Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 2 i Creative Photography The Complete Manual

The main difference between a well taken snapshot and a truly artistic photograph is simply a matter of composition. By changing the focal length, the angle and the position of the camera, the photographer can change the relative positions and sizes of objects in the frame to produce a more visually pleasing effect. Learning to do this is mostly a matter of practice and experimentation, but there are a number of simple tips and rules-of-thumb that can help you to take better pictures. The first and most important thing to remember is to take your time. Look at the scene in the viewfinder or on your monitor and try to see it not as simply a view but instead to imagine it as a finished print. Ask yourself if there’s…

Anyone who has owned a digital camera for a while will be familiar with the concept of image noise. It’s that grainy distortion that spoils pictures shot in low light conditions with high ISO settings. But what is image noise? Where does it come from, and what can be done to prevent it? All electronic devices generate noise. The background hiss of a radio, the sound of an over amplified electric guitar, or the interference on a badly-tuned television, all of these things are electronic noise, and so is the noise in seen in a digital photograph. This noise comes from a variety of sources. Some of it is generated by imperfections in the electronic components, or as a by-product of their normal operation. For instance, capacitors generate a small…

Understanding exposure and how it affects your photographs is probably the single most important technical skill you can learn in photography. It’s certainly the one that most people get wrong, and apart from camera shake, bad exposure probably ruins more photos than any other single cause. The main problem is over reliance on automatic metering. Most modern cameras, even relatively cheap compacts, have sophisticated built-in TTL multi-zone evaluative exposure meters that measure light levels at dozens, in some cases hundreds, of points within the frame, instantly comparing the results with a built-in library of exposure situations and automatically adjusting the shutter speed and aperture to deal with problems such as back-lighting, close-ups or moving subjects. In most cases these automatic exposure systems are very good, and can reliably cope with…

Have you arrived at a point where you wonder why your photos look more like simple snaps and not professional level masterpieces? There are a number of hints and tips we can pass on that can help you evolve as a photographer. Many of those tips cover shooting techniques, others may simply be advice about equipment and understanding a little more about your camera. You don’t have to use them all but pick out a few that work for you, develop them and make them a part of your creative photographic process and they will stand you in good stead as you progress your skills. “There are a number of hints and tips we can pass on that can help you evolve as a photographer.” 1 Choose the right camera…

TOP TIP! Get lots of practice in being able to track and focus on moving subjects. Using your camera’s AI Servo intelligent tracking can mean you get more hits than misses. We love our pets. In fact for most people they are more than mere pets and become more like family members, the recipients of love, affection and lavish attention. It is likely then that their owners, at some point, are going to want photographs of their furry friends (or scaly, feathery or otherwise). We have a dog, and the number of photos that include him specifically outnumber those of all other family members put together. However, pet photography presents its own special problems. Animals, as we all know, can be unpredictable, lazy, aggressive, hyperactive and downright cute. If you’re…

“A lot of macro work can be seen on picture sharing sites like Flickr. The insect world is a popular subject for macro photography, as is plant life.” It comes down to personal preference of course, but we would always recommend beginning your macro photography experience indoors. This type of photography does not require a lot of space. As long as you have your camera, lens, tripod, a tabletop and a light source, you are ready to begin. You’re in comfortable surroundings and you aren’t subject to the vagaries of the weather. You can concentrate on learning the craft and a cup of coffee isn’t far away either! To be honest, anything and everything is fair game for macro photography. A lot of macro work can be seen on picture…

Once you have mastered your camera and its many features, and delved deeper into the technical aspects of photography that can help you take better photos, the question invariably goes from ‘How do I shoot?’ to ‘What shall I shoot?’. Whether it’s some guidance on shooting landscapes, dabbling with long exposure photography or learning more about lighting equipment, there’s plenty to explore in these pages. If nothing else, our hope is that these photo projects will inspire you to get out there and learn more about this fascinating hobby. “If nothing else, our hope is that these photo projects will inspire you to get out there and learn more about this fascinating hobby.”…

Shooting the night sky is not just the reserve of astronomers and large telescopes. Although you are not going to be imaging deep-sky nebulae and planets in extreme close-up, there is still plenty of scope for any photographer to create memorable and creative images of the night sky. It is a fascinating subject and with care, you can produce some stunning images of the heavens with just a digital camera, a tripod, and perhaps a useful app on your phone. Your options include twilight images, and photos of the sky long after the sun has set. Not only that, you also have some options to capture the stars in creative ways too. Have you ever wondered how you can capture the movement of the stars and turn the night sky…

