM. We love the 13.3in 1,920 x 1,080 screen as much as ever, and the ZenBook is super-stylish, too. Its only real negative is the 128GB SSD.

This may seem expensive, but you’re getting a top-notch spec: 13.3in 1,920 x 1,080 screen, 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM in a slim chassis. $399.

A stylish and highquality laptop, but with Chrome OS, not Windows. It’s fast, has all-day battery life and won’t look out of place in a boardroom. $1,399.

If you need a higher spec than the UX310UA, the UX330UA doubles the RAM and SSD size, and boosts the pixels to 3,200 x 1,800. $1,399.

MICROSOFT SURFACE PRO (2017)

SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB S3

TABLETS APPLE IPAD PRO 10.5

ALTERNATIVES

Pro tablet from $979

APPLE IPAD (2017) Apple takes the already excellent iPad Pro and simply makes it better than ever. A 120Hz screen provides the slickest scrolling experience yet; it’s got 20% more screen space than its predecessor; and it’s much more powerful. Finally, the prospect of iOS 11, and improved multitasking, makes it more alluring still.

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Unusually for an Apple device, what makes this a favourite is its low price. If you’re looking for a solid tablet, it’s a great choice. 32GB, $469.

If you’re after notetaking skills when you want them, and a laptop when you don’t, then this is a great choice. From $1,199.

Stunningly expensive, but the brilliant S Pen, super-slim design and all-round quality make this our top Android choice. 32GB, $949.

A-LIST

SMARTPHONES SAMSUNG GALAXY S8

ALTERNATIVES

Android, sexy piece of kit 32GB, $1,199

GOOGLE PIXEL 2

ONEPLUS 5

The Pixel 2 XL proved a disappointment, but not so the Pixel 2: this built on all the best aspects of the Pixel – with a better camera. 64GB, $1,079

OnePlus crams in topend performance and battery life, plus a great dual-lens camera, at a price that undercuts rivals. 128GB, $769.

The Samsung ads that claim the S8 reinvents the phone may be a little over the top, but it has created something beautiful. With the screen spreading across almost every surface, including the left and right edges, it’s stunning to behold. The price is equally stunning, but in return you get an excellent camera, great battery life and charttopping speed.

APPLE IPHONE 7 Not a world-beater, but water-resistance, superb design and numerous tweaks add up to a great phone. 32GB, $849.

EVERYDAY MONITORS EIZO FLEXSCAN EV2

ALTERNATIVES

1080p display, $682 A great-value 24in IPS display that offers more colour-accurate images than you’ve any right to expect at this price – and a reassuring five-year warranty too.

SAMSUNG C34F791

PHILIPS 276E7

It may seem expensive, but this is a top-quality 34in 3,440 x 1,440 curved monitor. At 1500R, it’s very nearly the same curvature as the human eye, which justifies the term “immersive” whether you’re playing games or working. $1,459.

The obvious sacrifice you make for a 27in IPS panel at this price is resolution – it’s 1,920 x 1,080 – but it offers good all-round image quality and looks attractive on the desk thanks to a slimline design, but it’s the price that makes this one a real champ. $249.

PROFESSIONAL MONITORS EIZO COLOREDGE CG277

ALTERNATIVES

Professional monitor, $3,020

DELL ULTRASHARP UP2716D

NEC MULTISYNC EX341R

This 27in screen can’t match the Eizo CG277 for outright quality, but compared to most screens it offers superb colour accuracy – especially for the price. It supports hardware calibration, has ultra-thin bezels and is packed with connectivity. And you can buy almost three to each CG277.$699.

This 34in display is the strongest argument yet for curved technology, making it easy to replace dual- or even triple-monitor setups with a 3,440 x 1,440 resolution. It’s expensive but produces a great-quality image that you – or your employees – will love. $999.

Spectacular image quality; stunning colour accuracy; amazing flexibility. Just three reasons the ColorEdge CG777 won our Labs dedicated to monitors for professionals.

WIRELESS NETWORKING GOOGLE WIFI

ALTERNATIVES

Mesh networking, $199 The poster child for the new generation of mesh networking, the Google Wifi won our Labs thanks to its incredible ease of use – plus, unlike other mesh systems, it can be expanded.

SYNOLOGY RT2600AC

TP-LINK ARCHER VR2800

Rock solid performance and just so easy to set up. The Synology RT2600ac also benefits from the famously intuitive and nice to use interface the company uses for its NAS products. Perfect for medium-sized homes. $369.

A terrific value router, able to beam a powerful signal throughout a mediumsized home. Add strong parental controls and two handy USB 3 ports, and it’s our top choice for people who don’t want to go the mesh route. $399.

PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 91

A-LIST

HOME OFFICE PRINTERS BROTHER MFC-J5330DW

ALTERNATIVES

All-in-one inkjet, $199

EPSON WORKFORCE PRO WF-5690DWF

A high-quality and versatile printer – it can even print in A3 – with a tempting price, and it won’t cost the earth to run. Provided you have space for it, it’s a great choice for home and small office use.

A thoroughbred office printer, with beige boxy looks to match, the WF-5690DWF hit speeds of 11.8ppm for black-and-white prints and 8.5ppm for colour, but it’s running costs and print quality where it excels. $499.

EPSON ECOTANK ET-4750 If you do lots of printing then this EcoTank is almost certainly going to save you money, with enough ink supplied to last 14,000 black pages and 11,200 in colour. $699

NAS ASUSTOR AS6404T

ALTERNATIVES

4-bay NAS, $1,189 The winner of our annual round-up in issue 239, this powerhouse can serve any need, from media through to comprehensive backups and it has the power to even run a full Linux or Windows OS.

QNAP TS-251A

SYNOLOGY 216J

Cramming a lot of features into its 2-bay frame, the TS-251A has a myriad of inputs and format support including HDMI and audio ports, making it a potent media powerhouse that can also serve more mundane NAS functions. $419.

If all you need is a basic NAS this gem is a great choice. Ideal for homes and small offices focussed on file sharing basics, its appealing price means it isn’t quite a do-it-all NAS, but it’s not intended to be. Synology’s wonderful DiskStation software is a big plus. $219.

SECURITY SOFTWARE BITDEFENDER INTERNET SECURITY 2018

ALTERNATIVES

$61.74 3 devices/1yr

AVAST FREE ANTIVIRUS

A stellar selection of extras, including ransomware protection, along with rock-solid antivirus protection, makes this our top choice for 2018.

We recommend dumping Windows Defender, but if you don’t want to spend a penny then Avast’s superb protection makes it the best choice. Just ignore the inevitable, relentless upsell. Free

KASPERSKY INTERNET SECURITY 2018 The best choice for power users, with little different from last year’s but with so many features already, that’s fine. 3 devices, 1yr, $89.95

PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE MICROSOFT OFFICE 2016

ALTERNATIVES

Home & Student, $179 We’ll be honest: there’s very little here for anyone upgrading from Office 2013. However, this is still the best office suite for professionals.

LIBREOFFICE 5

SCRIVENER

The interface looks a little dated, and the lack of collaboration features is a shame. But interoperability with Word and Excel is better than ever, making this a fine upgrade. Free.

A brilliant package for serious writers: not only a word processor, but a tool that helps you organise your ideas and manage the process of composition from start to finish. $45.

CREATIVITY SOFTWARE ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD 2017

ALTERNATIVES

The best! Complete plan, $44/month Adobe entrenches its position as an indispensable resource for creative professionals, with useful upgrades to the core print-orientated apps such as Photoshop, and exciting new additions for digital designers too.

92 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

SERIF AFFINITY PHOTO

STEINBERG CUBASE PRO 9

Don’t be fooled by the low price: this is a serious rival to Adobe Photoshop in terms of features, even if it does require a hefty system to make it fly. $80.

A big bump in performance and a handful of UI improvements keep Cubase at the top of the audioproduction tree. A worthwhile upgrade (note we reviewed v8). $149.

ON SALE NOW GTX 1070 TI ROUNDUP

MECHANICAL KEYBOARDS

AMD RAVEN RIDGE APU REVIEWED

THE PERFORMANCE/PRICE SWEET SPOT

THE BEST NEW BOARDS REVIEWED!

CAN THE CPU/GPU CHIPSET CUT IT?

SINCE 1996

GAME OF THE YEAR

KINGDOM COME: DELIVERANCE CAN AN HISTORICALLY ACCURATE RPG ACTUALLY BE FUN?

ALL THE WINNERS FROM 2017

Vampyr

CRUCIAL MX500 THE 1TB SSD IS NOW AN AFFORDABLE MEMORY SOLUTION

CIV VI: RISE AND FALL NEW CORE

THERE IS SOMETHING DEADLIER THAN THE SPANISH FLU IN 1918 LONDON

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CPU + COOLING

Intel Core i5 7500 w/ stock cooler

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MOBO

ASRock Z270M-ITX/AC Motherboard

ASRock B250 Gaming K4 Motherboard

$179

$145

asrock.com.au

asrock.com.au

GPU

GPU

Asus DUALRX480-4G

MSI GTX 1060 Aero ITX 6G OC

$338

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MEMORY

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16GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance LPX Low Profile

G.Skill Ripjaws 4 DDR4 2400MHz 16GB Kit 2x 8GB

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Crucial MX500 SSD +2TB HDD (any)

2TB HDD (any)

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CASE

CASE

Fractal Design Define S Nano

Corsair Carbide SPEC-02 Mid Tower Gaming Case

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PSU

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SOUND

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SilverStone Strider Essential 500W ST50F-ESB $55 Silverstone.com

SOUND

Your sound system

Cougar Phontum

What you paid for it

$69

DISPLAY

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Your TV

AOC e2450Swh

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KEYBOARD

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Roccat Sova

Tesoro Tizona G2N

$299

$55

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tesorotec.com

MOUSE

MOUSE

Roccat Kone EMP

Cooler Master MM530

$99

coolermaster.com

$59

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TOTAL: $2,044 94 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

TOTAL: $1,499

KITLOG

Steady as she goes this month.

