The PC Pro Podcast

The team discusses the IT vulnerabilities that sent innocent Post Office workers to prison, price hikes at Spotify, a new look for Microsoft Word and the shocking cost of LinkedIn. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the AVerMedia PW315, a webcam with a fast frame rate and built-in AI to help frame and clean up your stream.Featured links:BBC podcast, “The Great Post Office Trial”: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m000jf7jMicrosoft’s five candidates for its next default font: https://twitter.com/Microsoft/status/1387421368581455874Netflix series, “Abstract: The Art of Design (Episode 6, Jonathan Hoefler: Typeface Design)”: https://www.netflix.com/watch/80237098

The team discusses new product announcements from Apple, criticises a misleading report from the NSPCC and questions whether the government is right to intervene in Nvidia’s proposed acquisition of Arm. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the PC Specialist Vortex Elite R, a £999 do-it-all desktop PC.

The team discusses the would-be bomber who hoped to blow up AWS, Spotify’s plans to become a fixture in your car, legal moves to limit the use of facial recognition and the planned merger between O2 and Virgin Media. Our Hot Software candidate, hem hem, is Parallels Desktop 16.5, the first edition of the popular virtualisation suite to officially support running Windows on Apple Silicon.

The team discusses a huge leak at Facebook, China’s national investment in cryptocurrency, the end of Yahoo Answers and LG’s departure from the smartphone market. Out Hot Hardware candidate is the Dell OptiPlex 7090 Ultra, an ultra-compact desktop PC that’s entirely built into a monitor stand.Nintendo’s distinctly dodgy advice about port forwarding: pcpro.link/pod537aDigits To Dollars report on smartphone manufacturers: pcpro.link/pod537b

The team discusses Amazon’s anti-union machinations, a boom in mobile browser usage, the latest on Nominet and ARM’s first new chip design in a decade. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Netgear Orbi RBK352, a (relatively) affordable Wi-Fi 6 mesh system.Check out the browser usage stats referred to by Jon Honeyball at https://twitter.com/TheRealNooshu/status/1377547942274465793

The team discusses an embarrassing data breach at FatFace, the downsides of working from home, big changes at Nominet and how Intel plans to regain its mojo. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel Pro, a laptop with a novel flexible design.

The team discusses Intel’s new Apple-bashing ads, a silicon shortage threatening the smartphone market, controversy over privacy labelling and new plans to encourage tech giants to pay for the content they use. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the latest model of the LG Gram 17, a laptop that’s big but very light.

The team discusses the EU's chip ambitions, a huge attack on Microsoft Exchange, the use of CCTV to track social distancing and Dropbox's acquisition of DocSend. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Elgato Stream Deck, a smart button bank that works with almost any application.

Microsoft wants to augment meetings with its Hololens technology, but three out of our four experts think it’s fighting a losing battle. Plus, our take on the automated Amazon store shortly to open in London, a brief explainer on what NFTs are (and if they’re a good thing), and why Google’s move away from personalised ad tracking comes with caveats. Finally, can Tim persuade the others to make a £200 laptop Hot Hardware of the Week?

The team discusses a speed boost for satellite internet, the uncertain future of Wear OS, concerns over Apple SSDs and Spotify’s plans for lossless streaming. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Acer ConceptD CP5271UV, a 27in monitor designed to please creatives and gamers alike.

With LastPass announcing that its free version will be severely limited in the future, what’s your best option for switching? Plus what’s coming up in the next Windows update (don’t get excited), why we think Microsoft is charging way too much for the Surface Duo in the UK, and all the rest of this week’s news tied up in a conversational bow.

The team discusses privacy concerns over Clubhouse, Twitter's vision for a custom-curated social media feed, a milestone for Microsoft Excel and Intel's first public response to the Apple M1 SoC. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Expanscape Aurora 7, a powerhouse laptop with a 17.3in 4K display, plus six other fold-out screens.

Jeff Bezos stands down as Amazon CEO and Google closes its in-house games studio; we also share a sneak preview of Windows 10 X and discuss the tech winners and losers of the pandemic. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Asus ROG Strix G17, a stonking gaming laptop with an AMD Ryzen R7 CPU.

The team discusses Twitter and Facebook opening their archives to researchers, Google’s threat to quit Australia, a worldwide shortage of graphics cards, and how Reddit users are causing ructions on Wall Street. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Prime Computer PrimeMini 5, a low-power desktop PC that’s small and silent yet surprisingly well connected.The day Volkswagen briefly conquered the world (from the Financial Times, may be paywalled): https://www.ft.com/content/0a58b63a-4294-3e07-8390-c3aabef39a26

The team discusses Wikipedia's 20th anniversary, Sir Tim Berners-Lee's new idea for protecting our online privacy and the potential dangers of online shopping algorithms. Our hot hardware candidate is the Asus ZenBook Duo UX482, the company's latest stab at creating a dual-screen laptop.Spotlight link: List of hoaxes on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia

The team discusses the highlights of this year's virtual CES, an ignominious end for "free-speech" social network Parler, concerns over Flash-only online exams and a new CEO for Intel. Our Hot Hardware candidate is Virgin's Intelligent Wi-Fi Plus, a whole-home booster based on the Plume mesh platform.