There’s some amazing gadgets and gizmos out there for all your tech gear. From carry bags to computer stands, from phone cases to wearable tech, from novelties to serious productivity tools, if its available for home technology, you can probably get it for your desktop, laptop, smartphone and tablet. Over the next few pages, we round up some of the best techno-treats and fashionable fripperies available. groov-e SportBuds groov-e, www.groov-e.co.uk Price: £39.99/$49.99/43,99 € Do you like to watch videos or listen to music on your tablet while using your cross trainer, exercise bike or other such workout equipment? These sporting true wireless earbuds from groov-e feature an ear hook design to keep them in place while you work out and are rated IPX4 sweat resistant. Their carry case is a…

Unlike most of AVM’s range of wireless routers, the FRITZ!Box 4060 lacks a built-in modem. This means regardless of how your network interacts with the Internet, you can use the 4060 by connecting it to your existing modem, which was probably supplied by your ISP. Whatever your type of Internet connection (be it ADSL, fibre, cable or mobile data), even if your Internet Service Provider forces you to use their own modem hardware, you can switch off the router section of your ISP-supplied device and connect the FRITZ!Box 4060 instead. But what advantages does this bring? As you’d expect, the router’s wireless capabilities include compatibility with the new Wi-Fi 6 protocol, which gives faster speeds, and is much better at dealing with multiple, simultaneous connections. If you’re working on your…

Twelve South has a reputation for making excellent Apple peripherals that are both useful and decorative. Unfortunately, TimePorter is not such a device. An accessory travel case and charging stand for your Apple Watch, TimePorter is the same size and shape as a spectacle case but with a hole on the top for you to fit your watch’s charging cable. You have to supply your own – there’s no Apple Watch cable in the box. So what you’re left with is a metal case with space for your spare watch bands and a rubber interior frame for wrapping your charger. Is this enough to justify the price? Not really. You could just as easily keep your cable and watch straps in a real spectacle case (who doesn’t have a spare?)…

If you’re lucky enough to have a FRITZ!Box router with DECT compatibility, you can connect up to six wireless phones and position them anywhere in the house. They connect to the phone line through your router, so they don’t need to be plugged into a telephone socket. FRITZ!Fon C6 is such a phone and it’s had an impressive makeover. The body of the phone is pleasingly ergonomic and although it’s pretty minimalist in design, a clever interface makes it easy to access its unique features such as Internet radio, answer machine, email, podcasts, RSS feeds and even a baby monitor. If you have more than one FRITZ!Fon in the house, you can make internal calls between them. The new C6 model has an excellent hi-res colour screen and you can…

Here at AppleUser, we’re big fans of DxO Labs’ PhotoLab image editing software. A high-end image editing suite, it’s aimed firmly at the high-needs user; photography professionals and very keen amateurs. It’s not for the casual snapper but those who are serious about photography will find it a comprehensive and feature-packed suite that really brings out the best in your photographic art. This, the fourth version, introduces some great new features. The most significant is DeepPRIME, an artificial intelligence technology that learns from the millions of photos DxO’s laboratories have analysed over the last 15 years. This learning is used to better process photographs taken in the RAW format with regards to digital noise reduction and demosaicing (yes, that is a word). As a result, images look more natural. It’s…

Back in the day, you could gather your snaps in the Photos app, design a calendar, a book, greetings cards and more; and order them in print directly from Apple. You can’t do this any more but several third-party services have stepped in to fill the gap. Motif is one such service. Using the free Motif app for your Mac, iPhone or tablet, you can use your photos to create exciting books and calendars directly from your Apple device. On a Mac you can also create and order greetings cards but this feature has yet to make it to the mobile apps. Your pictures are curated automatically so your favourite memories and pictures are easily to hand; and it’s easy to make impressive, professional-looking designs. There are ready-made templates and…

Now here’s a useful app to have on your phone. It can translate typed text into and out of 103 languages, as long as you've got an Internet connection. If you're offline, it can still translate 59 languages. If your typing finger is getting tired, you can simply point your smartphone’s camera at a piece of text and translate it between 90 languages, or 50 languages at a higher quality if you use a photo. It can handle 95 languages using handwriting recognition and translate conversations in 43 languages. You can save translated words and phrases for future reference too. Naturally, it caters for all widely spoken European languages. It’s a real boon for travellers. Not only can it make communication easier, if you're confused by signage or instructions, just…