PERFORMANCE

THE BEAST

Most bells and whistles, without breaking the bank

When overkill is barely enough...

CPU + COOLING

Intel Core i7 8700K with Noctua NH-D15 CPU Cooler

CPU + COOLING

i9-7900X + Corsair H105

$569 + $119

$1,299 + $145

intel.com

coolermaster.com

MOBO

MOBO

MSI Z370 Gaming Pro Carbon AC Motherboard

MSI X299 Carbon Pro Gaming AC

$319

$549

msi.com

msi.com

GPU

VIDEO

$689

Aorus GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Xtreme Edition 11G

galax.com

$1,229

MEMORY

MEMORY

Galax GTX 1080 EXOC 8GB

gigabyte.com.au

G.Skill RIPJAWS 4 32GB KIT 4X8GB

2 x 16GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3000

$289

$318

gskill.com

corsair.com/en-au

STORAGE

STORAGE

2TB HDD (any) + SAMSUNG 500GB M.2 NVMe SSD 960 EVO

2 x Intel Optane 900P 480GB + Seagate Barracuda Pro 10TB

$415

$1,878 + $649

samsung.com/au

intel.com

CASE

Fractal Define R6 $209 fractal-design.com

CASE

CoolerMaster Cosmos II 25th Anniversary Edition $469 coolermaster.com

PSU

Be Quiet! Dark Power Pro 11 850W Power Supply $279 bequiet.com

SOUND

PSU

Corsair RM1000i Special Edition $279 corsair.com/en-au SOUND

Sennheiser PC 373D

Astro A50

$299

$459

en-au.sennheiser.com

DISPLAY

Acer Predator XB271HU

www.astrogaming.com DISPLAY

Samsung 34in Curved Monitor Series 7

$999

$1,199

acerstore.com.au

samsung.com

KEYBOARD

KEYBOARD

$189

Corsair K95 Platinum RGB

coolermaster.com

$329

Cooler Master MK 750

corsair.com/en-au/ MOUSE

MOUSE

Corsair Glaive

Razer Deathadder Elite

$109

$89

corsair.com

razerzone.com/au-en/

TOTAL: $4,336

TOTAL: $9,008 PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 95

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YOUR PCTA EXCLUSIVE FREE APPS WORTH $189.92 Each month the PCTA team secures a collection of apps that we think you will find useful – all completely free for PCTA readers! These are usually full versions that would have to be bought, were we not giving them away to you free. Most usually come with an unlimited registration.

THE ACCE SS KEY

HOW TO GET YOUR FREE APPS imply visit www.apps.pcauthority. com.au and enter the unique Access Key for this issue of PC & Tech Authority, along with your email address. The access key for this issue is: HQDddQSY8a. You can then view the current apps and download, install and register (if required) them. That’s it, simple. We hope you get good use from the apps!

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06/06/18 TROUBLESHOOTING AND CONTACT INFO We have general help information on the PCTA Apps site (www. apps.pcauthority.com.au). If you are having trouble using the Access key or are having issues registering the Apps please contact us via [email protected]. au. Please note that we can’t help you with any issues you might have using the apps themselves, but each app has speciic contact information for the company providing the app, and that can be found at the end of each app description on the PCTA Apps site.

ASHAMPOO PHOTO CARD 2 Taking digital photos is easy, these days, and sharing them isn’t exactly dificult, either. Attaching them to an email, uploading them to Facebook or Instagram, generally only takes a few seconds. If the images are special, though, you might want to make a little more effort. Install Ashampoo Photo Card and you’ll be able transform your photos into stunning greetings cards, complete with your own text and captions. And anyone can do it: there’s no artistic or design skills required. The program comes with more than 50 professionally designed templates, covering just about every requirement. There are cards for birthdays and Christmas, holidays and Halloween, babies, engagements and more. You can place your subject’s face on classic images, from Marilyn Monroe to

Yoda and Forest Gump. Or you might just opt for something simpler, a classy border and background: it’s your call. The default photo settings almost certainly won’t be correct, but that’s no problem. You can move and resize your photo by clicking and dragging. There are sliders to adjust its opacity, saturation, brightness and contrast. This can be further customised with a huge collection of clipart, and a Text tool makes it easy to add your own personal greeting. While there’s a lot to explore, it’s all very straightforward, and even your irst card will probably be inished within ive minutes. And once you’ve inished, you can share the results via email, or upload them to Ashampoo Web, Facebook or Picasa, all with just a few clicks.

REQUIREMENTS: Windows 7, 8, 10 32/64-bit 15MB hard drive space Limitations: Registration required. www.ashampoo.com/en/usd

DISCLAIMER: As the delivery platform only, PC & Tech Authority and nextmedia Pty Ltd cannot and will not provide support for any of the software or data contained on these discs. Although all app files are virus scanned, nextmedia Pty Ltd cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, damage or disruption to your data or computer system that may occur while using the apps, the programs, or the data on them. There are no explicit or implied warranties for any of the software products on the discs. Use of these apps is strictly at your own risk.

98 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

APPS

NOVAPDF NovaPDF is a powerful commercial tool for creating PDF i les. Install the program and it equips your PC with a virtual printer driver, enabling you to create PDFs from any Windows application. Just open your target document, choose the Print option, select the novaPDF printer, and the program will convert it for you. The program also provides its own console where you can choose a document, and convert it to PDF directly. NovaPDF directly integrates with Microsoft Ofice applications, too. Open a document, click the novaPDF tab, and again you can have it converted to PDF in a couple of clicks.

However you start the conversion process, your i nished document can be customised in many different ways. Bookmarks, metadata, font embedding, link detection, text optimisation, layout PDF/A and Linear PDF options are all customisable, while a smart Proi le system makes it easy to group particular settings together (you might have one proi le for home documents, the other for work, then change between the two as required). It’s even possible to dei ne how your i nished PDF will be opened later in a PDF viewer, covering anything from hiding menus, toolbars or other interface elements, to coniguring particular transition types.

REQUIREMENTS: Windows 7, 8, 10 32/64-bit 10MB hard drive space LIMITATIONS: Registration required www.novapdf.com/

O&O SAFEERASE 11 PROFESSIONAL It’s tempting to think that when you delete a i le from your PC that’s it, it’s gone forever. Anyone who has experienced mindnumbing data loss will be relieved to learn that data can actually be recovered from your hard drive for a good period of time after it’s supposedly been erased. That might be reassuring for those who don’t believe in backups, but for the rest of us – with potentially sensitive information to look after – it’s worrying. The reason data is so easily recoverable is that it’s not physically deleted from your hard drive when you empty the Recycle Bin or bypass it entirely. In order to prevent performance grinding to a halt (and save wear and tear on your hard drive), Windows simply marks

the i le as deleted, which means its header is overwritten and the space it resides is marked as available for writing to. But until that space is physically overwritten by other data, it remains accessible and retrievable. Thankfully, O&O SafeErase Professional is designed to give you an option for ensuring data you want deleted really does get deleted beyond the point of no return. At its most basic level, O&O SafeErase can wipe i les with zeroes or employ one of ive more thorough, secure (and slower) methods recognised by such luminaries at the US Department of Defense to ensure i les deleted from your computer can’t be recovered – by you or anyone else.

REQUIREMENTS: Windows 7, 8, 10 32/64-bit 50MB hard drive space LIMITATIONS: Registration required. www.oo-software.com/en/

SSDFRESH 2018 The performance gains that can be achieved by installing an SSD drive means that they are becoming increasingly popular. This is particularly true for laptop users who can not only beneit from improving performance but also increased battery life thanks to the lower power requirements of such hard drives. However, SSDs are more expensive than standard hard drives, and it is important that they are cared for to make them a worthwhile purchase. One of the problems with SSDs is that, unlike standard hard drives, they have a limited number of writes that can be made to them. While this igure is likely to be a very high number, anything can be done to keep disk activity to a minimum is to

be welcomed, and this is where SSD Fresh can help. Even if you do not have a solid state drive installed, the app can be used to optimize a range of hard drive related settings such as indexing, defragmentation, prefetching and more. It is worth spending a little time experimenting with the various settings to see what works best for you. It is worth noting that while the program is available completely free of charge, it is necessary to sign up for a free registration code in order to use the software. Once you have run through the installation process, launch SSD Fresh and you will be prompted to enter your email address so that a code can be sent to you – you’ll be up and running in no time.

