Friday 4 March 2016

Game of Drones

Game of Drones

Drones are proving to be more popular than ever. So join David Crookes as he looks at some of the best models and the legal problems surrounding unmanned aerial vehicles

There may well come a time, perhaps in the very near future, when a major city will see the whole sky blacken above it as drone after drone takes to the air. It will be reminiscent of the looming shadow cast by the spaceship over New York in the film Independence Day, only this shadow will be fragmented; a buzzing mass of whirring quadcopters battling for supremacy in the sky.

Should Your Next PC Be A Mac?

Should Your Next PC Be A Mac?

Apple Macs run Windows rather well. Roland Waddilove ponders the pros and cons of buying one for running Microsoft’s OS

Apple Macs and Windows PCs are seen are rivals, but PC is short for personal computer and therefore Macs are a type of PC. They can also be persuaded to run Windows, including Windows 10, and there are several ways of doing this. In fact, they make pretty good Windows computers. So, would you consider buying a Mac and running Windows on it?

The Google Nexus 5X: Full Review

The Google Nexus 5X: Full Review

Mark Pickavance looks at the more affordable of the two official Google phones, which has just seen a price drop

I really wanted to cover the Nexus 5X when it first launched in September 2015, but a combination of circumstances contrived to scupper me at every turn. However, my patience has been rewarded in several ways, not least that Google recently dropped the price of the 16GB model to £299, and 32GB version to £339.

Remembering… Virtuality

Remembering… Virtuality

This week, David Hayward recalls the first time VR took off

Since the technology world is awaiting the arrival of the new generation of virtual reality systems, I thought we’d have a quick look back at the first time VR was launched to the public, with the Virtuality 1000-series gaming pods.

The 1000CS was the first time I’d ever used a VR unit, with its large and quite heavy headset visor and backpack, which saw you standing inside an enclosed ‘pod’. There was a large ring surrounding you, placed on the pod itself, which contained a magnetic tracking system that would follow the handheld ‘space joystick’ as you, the gamer, would move around the virtual environment.

Top 5 Things Not To Skimp On

Top 5 Things Not To Skimp On

Sometimes, you really should just spend a little extra

1 Earphones And Headphones


Forking out 200 quid for a couple of bits of wire with some tiny speakers at the end might seem excessive to some people. But others see expensive headphones as a worthwhile investment. Of course, most people don’t need to spend hundreds to get satisfactory audio. Even a £40 headset can do the trick. Just don’t go picking up a  pair of headphones for a fiver and expect them to be any good. There might be a chance you get lucky and find something decent, but it’s far more likely they’ll make your favourite bands sound like they’re performing from the inside of a box full of blankets.