PC Pro

The UK’s biggest selling PC monthly magazine, and your source of professional IT news, reviews and tests. Combining in–depth industry comment and analysis with rigorous product testing.

HIGHLIGHTS THIS MONTH

Nothing is forever, and that includes Google

CONTRIBUTORS

LAST CHANCE TO VOTE!

PC Pro

Rapid mobile alarms on the way • Government warnings about floods, terrorist attacks and other threats could soon be delivered directly to our phones – and not via SMS

Windows 365 goes live

Face-recognition warning issued • CCTV firms argue that there’s a place for live facial recognition technology in the UK, but privacy and bias concerns remain

Do we need a Digital Geneva Convention?

Counting the consequences of cyberattacks • How are governments allowed to respond to cyberattacks? James O’Malley talks to the legal experts

The A-List • The best products on the market, as picked by our editors

Would you like some cheap chips with that? • Customer demand for the old, inexpensive chips in our phones, cars and gadgets is far outstripping supply, but there’s some super news coming

The.co.ukdomain should be for British companies • If I have to cross borders in real life, I want domains to tell me who I’m really buying from online

Is it an operating system or a loss leader? • Don’t fall into the flytraps that come bundled with every operating system: fly free with cross-platform software and services instead

Star letter

Readers’ comments • Your views and feedback from email and the web

Readers’ poll • From p26, we shine a light on cryptocurrencies, while examining the pros and cons of investing in them – but how many of PC Pro’s readers have already made the leap?

CRYPTO CURRENCY Should you invest? • Cryptocurrencies are going nowhere. However, big questions remain over their longevity, the amount of energy they consume and the morals of investing. So, should you buy, sell or ignore?

How to mine: the basics

The detail of the “dirty currency”

Which cryptocurrency should you choose? • There are now more than 6,000 cryptocurrencies in virtual circulation and new ones are appearing every day

THE INTERNET OF BEER • IoT devices are transforming brewing, both in the professional breweries and the home. Jo Best gets a taste of what’s going on

HOW TO UPGRADE YOUR LAPTOP’S SSD IN 15 MINUTES • Lee Grant provides practical, step-by-step advice on both the physical and digital aspects of replacing your laptop’s SSD

UPGRADE 1: THE CLEAN INSTALL

UPGRADE 2: THE CLONE

WHAT MAKES A CPU FAST? • WHETHER YOU’RE BUY ING OR BUILDING AN EWPC, THERE’S A WHOLE SPREAD OF CPUs TO CHOOSE FROM. DARIEN GRAHAM-SMITH EXPLORES WHAT MAKES A TOP-PERFORMING CPU – AND WHETHER YOU NEED ONE

X86 vs ARM

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL ABOUT APPLE’S M1?

HTC Vive Pro 2 • HTC’s latest high-end VR headset is far from affordable, but the Vive Pro 2’s virtual-reality experience is unlike any other

Acer Chrome book Enterprise Spin 513 • A slim and attractive convertible Chromebook, but don’t expect the last word in power

Huawei MateBook D 15 (2021) • This minor refresh brings Intel’s new Core i5 and a significant speed boost, but old ports hamper its appeal

Dynabook Portégé X30L-J-13R • This 900g business laptop packs in all the features a privacy-focused buyer could want: a great buy

HP OfficeJet Pro 9022e • Asuper-speedy inkjet printer that can give a laser a run forits money: it’s ideal for printing text in volume

Huawei MateView • Huawei’s debut monitor boasts style, features and simplicity, but the panel itself isn’t quite perfect

Windows 10 Pro for £ 69.99 •...