If you've played the original Life is Strange, you'll be instantly at home with this sequel. The game mechanic hasn't changed; it’s still a narrative-driven graphic adventure with the story interrupted – and guided – by regular multiple choice options. These choices define the path the storyline takes and directly affect how it plays out. Like the first game, it’s episodic, with the story split into five, self-contained chapters. However, this Mac version bundles all five together; we don't have to keep waiting for the next one to be released, as did console and PC gamers when it came out on those formats. It features a protagonist with a supernatural ability too. But for all its similarities, there’s plenty that’s new here too. The title no longer centres on college…

The First Tree had an unusual inspiration. Its developer, David Wehle, used it as a ‘creative outlet’ to deal with his becoming a father for the first time; and also losing his own dad. So naturally, family ties play a large part in this third-party exploration game. It centres around two parallel stories; a fox (the playable character) trying to find her missing family, and through narration, a son reconnecting with his estranged father in Alaska. Along the way, you uncover artefacts and stories from the son’s life as he becomes intertwined in the fox’s journey towards The First Tree. Graphics are simple but enchanting, giving a real sense of being there when combined with the melancholy music. As you run through the snow-kissed plains of Alaska, a beautiful fern…

“The wider the range of available shutter speeds, the greater the creative versatility of the camera.” The shutter of your camera is simply a mechanical barrier that prevents light from entering the camera until it is needed, controlling when and for how long light is allowed in to expose the sensor. The latest digital cameras have high-speed electro-mechanical shutters capable of timing exposures with an accuracy measured in fractions of a millisecond. Along with the aperture setting and the sensitivity control, shutter speed is one of the three ways that photographic exposure is adjusted. When a picture is taken, the shutter is opened for a precisely measured amount of time allowing light to pass through. The duration of the exposure is set either automatically by the camera’s light meter or…

With only one or two exceptions, all current digital cameras have automatic focusing. The first autofocus systems were developed by Leica in the 1970s. The first autofocus compact camera, the Konica C35 AF, was introduced in 1977, and the first autofocus 35mm SLR, the Pentax ME-F, was launched in 1981. Since that time autofocus technology has improved immensely, and these days even the most basic modern AF systems are generally fast, accurate and reliable. Although we now rely on autofocus for the vast majority of photographs, anyone who has tried taking a photo in low light, with fast-moving subjects or using very long telephoto lenses will have noticed that sometimes even the best AF system can run into problems. We’ve all stood there with the lens whirring in and out…

All but the most basic budget compact cameras have a selection of shooting modes, usually chosen by a dial on the top or back of the camera. Easy-to-use, mainly automatic cameras in the range will only have a few shooting modes, while the more sophisticated cameras such as the DSLR may have as many as a dozen, including manual exposure options and user-programmable special settings. As newer models appear in the range or older models are updated, the shooting modes available will be revised and possibly expanded. Shown on this spread are some of the most often used modes selected from the mode dial on the top of the camera and in some cases, from the menu screen on the back of the camera. n Auto The camera will analyse…

Good photography is equal parts creative flair, a good eye for composition and technical ability. There is no mystery to taking a good photo and we all have the ability to capture something cool, meaningful or just plain ‘wow’ if we have a good grasp of the fundamentals. Over the next few pages, take a look at the hints and tips provided. There is a lot of useful information that will hopefully take your creative skills in new directions. “There is no mystery to taking a good photo and we all have the ability to capture something cool, meaningful or just plain ‘wow’ if we have a good grasp of the fundamentals.”…

If you’re a keen photographer and always in a rush to get outdoors and go and shoot some distant landscape, bad weather can sometimes rear its ugly head and dampen your enthusiasm. Rather than packing your gear away, why not consider doing some indoor photography? This section contains some projects that explore just how creative you can be without the need for a professional studio or some very expensive studio equipment. It will even show you how you can turn your dining room into a temporary home studio when you want to go a little larger scale.…