REQUIREMENTS: Windows 7, 8, 10 32/64-bit 50MB hard drive space LIMITATIONS: Registration required. www.abelssoft.de/en/windows PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 99

JON HONEYBALL

“THE DAYS OF BALLMER-ESQUE HATRED OF ANYTHING THAT ISN’T WINDOWS ARE DEFINITELY OVER” JON GIVES A HIGH-FIVE TO THE OFFICE TEAM AS IT FINALLY CONVERGES ON A COMMON CODEBASE, AND PROVIDES ADVICE ON SURVIVING THE CPU ARMAGEDDON ig news from the Ofice team at Microsoft! It has inally converged all versions of Ofice onto a common codebase. This has long been a goal of Microsoft, and it’s tried before and failed. The codebase for Mac Ofice was forked off in 1997. That ties in with the creation of the Mac Business Unit at Microsoft in 1997, when it famously made a $150 million investment in Apple, and promised to keep developing Ofice for Mac. So I guess the new MBU just took the code and went its own way. No doubt the experience of getting Ofice for Windows 97 out of the door was suficiently painful that much internal harmonisation effort had already fallen by the wayside. Obviously, having multiple codebases for a product that ostensibly claims to be compatible will result in pain and hardship for all concerned. And Mac Ofice has certainly had its woes over the past decade and more. For instance, the move to Intel CPUs meant the next version of Ofice had no Visual Basic for Applications, because Microsoft hadn’t ported that in time. In recent years things have been somewhat better, although the compatibility has still had rough edges, especially if you push a product such as Excel hard. However, over the past year or so, it’s clear that the Mac Ofice team has been working hard, and releasing new versions to the Ofice Insider group of advanced testers. Some of these have been plain weird – my favourite memory was the bug that top/bottom inverted your Excel sheet in its entirety. There was also a nasty repaint bug that meant the sheet wouldn’t update – that lasted for months. But it’s been coming together nicely, and with the release

B 

100 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

of Mac Ofice 2016 Version 16 on 18 January, it was happy to announce code convergence. What does this mean in practice? Well it means that the vast majority of the core codebase (written in C++) is common to Mac, Windows, iOS and Android. There’s a relatively thin layer of platform-speciic code that interfaces with the host device, and which has to be customised to that platform. So that’s C++ for Windows, Objective C for Mac and iOS, and Java for Android. Having a common codebase means more common functionality, and also the ability to launch new features across platforms in closer time alignment. For too long, the “Not Windows” version of Ofice, especially the Mac one, has been the weak cousin of the Windows version. But this is changing as part of Microsoft’s cloud-irst approach. The days of Ballmer-esque hatred of anything that isn’t Windows are deinitely over. And congratulations to Erik Schwiebert, the Microsoft principal software engineer on the Mac team, for helping to bring this together.

If you buy the excellent Synology NVR1218, don’t assume you can set up everything via the Surveillance Station software

RODE MICS AND SOFTWARE Congratulations are also in order for Rode Microphones from Australia. This is a market-leading company that makes top-flight microphones at sensible prices. If you look around at any trade fair, you’ll see a Rode microphone on top of almost every camera. The company really has sewn up that market, and it’s down to the wisdom and savvy of the founder, Peter Freedman, who has steadily invested in all the technology to ensure everything is made inhouse. It has given Rode an edge to rapidly bring products to market,

JON HONEYBALL is the MD of an IT consultancy that specialises in testing and deploying hardware

and to explore new and disruptive price points. As I mentioned at the time, it bought the SoundField brand a year ago – which is close to my heart – and I can’t wait to see its forthcoming interpretation of that. I was intrigued to read a few days ago that Rode is moving into the measurement mic market too. This has long been the province of companies such as Brüel & Kjær, GRAS and others. It’s a small market if you’re talking about laboratory-grade reference microphones, where a price tag of thousands of pounds per item isn’t unusual. Even a calibrator can cost that much. With the arrival of RodeTest, it looks like Peter is on a mission to shake up that market. It’s bringing out a range of reference test microphones, and I’m hoping the price will be a fraction of the established players. Rode has bought FuzzMeasure, too, which is excellent acoustics measurement software for macOS. You might think there isn’t much of a market for such esoteric technologies and tools, but you’d be wrong. The reason it’s been so

JON HONEYBALL REAL WORLD COMPUTING

niche until now is the high cost of the microphones and test hardware. Even the excellent Audiomatica Clio system will run to a couple of grand once you have its cheap and cheerful measurement mic added to the invoice. Once you drop the price so it hits the commodity marketplace, sales expand. And anywhere you have music, playback, recording or any kind of place where acoustics matter, it’s so much better to actually measure it than take a half-informed guess. I can’t wait to see what Rode brings to market, and to compare the results to the big boys. Disruption is good, especially when it results in capabilities at lower prices for a greater number of people.

Rode has bought the firm behind FuzzMeasure, which can only drive down prices

gone awry in the transmission chain, and would also allow us to have a somewhat stronger capability in the war against spam. Fun with the Synology NVR I’ve been having fun with the new Synology NVR1218 I mentioned last month. It’s basically a two-drive NAS box that has the excellent Surveillance Station software built in. Add some hard disks and IP cameras and you’re good to go. Even better, it has an HDMI output on the back so you can plug in a monitor or spare TV to keep an eye on what’s happening. And when you need more storage, there’s an additional box that plugs in to increase the number of disks. It does what it says on the tin, and I think it’s a cracking solution. I recommended it to my mate Tim for one of his clients, and he was knocked sideways by it. The only problem I experience was at setup. When you set up a standard Synology NAS, you have to connect over the network because the NAS has no UI. This isn’t the case with the NVR1218, because I had plugged in a monitor. I got the Surveillance Station desktop, and as administrator I could do what I needed, and then set up a user account for day-to-day operation. Everything seemed ine –but I couldn’t ind a way to join it to my cloud Synology account, and thus allow remote login. It didn’t matter which bit of the UI I dug into, it simply wasn’t there.

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO SET UP DIGITAL SIGNING OF EMAIL? I’ve been wondering about digitally signing email. It’s something that I almost never see, either personally or professionally, and that worries me. I accept that full encrypted email is quite a step. Large organisations can roll out such a solution, together with full encrypted document control, and make it mandatory on every desktop, laptop and mobile device. Things aren’t so simple for the small-business owner, though. I looked up various Microsoft documents on how to implement this on Ofice 365 – and rapidly found myself in a maze of twisting passages. The documentation assumed my laptop was running Windows; in particular, documentation for the Mac version of Ofice was strangely absent. It’s too much like hard work; there ought to be a simple routine here. Various Microsoft literature points to places in the admin pages where I can set up a digital certiicate, but this doesn’t appear to have been updated for a while, and certainly doesn’t reflect the new UI that I see on the Ofice 365 administration screen. Surely there’s a business case for having digitally signed emails? It would give conidence to the recipient that something hadn’t

I asked Synology reps at CES, and they scratched their collective heads and were confused. They put me in touch with the local ofice, where folk were similarly bemused. Then the light dawned: if I connected over the network to the NVR1218, I got the normal Synology NAS administration desktop, where I could set up everything I need. My fault entirely, and I feel a bit of an idiot for not thinking of it irst. But it’s a tribute to the ease of use of the box that I thought I’d done everything I needed through the Surveillance Station desktop interface. If you get one of these boxes, then remember to do the full setup!

CPU ARMAGEDDON? You can’t have missed the news about the CPU problem that’s plaguing almost every chip that’s shipped for a very long time. Some are claiming that it isn’t really a big deal; that exploits for it will be obscure and unlikely; and that we should all just chill out and have a gin and tonic. Some say that the ixes being released will be just ine, but the rate at which they’re being issued and then withdrawn due to all sorts of unpleasantness indicates this is unlikely to be the case. And others are proclaiming it’s somewhere on the journey to CPU Armageddon – that the world has just stopped rotating. What is crystal clear to me,

Where’s the simple option to digitally sign emails in Office? PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 101

REAL WORLD COMPUTING JON HONEYBALL

however, is that we’re just at the start of this process. Intel has announced that it’s going to be many months before it can ship new CPUs that are clear of the various design flaws. That’s no comfort for those of us with existing devices, who must hope that a sticking-plaster approach of new irmware and core driver patches will somehow make things better. It certainly doesn’t ill me with areassurance. Have we been taken for a ride by the companies? This is a critical question and, undoubtedly, it will underpin many of the attempts at litigation that are already underway – or will start shortly. These cases will take years to play out. And I’m certain that there are many American lawyers already planning their new yachts on the back of the expected workload. What strikes me as odd is that this has affected not only Intel but AMD too. And ARM, which is an entirely different platform and architecture. I could understand some design thinking becoming enshrined years ago at Intel, and it just cranking the handle, reusing the old design every time it came up with a new CPU. After all, it worked before, it will work now, and the performance boost is coming from the underlying silicon and fabrication capabilities at the foundries. But for AMD and ARM to have the same issue makes me scratch my head. Has there been a Big Boys’ Book Of How To Design A CPU that everyone has followed religiously? Or are there genuinely only a few engineers who really understand this stuff, and they’ve worked on all the platforms over the years? Or is this just a case of “well – it’s not ideal, but the performance boost is worth it, and no-one will ever know”, applied across an entire industry. I’m not sure. Certainly, something doesn’t feel quite right here. CPUs have problems – they have in the past, and they will in the future. The problem here is that in today’s world, these devices are strongly nailed down onto the motherboard. Back in the days of socketed CPUs, 102 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

