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Latest Gadgets Opinion

13 September 2013
Opinion: Google Glass hands-on

Google Glass is one of the most talked about gadgets in wearable technology and we've spent some time with what Google thinks is the future.
03 September 2013
Opinion: Do specifications matter any more?

Gone are the days when you bought a PC because of its megahertz rating. The same is true of tablets and smartphones: Apple doesn't even quote the amount of RAM or processor speed. So why do companies still care about benchmark results?
23 August 2013
Opinion: Xbox One vs PS4 according to readers

Xbox One vs PS4: PC Advisor readers tell us which is best and why.
20 August 2013
Opinion: iPhone 5S price: PCA predicts

Apple's iPhone 5S is likely to be just around the corner with an expected reveal on 10 September. Instead of our usual round-up of what the rumour mill has spat out, we thought we'd give you our own personal predictions with some insight as to why.
19 August 2013
Opinion: Why you should buy a laptop bag

Why a good laptop bag could form a critical part of your personal security arsenal.
03 July 2013
Opinion: How to rip a DVD with HandBrake

[Editor's note: The MPAA and most media companies argue that you can't legally copy or convert commercial DVDs for any reason. We (and others) think that, if you own a DVD, you should be able to override its copy protection to make a backup copy or to convert its content for viewing on other devices. Currently, the law isn't entirely clear one way or the other. So our advice is: If you don't own it, don't do it. If you do own it, think before you rip.]
17 June 2013
Opinion: Ripped DVDs and the empty AUDIO_TS folder

A reader who wishes to remain anonymous is curious about the structure of DVDs. He or she writes:
15 April 2013
Opinion: All PCs great and small: how competition and collaboration is driving tech innovation

A strange set of competitive and interdependent business relationships is driving innovation in PCs, laptops, smartphones and tablets. And for the consumer that's mostly good news.
05 April 2013
Opinion: Trax is a wearable GPS for your pets and little ones

When your smaller mammalian responsibilities wander, it may be wise to keep tabs on them. Wonder Technology Solutions (aka WTS) has come with a suitably diminutive, well, solution. The Trax (funding through April 12) should allow you to keep an intelligent digital leash on your children or pets.
Opinion: Kindle and Raspberry Pi join forces in this wireless terminal hack

It's pretty obvious that we love hardware hacks, whether it be Kindles that gets jailbroken into makeshift displays or some amazing uses of the Raspberry Pi. Now one hacker named Max Ogden has combined these two great hack flavors into one ultimate combo he calls the Kindleberry Wireless.
06 March 2013
Opinion: How to add YouTube to your Roku box

Did you hear the news? Roku just announced a new box, the Roku 3, complete with a faster processor, dual-band Wi-Fi, and a headphone jack in the remote.
Opinion: Smart watches: coming soon to a wrist near you

Smart watches could be a the thing to kick-start wearable computing, following the success of activity trackers such as the Fitbit and Nike Fuelband. Apple is rumoured to be working on an iWatch, while Sony has already launched its Smart Watch.
29 January 2013
Opinion: Network not work: life without internet

Could you live without the internet? We certainly can't, and it seems even Google is beginning to rethink its online-only approach with its ARM-powered Chromebook laptops.
02 January 2013
Opinion: Send more than ebooks to Kindle devices and apps

Attentive reader Sarah Wagner wants more from her Kindle. She writes:
26 December 2012
Opinion: When Netflix goes down: streaming video alternatives

Netflix's streaming service went down about midday Christmas Eve, depriving thousands of their Christmas (or anything-but-Christmas) video fix for about 20 hours. Our Christmas gift to you: our latest video-streaming tips, tricks, and alternatives, so you'll be ready the next time this happens.
10 December 2012
Opinion: Answer Line: Streaming video to DVD

Paul Brandenburg asked how to save a streaming video and burn it onto a DVD.
06 November 2012
Opinion: Remains of the Day: Two hands and a map

Google's working on an iOS Maps app that may never see the light of day, Apple may soon let Siri buy your movie tickets, and Steve Jobs gets fully posable. The remainders for Monday, November 5, 2012 are up a creek.
29 October 2012
Opinion: -ROM, -R, +R, +RW? Understanding the optical drive alphabet soup

Nick248 asked the Answer Line forum about optical drives. I figured it was time to go over the various types of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs, and the drives that read and write to them.
18 October 2012
Opinion: Whispercast turns Kindles into viable business tools

Amazon unveiled a new service this week--Whispercast. Whispercast is a tool for schools and businesses that allows them to centrally manage and deploy content for Kindle devices and Kindle apps. Whispercast could make the Kindle much more attractive as a legitimate business tool.
02 October 2012
Opinion: Chips off a new block

Time was when the processor wars raged between Intel and AMD. New skirmishes are now breaking out in the smartphone and tablet mobile world, with Intel determined to make its presence known by doggedly reducing the size and power requirements of the ageing PC chip architecture.