If you have ever shot a subject with a lens that has a very wide maximum aperture, you have no doubt noticed how the out-of-focus background has an aesthetic quality to it. Bright highlights are transformed into ‘orbs’ of light by this blurring effect. This blurred out quality is referred to as Bokeh, usually pronounced “boh-ka”, but the jury seems to be out on a final definitive pronunciation. The bright, soft, orbs of light are a by-product of the out-of-focus light being shaped by the aperture blades within your lens. If your lens has an 8 blade aperture configuration, then your bokeh shapes will be octagonal as well, although the shape will become less well defined as the aperture opens up to its maximum. It has been known for some…

See the world in black and white as we introduce you to this timeless medium. At the dawn of photography as we know it, when everything was fresh and new, you had no choice but to shoot in black and white. Today though, even with the advent of amazing digital imaging, black and white is still prized as a creative outlet. Here are some simple tips that can help you on your way to discovering why black and white photography is such a prized and creative visual medium. “Today though, even with the advent of amazing digital imaging, black and white is still prized as a creative outlet.”…

Although there is no real right and wrong to shooting landscapes, there are a few tips that can elevate your shots and have them stand out against the general background noise of countless dull shots. First of all, take time to research your possible shooting destination if you have not been there before. Just Googling the location you want to shoot will call up all sorts of information. Most of it may be useless to you, but you can guarantee that there will be examples of other photographs taken there. The experiences of other photographers in this location will give you the heads-up as to whether it is an easy or difficult place to reach. There may be tips concerning local by-laws and the best nearby parking spots etc. There…

There is often a misconception among budding photographers that landscape photography is something of an easy option when deciding on a subject to capture. Sometimes it only takes a twenty minute drive to transport you from your local town and put you among the marvels and beauty of the natural world. While it is certainly true that the natural world is very accessible, it can be another thing altogether to create memorable landscape images. It isn’t just a case of arriving at a destination, firing up your DSLR and snapping away like a mad thing. The skills you may have that enable you to operate your camera are quite distinct from those that allow you to envision a beautifully composed image within the landscape you currently find yourself. Both are…

If you’ve ever taken a photo where most of the background was white snow, or bright white sand on a sunny beach, you’ve probably been disappointed by the results. That crisp, white snow comes out looking grey and murky, while your subjects come out looking very dark and under-exposed. There is a very good reason for this, and fortunately, it is very easy to correct. The problem lies with your camera’s light meter. It is designed to measure the light and set the exposure for an average scene and, under average conditions, it will normally do a very good job. This is because an average scene has an unusual property; it reflects approximately 18 per cent of the light falling on it, equivalent to a mid-tone grey. It doesn’t matter…

Aperture Behind the lens of your camera is a movable circular iris which opens and closes to control the amount of light falling on the sensor. This is usually controlled by the camera’s light meter, although some cameras have a manual aperture control. Altering the aperture also changes the depth of field. Aperture priority This is one of the semi-manual exposure options found on some cameras. The user sets the aperture according to the depth of field they require, and the metering system sets the shutter speed to obtain the correct exposure. Artefacts When an image is stored in your camera’s memory it has to be compressed to fit, usually into a JPEG file, and in the process some information is inevitably lost. When the image is uncompressed for viewing,…

It’s amazing how far display prices have fallen, while their quality continues to rise. Take this one, for example. It’s a specialist, quad hide-finition (QHD) gaming monitor with a giant 31.5-inch screen. It runs at 165Hz, has a 1ms response time and a 300 nits rating, yet it costs well south of 400 notes. The AOC CQ32G2SE Gaming Monitor features a tool-free setup. You can get it up and running out of the box in five minutes flat, without having to root around for the right spanner or screwdriver. Just snap the display onto the stand and fit the foot using a finger-turned screw. It’s no hassle at all. Around the back of the display are two HDMI ports and a DisplayPort. There’s no Thunderbolt connectivity (though you can use…

If you’re serious about your gaming, you have to get a decent controller. A joypad that feels comfortable in the hands, with all its buttons and inputs within easy reach. Something with a full range of controls, including four face buttons, a D-pad, two analogue sticks and twin shoulder buttons; a now-standard setup as used by recent Xbox and PlayStation consoles. A joypad like the GameSir G4 Pro. You can connect your G4 Pro to a Windows PC using a dongle that fits in the back of the joypad when not in use or via the USB-C charging cable supplied. Unfortunately, it’s not Mac-compatible and nor can it be used with an Apple TV set-top box. You can use it with your smartphone or tablet over Bluetooth and even with…