you could have registered your duff Pentium Pro with Intel, and it would send you out a replacement. After a iddly ten minutes, armed with that sticky white heat paste to get the heatsink and fan reattached, you’d be up and running. But what are we to do today? How do I physically change the CPU in my Dell XPS 13? Or my MacBook Pro? Or inside my iPhone or Samsung S8? The microminiaturisation that the industry has been perfecting means that a quick and dirty swap-out is no longer on the table. We’ll have to rely on irmware and code to try to mitigate this – which may or may not be enough. Worse still, we can’t buy new computers with truly ixed hardware for the best part of a year, even longer. This puts a lot of companies in a dificult position, especially in the data centre. And by goodness, you’re in a sticky position if you’re providing hosted VM capabilities, where it apparently might be possible for one VM to be able to read into the memory space of another VM. What to do? Well, on the assumption that we can’t go out and wave the corporate credit card because hard-ixed CPUs aren’t available and won’t be for a long time, we have to mitigate the risk. The irst thing to do is to ensure that everything is patched up to date. That you have every possible driver from your hardware vendor, and that you’re religiously checking for irmware and UEFI updates. Don’t assume it will land in a friendly Windows Update; it’s now time to go digging. This also means that it really is time to have a long, hard look at your hardware estate. What do you have, how old is it, and are you applying a realistic replacement timescale? Although you might expect me to suggest changing to newer hardware, there is a case to hold off until ixed CPUs are available. Or, conversely, you might decide that you have a three-year replacement policy, whereby you retire one-third of your hardware base

every year. In this scenario, you need new hardware this year, so you continue to buy. However, you do so in the knowledge that the hardware is compromised and that you get absolutely rocksolid ongoing support from your vendor. If I was running a large organisation, I’d be having very polite words with my Dell representative, preferably in front of my corporate legal team, to ensure that you’re kept totally in the loop about what is coming out and when. This is a huge opportunity for the vendors, both software and hardware, to step up to the plate. For too long, support has been the grubby cost centre within these suppliers, and now they have to realise that this simply won’t work. For example, if you have a large estate of VMware, then you’ll be signiicantly judging your ongoing commitment to that platform based upon how VMware reacts, moves forward and treats you as a valued customer. I wish I could give better advice. As always, knowledge is king. What do you have, what is it running, what irmware/OS/ drivers are loaded? If you’re not 100% on top of those issues, then it’s time to sort things out. Get in outside help, even for a one-day sanity check, where someone keeps saying “why?” and “no, but…” at you until there are no dirty secrets left. X After years of trying, Office is now running off the same core codebase no matter which OS you’re using

PAUL OCKENDEN REAL WORLD COMPUTING

PAUL OCKENDEN

“THE WAY THE INDUSTRY QUOTES MAH VALUES FOR BATTERY CAPACITY IS TOTALLY BONKERS” PAUL OCKENDEN CHECKS OUT MISLEADING PHONE SPECS, A HEFTY BATTERY HACK, AND SOME WIRELESS AND NOT-SO-WIRELESS CAMERAS here’s a common misconception when it comes to the batteries inside smartphones, tablets and other gadgets. When you read the marketing blurb, or scan through the reviews of the latest phone, you might discover that it has a 3,000mAh battery powering it. Quite why they can’t say 3Ah is beyond me – perhaps they think people will be suckered in by the bigger-looking number. So for a completely exhausted phone it will take 3,000mAh to completely recharge it, right? Wrong. And even if we discount the fact that a phone battery won’t ever be completely flat, and the ineficiencies involved in the charging process, it’s still wrong. You see, the battery in your phone may well be rated at 3,000mAh, but being based on some kind of lithium chemistry (you can no longer just say lithium ion – there are many variants), the average voltage of the battery will be around 3.7V. A little more when fully charged and a little less when just about to die; but 3.7V is a good ballpark. The real power capacity of your phone battery is 3.7 x 3 = 11.1Wh (Watt hours). So quoting mAh is pretty silly. Why? Well forget phone batteries for a moment. Just think of a typical AA alkaline battery. One battery will have a voltage of 1.5V, and a rated capacity of 2,500mAh. But what happens if we introduce three more batteries? Put them in series and the voltage increases to 6V, but the capacity remains 2,500mAh. Put the units in parallel and the voltage remains at 1.5V, but the capacity quadruples to 10,000mAh. This is the reason that the industry quoting mAh values for battery capacity is bonkers. In those two series and

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PAUL OCKENDEN owns an agency that helps businesses exploit the web, from sales to marketing and everything in between

parallel conigurations, the power capacity in Wh – or even mWh, if you prefer – remains the same: volts x amps = watts. So, the phone with the 11.1Wh battery inside, charged using a bog-standard 5V charger, will be fully charged after 2,220mAh. Not the 3,000mAh stated in the reviews. And if the phone negotiates a 9V feed from the charger then it will be full after 1,233mAh. It appears that the battery is smaller, but it isn’t. For this reason, I’d much rather see Wh used for capacity. And I’d refer to the Ah or mAh igure as “capability” instead. However, I doubt things will change in the near future. Although, strangely, laptops generally refer to watt-hours in their specs for battery capacity. Things are confusing when dealing with phones and tablets then. But it becomes even more so with external power-bank devices, which are becoming ever more popular. Again, they’ll feature a mAh rating – usually in the product name. I’ve tested dozens of the devices and, very often, the quoted capacity is a pure work of iction. Some of the cheaper kit provides less than half the stated capacity, even if we assume it’s based on the internal 3.7V battery voltage rather than the 5V output. But, of course, because mAh is actually quite a meaningless measure of capacity, manufacturers can get away with it. They could simply say that would be the capacity at 1.2V. Some of the bigger brands do quote more realistic capacity igures. Anker seems pretty good, especially with its more recent devices. But my favourite power bank at the moment is the Mrcool USB Type C Power Bank 24,000mAh. At the time of writing,

it costs $44 on Amazon. It’s a beast of a power bank – not too huge, but solid and heavy: just under half a kilo, according to my kitchen scales. That’s a good sign: kit that doesn’t live up to the advertised capacity often feels lightweight. A unit of 24,000mAh at 3.7V gives a power capacity of 88.8Wh – and in my tests, this was almost spot on. But what sets the Mrcool power bank apart from competing devices isn’t its capacity or weight. It’s the input and output options. There are three outputs available, two are USB and they both provide full Qualcomm Quick Charge 3 support. I’ve veriied that both work totally independently, too – I’ve seen one of these outputs delivering 5V at 3A, while the other transfers 9V at 2A. They also support 12V at 1.5A, should your phone or tablet request that. Incidentally, that 88.8Wh rating is just under the 100Wh that most airlines use when determining whether batteries can be carried into the cabin, which is great news for frequent flyers. If you ind all of these numbers confusing, the important thing to note is that it will charge a modern phone super-quickly. As fast as the supplied wall charger, or even faster with some phones! There’s a third output on the Mrcool power bank in the form of a USB-C socket. From my tests I think it supports a subset of the PD (Power Delivery) standard. The USB-C port is also used for charging the unit – it takes around eight hours to charge to full from empty. This may sound like a long time, but it’s actually remarkable given the huge capacity on offer here. To put that capacity into context, I’m currently using a Samsung Galaxy S8 as my daily workhorse PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 103

REAL WORLD COMPUTING PAUL OCKENDEN

phone, and by the time I go to bed, the battery is normally showing somewhere around 25% remaining. I fully charged the Mrcool and then used that as the exclusive power source for my phone, to see how long it would last. It made it to around a week and a half. That’s astonishing, and makes the device ideal for holidays or business trips. Or it might prove useful in instances where there isn’t a convenient power point to plug in a conventional charger. It could also be used to power devices that use USB-type power supplies, such as cameras – more on that later. Most other power banks will have a few LEDs to show the charge state, with some displaying a single warning light when the charge runs low. The Mrcool has an LCD panel that not only shows the exact percentage of charge remaining, but it also displays the input and output voltage and current, and lets you know whether Quick Charge is being used. It really is a fantastic bit of kit.

CAMERA OBSCURER Some people hate the idea of security cameras in their home and/ or business, feeling it’s an invasion of privacy. Others aren’t bothered by them at all. I have a friend whose house has units in almost every room – it doesn’t bother him or his family. A sensible balance is to have cameras covering the external parts of your property, and at entrance points, leaving the main living and/ or working areas as a more private space. An alternative is to use internal cameras to protects areas where you might have valuables, using timers or interfaces to your

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alarm system so that the internal cameras are enabled only when there shouldn’t be anyone in the building. There are two schools of thought when it comes to the visibility of security cameras. One is to make them so obvious that they act as a deterrent. The other is to hide them, so you’re more likely to catch miscreants unawares. I’m in the latter camp, which is the reason most of the cameras I’ve written about in this column have been small, battery-powered devices. My favourites remain the Blink system (now owned by Amazon), and Netgear’s Arlo – and both ranges have seen updates recently. Blink’s new camera is the XT. I say “new”, but it’s been available in the US for some time; it’s only recently appeared on this side of the pond. It’s a similar size to the existing Blink camera, but it’s black. Rather than the bright-white light sported by the original camera for night-time illumination, the XT uses infrared so it’s stealthier. However, the biggest difference is that the XT is waterproof, and so can be used outdoors. It also offers 1080p video, where the original Blink supported only 720p. It communicates using your existing Wi-Fi network. But, as with the original Blink cameras, it needs a Sync Module sitting somewhere within range to control

This power bank is one of my favourites. It even has my name emblazoned on it!

