The PC Pro Podcast

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/13356386339703480...

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 ide...

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 compatibil...

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://...

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 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 comp...

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...

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.