WaterField Designs makes deluxe bags for connoisseurs. They’re not cheap, but the quality is outstanding. You could use a WaterField bag every day of your working life, then give it to your grandchild and it would still be in good condition. This particular WaterField Designs product, the Zoom Crossbody Laptop Bag, is available in two sizes. The Compact version fits devices up to 11 x 8 inches, and is ideal for your tablet Pro and a Magic Keyboard. The Tall version can handle notebooks up to 12.75 x 8.75 inches such as Apple’s 13-inch range, including the new M1-powered MacBook Pros. It’s available in a range of colours, and sports a comfortable shoulder strap that holds your Apple gear in a portrait position. The main body of the bag is…

Risers for your computer or monitor aren’t exactly thin on the ground but as you’d expect, this model from Twelve South goes that extra yard with careful planning and design. As well as raising your iMac or external display to a more comfortable height, it features a handy space underneath for all your bits and pieces. The shelf, which is perforated for airflow, is the perfect size and shape for a Mac mini too. If you use Apple’s small form factor Mac with a monitor, Curve Riser is the ideal way to keep them tidy on your desk; saving space. Alternatively, use it for a USB optical drive, Thunderbolt hub, audio interface or just about anything else you can think of. The space underneath the riser is a good fit…

This home security camera is a different beast from the SWANN model covered elsewhere on the page. It lacks heat and noise detection, but it can detect motion at up to 16 feet. When it does so, it records 30 seconds of footage and uploads them to the cloud or your Dropbox account. It has a 130-degree angle-view and a fixed focus from between just under two feet to infinity. You can watch live too, of course, and, unusually for a security monitor, there’s a privacy shutter you can activate when you don't want the camera to record you. Video quality is excellent and it works well both night and day. It’s designed to stand on a flat surface. If you want to wall-mount it, you have to buy a…

Universal Purchases are awesome. Rolled out earlier this year, the feature lets developers bundle iOS, tabletOS and macOS versions of an app into a single purchase. Instead of having to pay once on the Mac App Store and again on the Mobile App Store, a single payment unlocks the software on all your Apple devices. GoodLinks is a read-later app that syncs your links across all your Apple gear and being a Universal Purchase isn’t the only thing it gets right. Using GoodLinks is very straightforward. When surfing the web in Safari or a third-party browser, you might come across an article you’d like to save for later perusal. Sure, you can bookmark it or add it to Safari’s Read Later list but GoodLinks gives a more comprehensive and flexible…

What a lousy start to the day. You wake up in a strange apartment, stark naked and covered in blood with a wound to your ribs and a dead body in the bathtub. You have no idea where you are or how you got there. What are you to do? Unmemory, the first game from a small team in Barcelona, offers a great new take on the text and graphic adventure. There’s a lot of reading to do but don’t let that put you off. The story is well written and engaging; and really draws you into the strange world of the protagonist. Every few paragraphs, the text is interrupted by a graphic of something nearby. You can frequently interact with these graphics, sometimes immediately, sometimes later in the story…

Thinking of getting your first digital camera, or maybe you are looking to upgrade that old point and shoot you usually take on holiday with you? For anyone looking to get a new camera, the choice available is actually quite overwhelming. With so much to choose from, the chances of picking the wrong type of camera for your needs are an all too likely probability and could end up being an expensive mistake. This section is here to outline the main types of cameras and accessories available and tell you a little about their main capabilities. Hopefully, these pages can help set you on the path to finding your perfect camera. “For anyone looking to get a new camera, the choice available is actually quite overwhelming.”…

Photography is built around some basic principles that a lot of casual photographers might not encounter if they shoot fully automatic with their cameras. In full auto, all the decision making is done by the camera and you are there only to push the shutter button to take the picture. As good as modern cameras are, they are not perfect and you may find that the shots you are trying to get don’t come out the way you expect. In this next section we will look at the core principles of photography in greater detail to help you understand the factors in play as you shoot. These main skills will help you get the shot you’re after. “In this next section we will look at the core principles of photography…

Of the three main controls common to nearly all cameras, shutter speed, focus and aperture, it is aperture adjustment that is the least well understood. This is because it not only helps to control exposure, but also affects something called Depth of Field. Understanding the effects of aperture size is a vital skill for any keen photographer. At least there’s nothing mysterious about the name. The aperture is literally a hole through which light passes after it enters the lens. The diameter of this hole can be altered, allowing a greater or smaller amount of light to pass through on its way to the sensor. In the early days of photography, aperture was adjusted by slotting cards with different sized holes cut in them into the body of the camera…