the operation. And bear in mind the Sync Module isn’t weatherproof. One good thing with the Blink XT is that it has a switch inside that disables the status LED. This again adds to the stealthiness of the unit, since there’s no visible indication of the device recording. The Blink XT runs on normal AA lithium batteries, with the manufacturer claiming a battery life of up to two years. In my tests, I’ve found that this is reduced if the camera is triggered frequently (which stands to reason), but also if the Wi-Fi signal strength is poor. The great thing about Blink is that there are no subscription fees for ongoing storage. The downside is that, unlike the Arlo, there’s no web interface – only Android and iOS apps. And there appears to be a problem with the former, inasmuch as notiications can be missed if the phone has gone into one of Android’s deeper sleep modes. Overall, though, Blink is good. It’s cost-effective compared to rivals and the new XT camera is a great addition to the lineup. Moving on to Netgear’s Arlo system, from which I’ve been testing two new cameras. The irst is the Arlo Go, which is effectively an Arlo Pro camera with a built-in 4G modem. In fact, you can only use this cellular connection; you can’t hook up an Arlo Go to an existing base-station. But that’s ine; since it doesn’t connect to an existing system, you have the flexibility to set up different scheduling and geofencing rules. The camera I have here is branded as V-Camera by Vodafone,

PAUL OCKENDEN REAL WORLD COMPUTING

“There are a few

proper wireless cameras on the market now, but the majority require a Wi-Fi connection”

and it’s part of the company’s new range of connected kit. I’ll cover some of the other devices in the next few months. It’s slightly bigger and heavier than an Arlo Pro, and it works with the usual screw-in camera mounts –but not the round-ball magnetic mounts to which other Arlo cameras will attach. I don’t think that’s a bad thing because the Go is more likely to be used in remote places, so better security is a good thing. I love the fact that you can leave this camera hidden in the middle of the forest, miles away from any mains power connection or Wi-Fi signals, and it will record any activity it spots and upload the clips to the cloud. The battery is suficient for around a month, but you can extend that using a solar panel, which is available as an optional extra. I can think of myriad uses for the Arlo Go. My unit is currently keeping an eye on the house of a relative who died recently. But for a few days before that I was using the device as a wildlife camera to record birds and foxes in my garden. There are several proper wireless cameras on the market now, but the majority require a WiFi connection to talk to their various cloud services. The Arlo Go is one of a few that don’t even need Wi-Fi – and I love it! The other new Arlo camera that I’ve been testing is the Pro 2. As you can probably tell from the imaginative product name, it’s an update of the Arlo Pro. It’s moving in a different direction to the Arlo

The Blink XT is waterproof, offers 1080p video, and can be used outdoors

Slightly bigger than the Arlo Pro, the Arlo Go has a built-in 4G modem

Go, however – I’ll come on to the reasoning in a moment. The headline change is that the video resolution is now 1080p rather than the 720p of the previous Arlo lineup. As with the Blink XT update, this effectively doubles the pixel count and, as a result, the footage is noticeably clearer. Faces are easier to recognise – and, for externally mounted cameras, you’re more likely to be able to read the number plate of a vehicle that pulls onto your property. It’s worth the upgrade for this feature alone. But there are three more tricks that the Arlo Pro 2 pulls off, albeit with a great big caveat. The irst is that it pre-buffers footage, so can upload clips that begin three seconds before any motion is detected. This overcomes one of the main complaints users had about earlier Arlo wireless cameras. The second is that you can deine motion-detection zones, allowing you to monitor speciic

areas – or mask out parts of the image where you’re not interested in triggers. It isn’t quite as flexible as some other systems, since these detection zones can only be rectangles. The inal change is that, on payment of an additional subscription fee, you can have continuous video recording to the cloud, such as that offered by Nest. This moves Arlo into a different league entirely. I mentioned a caveat, and also that the Pro 2 is moving away from the philosophy of the Arlo Go. The problem is that these three features all rely on the Arlo Pro 2 having a continuous power feed. Netgear also says that they only work indoors – but my tests suggest otherwise. The reason a power supply is needed is because these features are quite hungry. My measurements show that when powered, the camera consumes around 1.62W and becomes quite warm. If you unplug the power lead, the camera continues to work like a higherresolution version of the Arlo Pro, but it drops back to a lower-power mode and the three additional features stop working. Incidentally, when powered the motion detection uses the image sensor (hence the ability to deine zones), but when running on the internal battery it reverts to PIR detection. However… Remember that Mrcool power bank I wrote about at the start of the column, and the fact that it provides 88.8Wh of power? Well, at 1.62W the power bank will last almost 55 hours, or just over two days. I’ve tested this and the Arlo Pro 2 runs very happily indeed when plugged into the Mrcool – and all of the additional features work just ine. X PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 105

LESLIE COSTAR

“YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR EYE ON  THE BALL. IT’S EASY TO FALL BEHIND ANOTHER PROVIDER, OR THINK “WE’RE BETTER THAN THEM” ATTITUDE” IN 2011, LESLIE COSTAR REVEALS THAT AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION AS MUCH AS A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY LED HIM TO BUY AN ISP. was a relatively latecomer to my local ISP, called CIX. This was back in the 1990s – and in my defence, I was only 14. My discovery of the internet went from CompuServe to AOL and then to the famed Compulink Information eXchange, as it was once known. Introduced to CIX by a Catholic priest at my school, I soon began discussions with anyone and everyone on its conferencing system. I had ideas above my station, as you do when you’re young; not only do you think you know everything, you want to tell everyone too. Little did I know that it was the place to be at that time. It was very much akin to a night club that, once you went to it, made the other popular ones you used to go to seem a little touristy. It had its faults, niggles and weird features, but what decent club doesn’t? After I left school in 1999, I ended up working there for two years. I considered it, in a fun way, as my national service: helping people to diagnose dial-up networking issues on Windows, and taking the flack when the mail server broke at least once a day. In 2001, I started ICUK with my business partner. We did it by lobbing together other people’s services under our brand. We were a virtual host, virtual reseller, virtual ISP – and virtual everything. But we worked hard, and it worked, and people were happy. We moved from virtual to physical. The business grew and experienced all the associated problems: inding new staff, migrating customers onto your own servers, your own pipes, and spending a fortune with Cisco – a sum that was equivalent to what

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you’d pay for a deposit on a Sydney house. But I owe a lot to CIX. It was my irst proper job. It taught me what MX records were with mail servers. One of the guys there taught me scripting and VBScript, and how NT IIS Shared Hosting works. I learnt company structures, and experienced people’s pain as both a customer and a member of staff. Much of that went into building ICUK and, in some ways, I felt I didn’t want to repeat the mistakes I’d witnessed with CIX’s own growth in the late 1990s. While ICUK was growing, I watched on as CIX went through its decline. After numerous buyouts, repacking and relabelling, I watched as it went back to its roots as a conferencing provider – but with the legacy hosting and email

After 30 years of traumatic life, CIX is going back to its roots as an ISP – targeting retail customers

“I learnt company

structures and experienced people’s pain as both customer and a member of staff” stuff still chomping away at data centre power as if it were going out of fashion. So, one February in 2011, glancing across to my partner in crime, I said “shall we buy CIX?”. “Okay”, he replied, and the initial contact email was sent.

BUYING DECISION Why did we choose to buy CIX? With Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the many other free web forums out there and growing in popularity, why would people still be paying for a closed service that

LESLIE COSTAR is co-founder of ICUK, which breathed new life into CIX after buying it in 2011

was built on technology from the 1980s? I still can’t answer that – but the emotional connection with CIX was probably the primary reason. To me, it was a piece of history that needed a new home and someone to look after it. In May 2011, CIX was ours. All the deeds had been signed, and ICUK was now listed as its parent company. It’s an interesting experience buying your irst company. Solicitors ask more questions than you can imagine, and, unlike most house purchases, you’re never quite sure if in 20 years’ time it will be worth anything. We got to work and updated the systems. We compiled CoSy (remember that?) onto Linux. Virtualised all the old Windows 2000 servers running virtual hosting. Updated the oficial reader, at the time called Ameol2. We brought in a brand-new mail platform. Converted three racks of hardware down to about half a rack. We updated the web front-end, and even released a new reader called CIXReader that doesn’t connect to CoSy – all mod-cons coming into place. Meanwhile, ICUK continued to

LESLIE COSTAR REAL WORLD COMPUTING

grow, launching Ethernet leased lines, new broadband services and investing heavily in our wholesale arm. In 2017, we made the decision to make CIX its own ISP again. But unlike ICUK, which would concentrate on wholesale, CIX would retail to consumers. We saw it as a good opportunity to breathe new life into CIX, and get the brand out there once again. Which raises another question: why would anyone want to run a retail-focused ISP in 2018? How on earth could we compete against the likes of BT and TalkTalk – and why would we even want to? For us, it stems from legacy. When a business starts, you often chase after anything, or anyone, that’s willing to pay you for something. It’s somewhat irresistible when someone asks “can you do my broadband for me,” so you just say yes, and then worry about sorting it out once you’re back in the ofice. So ICUK had many “legacy” retail customers, and our resellers didn’t want to compete with us directly – so CIX, the retail ISP, was reborn.