The team discusses the technology implications of the recent mass incursion into the US Capitol; a new look for Outlook; the challenges of home schooling; and Microsoft's threat to bring deceased loved ones back to life as chatbots. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the HP EliteOne 800 G5, an all-in-one desktop PC that could be ideal for homeworkers.

As 2020 recedes into the rear-view mirror, the team looks ahead to the big issues and technologies that might shape 2021.Video link: "The Square", as mentioned by Tim Danton as a possible way to make working from home more sociable - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS9D-43Q9aQ

It's time once more for our annual quiz! Darien Graham-Smith plays quizmaster as Barry Collins, Tim Danton and Jon Honeyball compete for the tech trivia crown.

The team discusses a short but disruptive Google outage, privacy controversies at Twitter and Facebook, and a major step forward for Windows on ARM. Our Hot Hardware candidate is Apple's AirPods Max, a pair of noise-cancelling, over-ear headphones that can be yours for the pocket-money price of £549.

The team discusses the EU's proposed "right to disconnect", legal challenges to Facebook, a technical trick that can uncover pixelated passwords and new accessibility features in Android and iOS. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Acer Book RS i7, a premium Windows laptop designed by Porsche.For the original tweet about pixelated passwords, see https://twitter.com/spibblez/status/1335638633970348032

The pandemic has hammered home the importance of connectivity for workers wherever they are in the country. In this special podcast in association with O2, Tim Danton, Jon Honeyball and O2's Ant Morse cover the lessons learned so far and look ahead to the future - including the role of 5G and the steps we need to take to connect the whole of Britain.

The team discusses Android apps on Windows, the acquisition of Slack by business giant SalesForce and the rise of Spotify as a podcasting platform. Our Hot Hardware contender is actually a piece of software this week, namely the latest version of Pixelmator Pro, a powerful but affordable image editor.

The team discusses online bots snapping up Black Friday bargains, a row over royalties paid to musicians by streaming services, the hidden risks of smart doorbells and a disappointing government U-turn on broadband targets. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Alcatel 1, a bona fide smartphone costing less than £30.

Apple halves its App Store cut to 15% for smaller publishers, Google Pay gets a big update and "free speech" social network Parler continues to grow. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the new Apple MacBook Air, the first computer we've seen built on the Apple M1 processor.And finally, two Radio 4 programmes, mentioned during our discussion of Parler, that address the challenge of discourse across ideological divides:Across The Red Line: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09m2bj1Sweet Reason: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0bclfsr

The team discusses Apple's new ARM-based Macs, looks into Android app security and asks how AI is affecting our spending habits. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Raspberry Pi 400, a new variant of the Pi that comes in a classic-style keyboard casing.

The team discusses a huge leak of user credentials from across the web, the influence of social media on the US election, confidential data being recovered from second-hand USB flash drives and Intel's new foray into world of discrete GPUs. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the 2020 iPad Air, a tablet offering much of the cachet of an iPad Pro at a slightly lower price.

The team discusses the end of the road for Flash on Windows, the latest updates to the NHS Covid-19 app, an online hoax that proclaimed the return of defunct high-street giant Woolworths and the rise of the right-to-repair movement. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the DJI OM 4, a magnetic gimbal that helps you capture professional-grade video on your smartphone.Check out the mobile phone compatibility list for the OM 4 at https://pcpro.link/podom4

The team discusses the latest update to Windows 10, the arrival of Windows apps on Chrome OS, new AI-powered tools in Adobe Photoshop and a warning over malicious ad-blocking tools. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Honor Router 3, a Wi-Fi 6-compatible router costing just £72.

eng||The team discusses Apple's new iPhone and Homepod models, Amazon's apparent evasion of a new UK tax, the future for Google Chrome and an update for the pocket-sized micro:bit computer. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Pixel 5, Google's latest own-brand Android smartphone.

The team discusses PHE's Excel-based coronavirus cock-up, new features in Slack and Google Workspace, Nvidia's AI-based upgrade to videoconferencing and the latest breakthroughs in RAM and battery technologies. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Huawei Matebook 14 2020, a £950 laptop with an AMD Ryzen 7 processor.Watch the virtual PC Pro Awards ceremony at https://www.pcproawards.co.uk

The team discusses the latest product launches from Google and Amazon, checks out Lenovo's new foldable PC and looks forward to a brighter future for Windows on ARM. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Netgear Orbi Wi-Fi 6 AX4200, a next-generation home mesh system.For Barry Collins' story about the iPad mini that could, see pcpro.link/podpad

The team discusses the long-awaited arrival of England's coronavirus tracing app, mulls Microsoft's licensing of GPT-3 AI technology, decries the excessively pushy marketing of the Edge browser and welcomes a new slew of supposedly IoT-focused chips from Intel. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Microsoft Surface Duo.For the curious story of the TV set that broke a village's internet, see https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/television-piers-morgan-powys-broadband-18980907

In this special podcast, we interview Dr Hermann Hauser - one of the co-founders of Arm Holdings - to discuss the proposed sale to Nvidia and why Dr Hauser believes that is a bad move for the company and Britain as a whole.