When you look at, for example, a sheet of white paper, your brain adjusts what you see so that it matches what you are expecting to see. However your digital camera doesn’t have any expectations, and the colour that it “sees” is the actual colour present in the scene. ‘White’ light visible to humans can actually vary in colour from reddish orange to greenish-blue. This variation is usually described as a temperature range, with warm being the red end and cold at the blue end, and is usually measured in degrees Kelvin using a colour meter. Confusingly, the higher the colour temperature, the cooler the tone and vice versa. We perceive various shades of white light illuminating a scene as neutral, a clever trick performed by our brains to maintain…

“Of course, good exposure control is paramount to ensure you capture as much of the tonal range of the scene as possible.” Metering If you want, rather than setting your camera to manual exposure and experimenting with settings, you can opt to use the camera’s spot meter mode. If you use this, you can meter a very small part of the image (not the sun), that is a middle tone area, for a decent averaged exposure of the scene. Alternatively, you can actually meter a right point nearer to the sun’s brightness and drop a lot of your scene out to silhouette. Beyond that, you can also choose to meter a darker area and really push the bright areas out to overexposure, if that is your creative choice. Get the…

When you think of capturing a photograph you would be forgiven for immediately thinking of a digital camera as the device of choice. For the most part that is true but there are alternative devices to cameras for capturing still life images. There is a whole genre of still life photography that uses a flatbed scanner as the capture device. It is often referred to as scanner photography, scanart or scanography. It can be quite a creative diversion from normal digital photography in that you have a completely different approach to how you compose and digitise the subject matter. If it’s raining outside and you have a scanner sitting idle in the corner of the office and a creative itch you need to scratch, this could be for you. “There…

“Black and white photography can be seen as your interpretation of what is real…” At the dawn of photography as we know it, when everything was fresh and new, your only choice back then was to shoot in black and white. Exposing images onto glass or metal plates gave way to the film and chemical process. It wasn’t until 1936 that Kodak gave the world colour photography. However, black and white didn’t die off like the black and white TV; in fact it positively flourished. Whichever way you look at it, colour distracts you from the heart of what should make a great photo. Things like texture, composition, form, lighting and good old storytelling can be swamped and made inconsequential by colour. It’s not to say that colour is an…

As your photography evolves, you will no doubt be trying out various types of subject matter and getting involved in photo shoots with people, animals, children and the like. You may also be working at larger events, functions, or even weddings, where you are herding people around and generally having to be in charge to get the shots required by your client. Having been in the thick of it, you can be forgiven for occasionally wanting something a little less wearisome. We can’t speak for all photographers, but now and again, we believe it is quite therapeutic to grab your gear, head out and photograph something for yourself, just for the sheer pleasure of it. No moving targets, no groups shots, no shouting to make yourself heard at a function,…

In normal practice our eyes see the world around us and we accept it for what it is. The sky is blue, grass is green, and so on. This is because our eyes can only see certain wavelengths of light. We are only sensitive to the so called ‘visible spectrum’. Every time you see a rainbow, you are witnessing this spectrum, broken down into the range of colours we are familiar with, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Red sits at the 700 nanometer (nm) wavelength, whilst violet is at the 390nm wavelength. We are going to show you how to capture the invisible world of the near-infrared, which can be found at the 720nm wavelength. The diagram opposite goes into a little more detail about the visible,…

Welcome to the launch issue of Tech Shopper Magazine. In this new publication from Papercut Ltd, our team of technology experts combine their many, MANY years of experience to craft the ultimate buyers guide that covers all major formats. In this first issue, we take an in-depth look at all sorts of gadgets and gismos for your Apple gear. If it’s a head turner, for good or bad reasons and is compatible with a Windows, Android, Samsung, iPhone, iPad or Mac, we’ve covered it inside. In fact, this magazine is 100% reviews and previews as we devote the whole magazine to covering the latest software, add-ons and more. And we haven’t neglected software either. We cover a wide range of apps and games for all your tech gear. In the…