RUNNING AN ISP It’s hard work to run an ISP, both for retail and resellers. You need a good team around you. A team you can trust, and with people who care about the job they’re doing. Finding such folk isn’t easy, but once you have them, keep them. At all costs. You also need to keep your eye on the ball. It’s so easy to fall behind another provider, or have a sense of “we’re better than them” attitude. Whether or not you’re better isn’t for you to decide: your customers will decide that for you. Having to pick up the flack every day for

Remember Ameol2? One of ICUK’s first jobs was to update the CIX reader to something suitable for the modern user

problems that sometimes aren’t even in your control can go two ways. Your customers may end up thinking you’re just not for them and leave, or they’ll appreciate the honesty and personal touch and reward you with their loyalty. Then there’s the equipment. Don’t think for one moment that ISPs are loaded. Any decent ISP will be ploughing a good portion of its proits into expanding the network and putting systems in place, so that waking in the middle of the night to ix something becomes a rare occurrence over time. This is especially dificult for a

“Don’t think for one moment

that ISPs are loaded; they’ll be ploughing profits back in to expand the network” smaller-than-average ISP trying to break cover. And yes, the odd corner being cut has been done – just to get things working. The important thing is that you uncut it as quickly as you can, so it doesn’t happen again. And suppliers? That’s where the fun begins. Back in the 1990s, an ISP would have had a few leased lines going into their self-made data centre in the back of their ofice, with some ISDN lines installed and a local number to ring it. Now, an ISP will have several points of presence (PoPs) in data centres across the UK, with numerous dark ibre links connecting them together. All plugged into the tier 1 carriers – and while you hope they won’t go down, you also hope your backup connections are working well. Then there’s making sure you have enough transit from your

providers when Wimbledon is on, or when a breaking news story emerges; “excess bandwidth”, as it’s known in the trade. The main supplier that all internet service providers deal with is Openreach. Your telephone line, your broadband connection and your local exchange are all supplied by this beast of a company. Yes, we bill you; we manage the connection, the IP address, the bandwidth and all the rest of it. However, it’s Openreach’s core product that we’re supplying – and if you’re in the middle of nowhere and can only get 1Mbit/sec on a good day, when the town down the road is bathing in 80Mbits/sec FTTC, there’s little we can do for you. Love it or hate it, Openreach is here to stay. Whether in the future it remains part of the BT Group is anybody’s guess, and for discussion in another article. That aside, I shouldn’t be so gloomy. There are many rewards to be had when running your own ISP – even in 2018, with the government threatening to force us to spy on every key you press and every email you download. Yes, there’s the proit side of it, but there’s also the problem-solving element. Finding the right solution for someone and getting it in and working can still be fun, as is watching the hard work pay off when a new PoP goes online and all the geekiness that comes with it. Even when you run a business with the aim of making sure the bills are paid, the technical enjoyment should never leave you – even when systems go down and you’re buzzed at 3am to ix it. It all works out in the end. X PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 107

DAVEY WINDER

“GLASSWIRE HAS AN EVIL TWIN OPTION FOR ALERTING YOU TO ANY DEVICE TRYING TO CONNECT TO A ROGUE WI-FI HOTSPOT” DAVEY LOOKS THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, AND EVALUATES CHEAP BACKGROUNDCHECKING SERVICES TO SEE WHETHER HE CAN FIND ANY INFO... ON HIMSELF ’m happy being a geek, hence I’ve owned the happygeek.com domain for the past 20 years. I’m also attracted to goodlooking things with high levels of intelligence, hence I’ve been married three times. Before I’m cruciied for being a misogynist, that was an attempt at humour (which probably accounts for two divorces). Couple being a geek with a liking for goodlooking, intelligent stuff and it was almost inevitable that I’d stumble across GlassWire. It’s marketed as a visual irewall, which I think demands a little explanation. The most common description I’ve found is that GlassWire is an interface to the Windows Firewall, but that isn’t the whole story. I don’t have Windows Firewall running on the laptop where GlassWire is installed – the security suite disables it – yet I still run, and still like, GlassWire. Funnily enough, I don’t run Windows Firewall on my Samsung Galaxy 8+, yet the GlassWire app is installed there and I like that too. And the reason for this, in both cases, is the transparency to network activity it provides. The Graph Apps view is good to get a broad-strokes idea of application activity and, with a mouse-click or two, to drill down into what any app has been doing online during any given period. There’s a Trafic view that brings that visibility at a protocol level, but I usually watch the “all” view that combines both. Things get more interesting on moving into the Usage area, if you like to know what’s eating your bandwidth. Again, as is true of most areas within GlassWire, you’ll be able to drill down into the data

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here as well – by hosts, by alerts generated and so on. The third view is an Internet of Things one, or devices connected to your network. No drilling down here, but you do get a view of IP and MAC addresses, device name if known, and irst connection to the network – but that’s it. I prefer the Fing app for this kind of network device discovery. I can’t comment on the Firewall view much, mainly since Windows Firewall is disabled. If it wasn’t, then I could interact with it and control what it does through a more informative and intuitive interface. For example, get control over what programs can access the network using the “ask to connect” mode, rather than digging through the Windows Firewall advanced settings. This would, of course, keep you busy on the pop-up dialog front – and that would be a huge pain; doing it in reverse with “click to block” is much easier on the inger. I do use the Firewall view, though, since it provides the quickest and clearest access to the VirusTotal function. This uses the VirusTotal database to check any app (just click and request a scan) against a bunch of AV engines to obtain a risk score. If there are any reports of it being malware, you can see quickly and then “click to block” while investigating further. Talking of the security side of GlassWire, not only will it notify you when a new device joins the network, or an app has connected, but also if it has connected to a suspicious host. This is cool. Want warnings about changes to your HOSTS ile or networking drivers and so on? It can do that as well. I like that there is a function-

limited free version, but it enables the paid-for features during the irst week so you can try them out. If, like me, you ind them useful then you can opt for one of three subscription levels costing US$39, US$69 and US$99. The cheapest gets you a licence for one device with three remote connections and a six-month history. The next level ups that to three devices, ten connections and a 12-month history. The Elite version brings ten devices with unlimited connections and history to the party. I also like the Android app, which is free. It has no ads and, importantly, sends no data anywhere itself. This is a key consideration for me. A lot of apps send data over the network themselves. Look into this some more and you’ll discover that, in many cases, the app developer is at liberty – through the privacy policy – to sell that data on to third parties. In contrast, GlassWire’s developers make money through the Windows desktop application. This enables them to make the Android app free, and they tell me no app usage data leaves the device at all. Like the desktop client, the GlassWire app is great for both an informative overview of what’s connecting and to where, while a few inger-clicks can reveal all the information you’re ever likely to need.

TWITTER APPLIES AI TO IMPROVE UI DAVEY WINDER is an awardwinning journalist and consultant specialising in privacy and security issues

As someone who visits threat research labs around the globe, I’m used to being briefed on how AI – or machine learning, in reality – can help protect networks and data from attack. When I heard that Twitter

DAVEY WINDER REAL WORLD COMPUTING

was implementing AI in a new project, I immediately thought it was detecting fake news from the Russians attempting to influence political outcomes in the West. But no, nothing quite as exciting as that. Twitter has developed a smarter way to automatically crop previews of photographs uploaded to a feed. In fairness, this is no bad thing. How many times have you uploaded a photo to ind that cropping applied by Twitter ruins the preview image? In case you’re wondering why Twitter crops them at all, it’s all part of “the fewer characters, the better” approach to social networking. So, images are cropped both to enable more tweets to be seen at a glance and to render a more consistent UI. This would be acceptable if Twitter did a better job of the cropping. Using face detection to focus on the “most prominent face” is a heuristic approach that immediately fails if the image doesn’t feature any faces, for example. The heuristic process used would compensate for no faces being found (even if there were, and it just missed them for whatever reason) and focus on the centre of the image instead. Twitter even had to admit that the face detector didn’t recognise cats, which is unfortunate given the sheer quantity uploaded. Badly cropped previews are, in my opinion, worse than no previews at all. Thankfully, the bofins at Twitter seem to agree, and have been working on a new, intelligent cropping algorithm. This is based upon the notion of saliency, or the bits of the image that our eyes most commonly fall upon when scanning a photo. Wider research using eyetracking tech has been plentiful, so there’s lots of data out there that’s perfect for a machine-learning environment to be trained with. The problem, as with most MLbased technologies, is one of speed. Real-time sharing of images would be too slow if every image had to go through this saliency prediction process before being cropped and previewed. The Twitter researchers tackled this issue by optimising the implementation to just worry about the most salient regions of the

Pretty and informative, just like Davey…

image being “roughly” processed, rather than delving into a pixel-bypixel level of granularity. Things were further speeded up by using a knowledge distillation technique, where larger networks generated predictions. These are then used to train a smaller and faster network to imitate how they did it. Twitter researchers reckon these methods, plus some complicated iterative pruning of feature maps, resulted in a ten-times speed increase of predictive processing, enabling real-time intelligent cropping. These updates are currently being rolled out across Twitter, and will also arrive for Android and iOS apps shortly.

ENCRYPTED DROPBOX PC Pro reader Alistair Coppin emailed in to ask a straightforward question: should I encrypt the data I store in Dropbox, and if so, how? As with all such questions, the truthful answer is “that depends”. On the sensitivity of the data being stored, whether you’re a business or individual, if GDPR or other data protection regulation may apply, and so on. The data privacy regulatory framework doesn’t apply here; Alistair is more interested in keeping his family photos private in the event his account was compromised. The next question is what does Dropbox do by default? The answer is that it provides the usual encryption of data in transit (via Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security), and encryption at rest using 256-bit AES when your data arrives. Which is okay – but is it good enough? While 256-bit AES is decent encryption, if an attacker got access

to Alistair’s credentials, they could log in as him and the data would be presented unencrypted. So the irst bit of advice is to use random and long passwords (get that password vault operational), together with activating two-factor authentication; your attacker would then need access to your authenticatorgenerated access code as well as your password. This still doesn’t get around the fact that Dropbox holds the encryption keys and could decrypt your iles if law enforcement came asking. Or, indeed, if an attacker managed to compromise Dropbox itself and obtain access to those keys. Both are highly unlikely, and for the average user not too concerning. If paranoia bites, there are options available to make encrypting your data before you send it to Dropbox both painless and secure. The latter as you hold onto the keys, not Dropbox, and the former as they really can be click-and-forget these days. Boxcryptor is pretty good, with a Windows client that will encrypt data on the fly. Every ile is encrypted separately, which means you can decrypt and view your iles without engaging in a timeconsuming bulk decryption process. A double-click on an encrypted ile opens it in seconds. Save your changes and it’s encrypted again, automatically. Boxcryptor is free for personal use, but with a few restrictions – only connecting to a single cloud provider (Dropbox is supported), for instance, and data can only be synced across two devices. The new version comes with support for 2FA, though. There’s a free Android PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 109

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STEVE CASSIDY

app, but you can’t encrypt existing iles with it; you’ll need to use the desktop version for that. For the photo use that Alistair mentions, however, it has a camera-upload feature that will automatically encrypt and upload photos as they’re taken.