The team discusses the product updates unveiled at Apple's "Time Flies" event, IBM's new quantum computing roadmap and key announcements from the annual Facebook Connect conference. Fittingly, our Hot Hardware candidate is the Oculus Quest 2, Facebook's new flagship VR headset.LINK: For more on the IBM quantum roadmap, see https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2020/09/ibm-quantum-roadmap/

The team checks out Scotland's new coronavirus tracing app, explores what's new in Android 11, laments fake reviews on Amazon and celebrates the 20th birthday of the universally unloved Windows Me. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Honor MagicBook Pro, a stylish and powerful laptop that's surprisingly affordable.

Firefox has signed a new search deal with Google, but - as Barry shares having interviewed its lead developer this week - the company is looking at new ways to make money. Plus, has Elon Musk overhyped his brain tech, the lowdown on Intel’s new branding and new chips, and whether you should save your money for Nvidia’s newly launched RTX 3000 series of graphics cards. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Lenovo ThinkSmart View, an office helper that sits on your desk...

The team discusses Epic Games' ongoing legal beef with Apple, the continuing prevalence of web-tracking tricks, a controversial update to Firefox and the 25th anniversary of the launch of Windows 95. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the X-Rite iDisplay Pro Plus 3, a nifty little colorimeter that can help you improve the colour accuracy of your monitor.

Commercial pilot Gavin Hall joins the team to give a professional opinion of Microsoft's groundbreaking new Flight Simulator; we also discuss the increasingly acrimonious squabble between Apple and Epic Games, a technical breakthrough that could give Intel CPUs a big performance boost and disputes over access to BT's paid-for TV services. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Sony WH-1000XM4, the company's new flagship noise-cancelling headphones.

The team talks to seismologist Professor Thomas Lecocq about Android's new earthquake-detection function - for real - and discusses the UK's latest coronavirus tracking app, the arrival of the Microsoft Surface Duo and the latest on TikTok. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Vodafone Curve, a compact GPS tracker designed to help locate misplaced items and animals.

The team discusses Microsoft's possible acquisition of TikTok, the rumoured sale of chip designer ARM and the latest announcements from Samsung's "Galaxy Unpacked" event (see www.samsung.com/uk/unpacked). We also mention a report suggesting that 80 million computers have been hijacked by malicious Chrome extensions, which you can read at pcpro.link/podcx. This week's Hot Hardware candidate is the Samsung Galaxy M31, a snazzy smartphone at a remarkably low price.

The team discusses not one but two high-profile hack attacks, recaps the US hearing that has accused tech giants of operating as monopolies, and looks ahead to the prospect of a wholly virtual CES. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Netgear XS508M, a 10GbE network switch that makes Wi-Fi 6 look positively sluggish.

In the week that Slack slapped Microsoft with a lawsuit accusing it of abusing its position of dominance, the team delivers its verdict. Plus, what on earth is going on with Windows 10X, which worldwide powers might buy the chip-licensing giant Arm, hackable phone power supplies and the pros and cons of Apple’s bug bounty phone. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Null Project, an iPad keyboard that comes without any letters on its keys.

The team discusses a huge Twitter hack attack, Huawei's expulsion from the UK telecoms market, predictions of what 6G mobile services might bring and Google's visions for future wearable technology. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Gigabyte Aero 17, a high-powered laptop with a huge Pantone-certified screen.

The team discusses a new report that warns of vulnerabilities in ALL domestic routers (see pcpro.link/routerreport), concerns over in-game purchases, badly behaved iOS apps and the latest on Thunderbolt. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Moto 360, an Android-based smartwatch - remember those?

The team discusses the performance of Apple's new in-house CPUs, a technical fiasco that left banking customers unable to get at their money, tighter policies on hate speech at Reddit and the worldwide closure of Microsoft's retail shops. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the BT Mini Whole Home Wi-Fi, a three-node mesh system costing just £75.

The team discusses the implications of Apple's move to ARM-based processors, the final curtain for Adobe Flash, new rugged laptops from Acer, and apps that (notionally) allow you to go to the pub safely again. Our Hot Hardware candidates are a brace of high-end audio headsets from Logitech and Epos.

The team catches up with the state of the UK's "world-beating" Coronavirus-tracing app, legal challenges for Apple, warnings over the longevity of smart home appliances and Snapchat's big investment in AR. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Microsoft Surface Book 3.

The team discusses the potential dangers of facial recognition technology, emerging data about the coronavirus pandemic (see pcpro.link/model), ructions at Reddit and Apple's planned transition to ARM-based processors. Our Hot Hardware candidate is an ordinary Android phone - running the latest beta of Android 11.

The team discusses the BBC's new voice assistant, Google's next-generation video-streaming device, a boost for location-sharing "Plus Codes" and a steep price increase for Apple RAM. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Netgear Nighthawk M2 mobile router (see pcpro.link/podnight).