Page 53 - Computeractive - January 2, 2018 UK

Download f or free in 2018

PHONE & T ABLET A PPS

8 Microsoft L auncher GET ANDROID OREO TOOLS N OW
In October, Joe B elfiore, a v ice
president in the O perating
Systems Group at Microsoft, We don’t y et know w hat the ‘ P’ in
officially a dmitted v ia a s eries of tweets Android ‘P’ ( 9.0) will stand f or
that the c ompany was n o l onger w orking (Pancake? P eanut B utter
on Windows P hone (www.snipca.com/ Sandwich?). But while t here w ill a lmost
26399). It wasn’t much of a s urprise, certainly b e a n ew version of Android in
given h ow the c ompany’s mobile 2018 (around A ugust, probably), many
business has fl oundered in recent years, Android users h aven’t e ven b een u pdated
unable to compete w ith A pple a nd to Android Oreo (8.0) yet, despite i t b eing
Google (which m akes Android). released in August. how a bout snoozing n otifications and
But y ou can keep Windows P hone alive Samsung is rumoured to be releasing it alerts, l etting y ou read them later? Y ou
in 2018 by installing t he brilliant for G alaxy d evices some time i n e arly can a dd this v ia Boomerang N otifications
Microsoft Launcher app f or Android 2018. B ut if you c an’t wait, or if your phone (www.snipca.com/26390).
phones a nd tablets (www.snipca. or tablet j ust d oesn’t s upport t he update, On some devices, it’s possible to match
com/26381, s ee screenshot below). It lets then consider installing apps right now another key O reo feature b y i nstalling
you c ustomise your device’s i nterface that add Oreo’s superb new f eatures to Night Mode Enabler ( www.snipca.
with new s tyles, a nd gives y ou the o ption your device. W ant a t aste of Oreo’s com/26392). Y o u c an even make your
to tie your Microsoft account to your picture-in-picture a bilities, for e xample? phone look and w ork like a f ancy Google
phone. Th is is Then i nstall F loating A pps F ree (www. Pixel p hone, with Lawnchair Launcher
particularly snipca.com/26389, s ee screenshot). Or (www.snipca.com/26391).
useful because
Windows 1 0’s
new ‘ Continue
on PC’ f eature
is built i nto t he
app, allowing
you t o ‘ send’
(without the
need to email)
web p ages,
Use Microsoft L auncher to photos and
make your Android phone more to your
look more l ike W indows
computer.
9 TVCatchup
2018 is going t o b e a b umper y ear
for m ust-watch l ive T V . BBC a nd
ITV are l ikely t o h ave t he best
coverage of the r oyal wedding i n M ay,
while t he broadcast r ights to the f ootball
World C up in June and J uly a re also
shared between t he two c hannels. Don’t b e f ooled b y t he name - T VCatchup lets Fed u p w ith T uneIn R adio’s d istracting e xtras?
The best app f or tuning in live is you w atch live TV on your phone or tablet Switch to the r adio-only Radioplayer
TVCatchup ( Android www.snipca.com/
26382; i OS www.snipca.com/26383, s ee needless e xtras t hat h ave b een r ecently 11 Fing
screenshot right), which i s e ssentially a n added t o t his o nce-great r adio-streaming In the w ake o f t he Krack WPA2
unofficial F reeview s treaming service app. Podcasts, U S s ports c overage, flaw ( see ‘ What’s All t he Fuss
that lets you w atch TV broadcasts over audiobooks and m ore b esides have started About?’, Issue 5 15), we’ll n eed to
the i nternet. I t’s a g reat app, though crowding o ut the r adio stations themselves. spend 2 018 b eing wary of shady i ntruders
perhaps i t s hould change its name to In the s pirit o f d ecluttering your life f or on our W i-Fi network. F ing ( Android
reflect that it offers m ore t han j ust 2018, w e r ecommend s witching to www.snipca.com/26386; i OS www.
‘catch-up’ T V . Radioplayer (Android www.snipca. snipca.com/26387) i s a n etwork scanner
com/26384; i OS www.snipca.com/26385, that lets you c heck for u nauthorised
10 Radioplayer see s creenshot above r ight), an official, Wi-Fi c onnections. I t’s e asy t o u se,
Y o u m ay already h ave T uneIn BBC-supported a pp with live streams and though works s lightly b etter o n A ndroid
Radio i nstalled on your device. catch-up content f rom h undreds o f l ocal devices because iOS 1 1 c an’t read MAC
And, like u s, you m ay also have and n ational radio s tations. I t’s s leek, addresses, m aking i t h arder t o i dentify
become i ncreasingly f rustrated w ith t he reliable and a ll about radio. what device i s i nvading y our n etwork.

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