“THIS IS A HOSTER THAT’S ABUSING ITS PRIVILEGED POSITION WITHIN A MARKET OF SMALL BUSINESSES”

DAVEY WINDER: NO DATA FOUND There are numerous reputable organisations that specialise in providing online background checks, at a cost. Which is why, especially at the smaller end of the business spectrum, I generally recommend a combination of Googling, social network exploration and common sense – unless there are regulatory requirements to be met. What I wouldn’t recommend is using one of the many services that offer such checks for a very low fee; which often turns into a recurring monthly subscription. I tried such a service recently, with a search on myself, to see how accurate you can be for $2.50. The answer? Not very. I’ve led a very visible life online, since the time when the internet was only accessible to a privileged few. Searching for background on myself would, you might think, throw up a heap of information. Inputting my email address prompted a successful return in inding my full name, email IP, street address and background check data. Once I’d paid the fee, it further promised a full report that would include age, date of birth, address history, criminal records, marriage and divorce information, and property ownership details. Having paid and entered my email address again, the result came back as: nothing found. I tried searching for my full name and, yet again, it returned zero records. If you need serious backgroundchecking services, then, employ the proper HR irms that know their stuff. If you don’t, then either do that Googling and Twitter searching yourself, or use your judgement as to whether or not someone is good for the job. X 110 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

THIN OR FAT – WHEN IS A CLOUD NOT REALLY A CLOUD? STEVE CASSIDY DISCOVERS TWO COMPANIES WITH VERY DIFFERENT VIEWS OF THE FUTURE his has been a month of battles with modern business platforms that turn out to have ancient and surprising underpinnings. It’s long been a tradition in IT that no matter the roots of your system, it will always be described in the most modern marketing idioms, even when circumstances prevent most of those idioms from actually applying. Yes, I typed that with gritted teeth. I have a couple of very new networks, commissioned in the inal months of 2017, and both clients are terrible practitioners of what I call “top-down diagnosis”. They believe that the more important the job is to the health of the business, the faster and more accurately the IT infrastructure will perform while running those jobs. They frequently exclaim, “oh don’t run slow now, I have a meeting!”, or like to delay any possible ix by explaining in excruciating detail how important their job is. Trying to tell them which part of the system is misbehaving is almost impossible, because it’s only their viewpoint that really matters. And, of course, no IT worker has ever been in this situation before, or understands things such as deadlines or proit motives. They’re also quite sure that new kit is inherently unreliable and will have “bugs ironed out of it” only by the courageous and unstinting testing by real users… can you tell I ind this irritating, yet? Top-down diagnosis requires that the most complicated and innovative parts of a system are tested when there is a delivery issue, before the simpler components are looked at. So when a cloud-resident

T 

STEVE CASSIDY is a consultant who specialises in networks, cloud, HR and upsetting the corporate apple cart

accounting product slows to a crawl and inally logs the user out, this type of user will reboot the local server, the PCs, the VPN router, and the ibre modem – re-logging in every time – before they call the cloud supplier and ask if perhaps something was wrong with their session. It’s important to encourage people to think about the right experiment, too. Normally, I don’t bother those people whose understanding of the world is illed with malevolent spirits, cartoon physics, animism and worship. However, when they start exporting all that in a request to a techie to make it all better, to my mind they become fair game. A case of “the customer is always right, until they try to think like the supplier”. So with this incident, I sat at the next-door PC and roundly rejected all appeals to reboot the server farm, unplug the router, turn vegetarian, change electricity supplier, or any other absurd responses to a basic error. My defence consisted of continually flipping around YouTube videos at high speed, copying iles across the LAN, and generally refuting all the incoming hypotheses. This is mostly because the “cloud service” this guy was using was a Citrix session. So far as he was concerned, because it wasn’t in the building, it must be “In The Cloud Somewhere” – and that made it inherently good. Yet, quite plainly, Citrix Receiver was failing to reconnect to the service: he had no idea if his accounting session was open, closed, incomplete or crashed. Don’t get me wrong. I like Citrix, and it behoves us to remember that

STEVE CASSIDY REAL WORLD COMPUTING

it’s the daddy of remote desktop platforms. The acquisition of Xen produced one of the sharpest 90-degree turns in the history of computing. To this day, Citrix is unapologetic about its speciic, niche-orientated approach to cloud software provision. And it hasn’t deserted its traditional multi-user remote access marketplace, either. Full marks to Citrix for all of this stuff. However! What Citrix is presenting is mostly about Windows servers, and remote complete VMs of individual PCs. This tempts suppliers and customers to do a “lift and shift” – pick up the complete software manifest of a business and shift it all onto a cloud-resident hypervisor platform, offering secure access by way of Receiver. To the naïve user, they click on a cloud shortcut, they get a window, they do their work. See, cloud! Zero server! Um – actually, no. It’s certainly possible to run a cloud service on Citrix – but a Windows server isn’t capable of doing the things for which cloud sessions are famous, especially not when it’s conigured to provide access to a software package that has no understanding of cloud itself. So my client had bought into this idea of cloud computing, skimming lightly over the bit labelled “legacy support”, and focusing entirely on all the sexy stuff about scalability, reliability, and variable-cost-based – instead of capital-cost-based – computing. Not one of those features of cloud is relevant to what this guy is doing. He wants to keep his accounts app open all day, typing stuff in and getting reports back. The software opens many windows, uses multiple databases to represent multiple separate companies, and doesn’t like it if you leave transactions open. To achieve magical cloud scaling with this kind of legacy product requires some serious infrastructure skills, with multiple servers in a farm, centralised user management, tiered storage with virtualised connection – and the evidence suggested this “cloud platform” had none of those. The main giveaway was that the provider was asking its clients to hang back from a

Is Citrix Receiver encouraging suppliers and customers to “lift and shift”?

pending update, because some of them weren’t ready for the changes to their accounting practices that taking on this product would create. So what we were looking at wasn’t cloudy at all. In fact, it wasn’t all that Citrix-smart, either. It was a Windows server remoteworking environment, with secure connections from something like 50 separate small-business users. It had to be that way because of the stick-in-the-mud attitude of the developer: if you wanted the full-fat feature set then you better stick with the Windows version, is its position. This made a hosted version inherently unscalable, and not that good at segregating the impact of one user session on another – hence the crashout. This is a hoster abusing its privileged position within a market of small businesses. Rather then spend its money on a properly conigured Citrix deployment, it threw it together with about 5% of the feature set being used. For its customers, this meant several retrograde steps in overall reliability. A small florist might only clean up his accounts at the end of every month; a garage with 50 staff might be doing the same job every day. The kind of database woes or misuse that take down multi-user Citrix servers are more likely to arise from abuse than over-use. But top-down diagnosis rules meant I had to sit there for some time while it crawled and crashed, before my client called the service provider. Once the distant hosted server had a classic Windows reboot and repair process, normal service was resumed, followed by a rather committed conversation on why there was a need for a cloud solution – and why they shouldn’t allow their

local installations of the accounts package to fall out of subscription just because the other option was “in the cloud”. This is one of those very dificult jobs, where it’s all too easy to get drawn into the ine diagnostics of what’s really going on at the far end. And if you get that diagnosis right, you’ll have successfully avoided being paid by 50 people, all of whom are impacted by the poor implementation of the hoster. Nobody should be supporting a deployment such as this, which manages to make the worst use of an excellent product in the dumbest possible coniguration, because to keep it running with ever-smarter collective ixes simply pushes back the day when the right solution arrives.