This wireless charger powers three of your Apple devices at once. The vertical stand on the left holds – and charges – your Apple Watch. The charger is built-in. You don’t have to use the one that came with your watch like you do with some charging stands, so you can keep that for travel. In front of it is a recessed area where you place your AirPods (2nd gen or Pro). On the right of the unit is a regular wireless charger for your smartphone, as long as it’s wireless-charging compatible. Three chargers in one. Unfortunately, there’s no USB port around the back for cabled charging. The charger is available in both black and white. The black model has a premium Ultrasuede fabric finish, while the white one boasts…

You can’t fault the price. For less than 60 notes, the Kami Indoor 360 Smart-Home Camera offers 340° rotation and 90° tilt, dual band wi-fi, two-way audio, night vision and 1080p high definition recording. It’s not at the expense of quality either. It’s robust and stylish, with an understated profile that sits discreetly wherever you wish to position it; and its recordings are sharp and smooth. It has to be used indoors, of course. The camera is not weatherproof or waterproof, so it cannot be set up outside. It has to be reasonably close to a plug socket too. A long USB lead is supplied so you can power it from the mains plug provided or a computer’s USB port but there’s no battery option. The Kami Indoor 360 Smart-Home…

Your brand-new smartphone might well be the pinnacle of mobile phone gaming but is your controller up to speed? Do you even have a controller? If not, this amazing, pocket-sized add-on could be just what you’re looking for. The Kishi folds down when not in use for easy storage and portability. When opened up it stretches out to accommodate smartphones of all sizes. A Lightning connector plugs into your phone and a through-port lets you plug in your Lightning cable and charge while you play. There’s no need to cut your gaming short because your smartphone’s battery is almost drained. There’s a free app too but this is just for firmware updates and information; there’s no heavy setting up to do. Its comprehensive control set will prove familiar to anyone…

If you remember the review we did of the devolo Magic 2 Wi-Fi Starter Kit back in Issue 2, you know that powerline adapters are a great way of extending the reach of your cabled and wireless network using your house’s electrical wiring. A powerline setup consists of at least two plugs, which fit in your household mains sockets. By connecting one of them to your router using a supplied Ethernet cable and plugging the other into any mains socket in the house, you create a cabled connection between your router and the second adapter. This unit can offer a wireless access point for your network, Ethernet ports for cabled connectivity, or both. devolo’s Magic 2 LAN Triple powerline adapter starter set doesn’t offer Wi-Fi access, but it does have…

There are some amazing software applications out there for your desktop, tablet and smartphone. Whatever it is you want to get done, there’s almost certainly an app for that. Here we take a look at some of the latest releases, including the digital illustrator Amadine for smartphone and tablet, Parallels Desktop 17 for running alternative operating systems on a desktop, the latest updates to Evernote and more. Look out too for apps for making life easier on your device and the best free software that’s out there.…

Multiple award-winning Things is widely regarded as the best task management app for Apple devices. Those with power-user needs might prefer OmniFocus but for the vast majority of us, ease of use and a clear, Apple-like interface make Things the ‘getting things done’ (GTD) app of choice. But what makes it so good? Things is designed to help you organise every aspect of your life, from daily routines to long-term goals. When you first launch Things, there’s a tutorial project you can keep or delete. If you’re new to the app, it’s best to work your way through it; in ten minutes, you’ll have a decent understanding of how it all works and how to get the most from the app. You can then delete it when you’re done and…

JustStream is an excellent alternative to AirPlay. It can stream video from your Mac to any AirPlay or Chromecast compatible device, as well as smart TVs from Samsung and LG, Roku boxes, Apple TV and Sony devices. It’s great for viewing slideshows of photos with the family, for example, and as it can mirror your Mac’s screen to the television, it’s good for presentations and demos too, as well as playing movies and videos. You can queue videos and play them in sequence, no need to keep running to your computer room to load the next five-minute holiday movie. Subtitles are supported, and the entire app runs from a menu bar icon and is never in the way while you're streaming. It’s very straightforward to use. Click on the Just…

This is more than just a racing game. It’s an entire online community. Three years in the making, the multiplayer-focused Street Kart Racing lets you race with other kart drivers from 60 different countries and keep up with the latest goings-on in a very well populated Facebook group dedicated to the game. Just the thing if you’re a competitive racer who likes going up against human beings rather than AI drivers. That’s not to say you can’t race computer-controlled opponents, though. You build your career by racing them in Cadet Karts. It’s not for the faint-hearted. Street Kart Racing is a serious simulation game designed with the help of professional kart racers to be as realistic as possible. Don’t expect to drop bananas on the track or fling turtle shells…