THE BIG BOYS’ GAME Right at the other end of the scale, I found myself in Madrid in January with Software AG. It was mostly making noises about a much deeper investment in the IoT marketplace by way of a not-really-takeover of Silicon Valley startup, Cumulocity. I like Software AG events: it’s easy to get to the hardcore techies; there isn’t a lot of software business rhetoric to wade through; and there’s always a short route to a practical justiication for what’s going on. Not so much this time. Try as we might to make sense of the takeover, it just kept eluding us. Cumulocity will be gifted with a whole lot of sales and support staff, beeing up its ability to sell in markets where it hasn’t before had a strong presence. Most of these come from existing Software AG ofices and functions. Yet Cumulocity’s own pages make it read a lot more like a cash injection. What on earth could be going on here? The hints were pretty sparse, but I believe I understand the logic now. The whole purpose of taking Software AG’s IoT business and putting it inside the Cumulocity business unit is, it said, about being able to pitch for larger IoT projects, in a market projected to show 70% growth in 2018. Yes – 70% growth. Whatever the size was in 2017, measured in dollars or in number PC&TECH AUTHORITY MAY 2018 111

REAL WORLD COMPUTING STEVE CASSIDY

of devices brought online, there will be a little over half as many again during this year. That’s a lot of growing. And it seems plain this will come from businesses that aren’t exactly a mom-and-pop shop doing e-bike hire. Working on projects for large multinational companies is a bit of a deal with the devil. They’re not here to make you especially rich; they’re here to cut the deal as close to the bone as they can, without actually crippling themselves. Crippling you is okay, because they’ll be able to hand most of your materials over to the bidder that lost out to you in the irst place. There’s probably a management treatise somewhere that relates the average size of IT contract to the likelihood that one party or the other will resort to legal action at some point in the relationship. While I can’t ind an easily digestible infographic for this, I’m quite happy to assert that if you think you’re going into a business sector with explosive growth in it, and likely risks of a lawsuit even in the course of a successful project, then it makes sense to take the risks associated with working in those ields and move them off somewhere that won’t put your main brand or main bank account in peril. This isn’t a snide remark, incidentally. It’s a rather unexpected outcome of the fact that IoT has become something of a ifth wave in the big-time world of global business. It’s another try for IT businesses to get inside the hearts, minds and wallets of their largest customers. It won’t be a smooth ride, and not for the usual reasons that surround software houses. This is more a matter of who’s the best diplomat than it is about who’s the best coder. Unfamiliar territory – but deinitely exciting stuff. Where else have you heard of an IT sector with this amount of growth in it?

THE KEY TO THIN CLIENT COMPUTING A bit of a snowy ride around Europe to start 2018, hopping from plane to plane to catch up with various bits of the tech sector. I was especially intrigued to hear from IGEL, which is hardly a household name when 112 WWW.PCAUTHORITY.COM.AU

it comes to thin-client computing. This hasn’t made any difference to its outlook: while most of us have been unconcerned by the thinness of our clients, IGEL has been beavering away, strengthening the range of its activities in this odd little backwater. Not without good reason, too. It’s odd to put the thin-client world alongside others that have been burgeoning in adjacent sectors. Most people wouldn’t like the idea of coughing up more for a thin client than for a business-grade PC, yet think nothing of spending rather more than either on iPads for staff. Similarly, there’s a lot of lip service paid to the idea that IoT deployments need to be based on new, often enormous management and “ monitoring software. Yet, typically, the work required from an estate of thin clients comes out looking pretty similar to that generated by even thinner IoT endpoint devices. Understandably, this presents IGEL with diversionary temptation. Could it make it big in generalpurpose IoT device management, which is, if anything, a subset of what it’s been into with its own devices in the thin-client continuum? Or is that diluting its proposition in a market that’s been threatening to burst through for several decades now? (Yes, it’s decades. I got several drinks out of several exhibitors by mentioning that I reviewed Citrix Metaframe in PC & Tech Authority around 1998...) The oddness of the market is driven entirely by the demand for managing what can often seem like the unmanageable. Thin-client computing was all about reducing the chances that people would keep their holiday pictures on their PCs, or be so lazy with their clicks on embedded links that they catch something nasty. But the PC business – including Apple – just kept moving the goalposts. It’s almost insane to try to use a Windows UI on a remote desktop server on a tablet device of any kind, and Retina screens make the problem 100 times worse. On

Software AG has bought Cumulocity. Or has it?

a Retina screen, my thumb covers both the OK and the Cancel button on a RDP session to a remote host. Nonetheless, the momentum of the tablet in business is such that there’s considerable pressure to not use thin clients coming “bottom up”– users who just want to be allowed in. The main successes in thin client are “top down” – not in terms of diagnostics, but rather in terms of who decides what happens to a business’s technology investment. And top-down planning ” is a lot more productive than top-down diagnostics! The best story IGEL had was told in secret, slightly; not up on the stage in the keynotes. One senior chap from IGEL mentioned that the company has a product that’s just a USB stick. It will boot pretty much any nasty old lump of iron into being a fully manageable thinclient workstation. Including, rather amusingly, competitors’ thin clients. Somewhere in the USA, there are a whole lot of Wyse terminals – long-standing, capable devices, to be sure – equipped with the IGEL USB key. From the point of view of the network operations centre, they look and feel just the same in the software control suite as the newer deployments of IGEL boxes. Of course, this isn’t quite as heavenly as it might sound, because the whole idea of a thin client is that it shouldn’t require lots of attention in a regular working week. The action in thin clients is mostly up in the server farm, with a side-order of endless iddling about with printers. Nonetheless, the idea of being able to make every machine – fat or thin – in your entire network look and feel identical is immensely appealing. X

Database woes that take down multi-user Citrix servers are more likely to arise from abuse than over-use

EPILOG

IT’S ABOUT TIME WE RETHINK CYBER-HOME SECURITY, ARGUES LORD OF THE INVOICE JON HONEYBALL urely I can’t be the only person who has come to the conclusion that just about every aspect of computer-related home security is utter pants. The collective “head in sand” would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad. And the industry preys on our willingness to simply hand over important pieces of information to anyone who asks, while turning a blind eye to those who do. Let’s take web browsers. A more horrible piece of nonsense would be hard to ind. Why is it that in 2018 we tolerate trackers, spybots, JavaScript code, and a whole world of pain? The amount of stuff going on in the background of a typical modern website is terrifying, yet the person on the street still doesn’t care. Is this because they simply don’t know what’s going on – or is it sheer ambivalence? As an industry, the rallying cry is that “it’s handed over willingly, we have a clear privacy policy”. Just try reading some of those privacy policies you sign up to when you install an app or visit a service. Here’s one: “The Controller [the internet company] reserves the right to change, update, add or remove parts of this privacy policy at its discretion and at any time. The interested party [the user] has the responsibility to check periodically for any changes.” So it can just change the terms on a whim and it’s my fault if I don’t “periodically” check whether such a change occurs. Is this really the sort of behaviour you would expect from a household name? You should do – it’s as commonplace as a

S

Level 6, Building A, 207 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW 2065 Locked Bag 5555 St Leonards NSW 1590 Chief Executive Officer David Gardiner Commercial Director Bruce Duncan This magazine is published by nextmedia Pty Ltd ACN: 128 805 970, Level 6, Building A, 207 Pacific Highway, St Leonards NSW 2065 © 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the prior permission of the publisher. Printed by Bluestar WEB Sydney, distributed in Australia and NZ by Gordon and Gotch. The publisher will not accept responsibility or any liability for the correctness of information or opinions expressed in the publication. All material submitted is at the owner’s risk and, while every care will be taken nextmedia does not accept liability for loss or damage. Privacy Policy We value the integrity of your personal information. If you provide personal information through your participation in any

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Wetherspoons on the high street. The reality is that obfuscation and then, frankly, outright theft is the name of the game. Theft of my stuff, pertaining to me! Take an Android app as an example: it demands access to my “Device & App History, Location, Phone, Photos/ Media/Files, Camera, Microphone, WiFi Connection Information, Bluetooth Connection Information, Device ID And Call Information”. And if I told you what it did, you would laugh out loud. Then furrow your brow as the full enormity of the unnecessary data slurp starts to become clear. Why are we putting up with this? I wish I could believe the, “well, the user said it was okay” argument, but I can’t. If you’ve bought this piece of domestic hardware and want to use its app, you have little choice but to sign up to this agreement – which is precisely what most users will do. They’re now so tired of permissions boxes that they just hit “yes” even when they actually understand the question. This isn’t a position with a happy longterm outcome. The rise of the Internet of Things just makes matters worse, because the number of yeses required increases proportionately. That’s why we need an entirely new breed of intelligent home irewall that can spot this stuff, and block it from leaving the home network. It needs to know about endpoints that are somewhat dodgy. It needs to have the concept of a timeline: to notice new, changing and unusual behaviour. It needs to block irst and ask later, allowing for a reasonable set of

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whitelisted sites. It needs a user interface that works on a smart TV and is simple enough that a parent can understand what is being asked and why. Yet the unfortunate fact is that almost everyone who could provide such a service has a vested interest in it not working. More or less the entire tech world has its collective snout in the advertising revenue trough. Firms such as Google, Facebook and Microsoft have no qualms about making you the product, their source of revenue. Consequently, we need some sort of security portal that’s driven by the likes of Ghostery and AdBlock Plus, complete with a solid smattering of outbound port iltering and real-time monitoring. I’m certain that it would sell in huge numbers to those of us who accept that the industry is unwilling and unable to make things safe, or to design things in a realistic way. It should help to encourage companies to put customers irst. Maybe this is something I should set up in the vast tracts of free time I don’t have? I would just need a few tens of millions in venture capital funding, especially if the companies were happy to write off everything as a huge tax loss. Then I could ensure that my own snout was deep in the home security trough as I leapt aboard the quango gravy train. I could end up as the new “digital tsar”, and maybe even get a lordship. Lord Jon of Invoice has a certain ring to it. Sadly, I fear my project would go nowhere because people are too lazy, too trusting and too unconcerned for it to gain any success.

EDITORIAL Editor, Tech and Gaming Group Editor: Ben Mansill: [email protected] Art Director: Tim Frawley Digital Editor, Tech and Gaming: David Hollingworth: [email protected] REGULAR CONTRIBUTORS Jon Honeyball, Paul Ockenden, Davey Winder, Steve Cassidy, Sasha Muller, Darien Graham-Smith, Nicole Kobie, Tim Danton, Jonathan Bray, Anthony Caruana, Mark Williams, Anthony Fordham, Michael Jenkin, Nick Ross

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DreamMicro CryptoCurrency Mining HPC DreamVision All-in-One PC J27

DreamVision All-in-One PC J32

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