April 2011: Hardware secrets

How to hack (almost) any device, our exclusive new OS, best broadband deals revealed, and more.

Cover story:
How to supercharge almost any device
Root your Android phone
Jailbreak your iPhone
Turn your PC into a Mac, and more

Plus:

Best broadband deals: Great-value ADSL and VoIP plans revealed
Hot laptops: High-performance notebooks tested
Latest reviews: Dell's 30in monitor, AMD's Fusion and more
Net threat: Why our internet freedom is at risk
40 pages of tips: Personal networks, torrent apps explained and more

Full magazine contents

Opinion

Editorial: How smartphones and online services help with everyday family life.
Feedback: Letters and emails from readers.

Testbench

PC product reviews: Sony VAIO VPCYB16, Toshiba NB550D and Acer Aspire 5750G notebooks; Acer Revo RL100 media centre PC; Dell UltraSharp U3011 and Acer S231HL monitors; Lexmark Genesis all-in-one printer.
Gadgets and home entertainment gear reviewed: ViewSonic ViewPad 7 and Pioneer DreamBook ePad P10 3DUI tablets, MicroLab SOLO6C speakers; Topfield TRF-2400 Masterpiece HD networked PVR, Nu Dolphin Lite music player, Plantronics M100 Bluetooth headset, Jawbone Jambox Bluetooth speakers, BenQ MX880UST projector, Grundig Replay digital radio; BenQ DV S11 and Toshiba Camileo S30 camcorders.
Digital photo frames compared: Under 10in: Kodak 7in Pulse Digital Frame W730, Kaiser Baas 8in Ultra-Slim Digital Photo Frame, Shintaro 8in Weather Station Photo Frame SHDPF8W, AV Labs Digital Photo Frame AVL993, Akai 7in Digital Photo Frame ADPF07X. Over 10in: Kogan 12.1in LCD Digital Photo Frame & Media Player, AV Labs 10.4in Classic Wooden Frame AVL996, Kaiser Baas 15in Digital Photo Frame, Shintaro 10.2in Motion Sensor Frame SHDPF102V1, Kogan 10.4in Digital Photo Frame & Media Player, Shintaro 10.4in Digital Photo Frame SHDPF104V3.
High-end video authoring software reviewed: Sony Vega Pro 10, Grass Valley Edius 6, EditShare Lightworks Open Source Beta 10.0.3. High-end audio tools reviewed: Avid Pro Tools 9, Cakewalk Sonar X1, Avid Recording Studio, Native Instruments Komplete 7.
Mid-range graphics cards tested: Gigabyte GV-N560SO-1GI, MSI N560GTX-TI Twin Frozr II/OC, ASUS EAH6950/2DI2S/2GD5. Processor review: AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black Edition. AMD Fusion motherboards: MSI E350IA-E45, ASUS E35M1-M Pro. News story: Intel Sandy Bridge flaw explained.

Features

High-performance notebooks tested: Under $2200: Fujitsu Lifebook AH551, HP Pavilion DV6-3139TX, Lenovo IdeaPad Y560, Gateway EC39C30A, Apple MacBook Air 13, Pioneer DreamBook M86. Under $2800: HP Pavilion DV7-4115TX, Apple MacBook Pro 15, ASUS G51JX, Pioneer DreamBook W86.
Broadband plans compared: aaNet, AAPT, Aussie Broadband, Big Pond, Dodo, EscapeNet, Exetel, GoTalk, iiNet, Internode, iPrimus, iSage Internet, ITG Internet, Locall Australis, Montimedia Internet, Motiv Communications, MyNetFone, Netspace, One Telecommunications, Optus, Rabbit Net, Spin, TPG Internet, Westnet.
VoIP plans compared: Ace Communications, engin, Exetel, FaktorTel, FreeCall, Freshtel, Gotalk, iiNet, Internode, iPrimus, Maxo Telecommunications, Mondotalk, MyNetFone, Netspace, Nettalk, Pennytel, SkypeOut, TPG, Voise.
Internet threat: Why our internet freedom is at risk.
UserOS Select 10.10 guide: How to install and customise our new operating system.

Hardware secrets

Hardware hacks: How to hack (almost) any device.
Android hacks: Root your Android phone and install a custom ROM.
iPhone hacks: How to jailbreak your iPhone.
OS hacks: How to install MacOS or Android on your PC.
DIY proxy: Beat web restrictions with Glype.
Network secrets: How to create a Wi-Fi network with your Win 7 notebook.
Camera hacks: Add pro features to your Canon camera.

HelpStation

Q&A: Your technical problems solved.
Windows: Working with Window 7's versatile dialog boxes. Plus remap your keyboard.
Peer to peer: Introducing µTorrent 2.2's handy new apps.
Networking: Configure your personal Bluetooth network.
Ripping & burning: Play any audio or video file with codec packs.
Home studio: Free high-end video editing with Lightworks.
Web design: Add any font to your site with Dreamweaver.
Photo editing: Add a letterbox-movie look to your images in Photoshop.
Guest app: Edit your images with PhotoPerfect.
Office: Customise the Office 2010 ribbon.
PowerPoint: Customise your presentations with pptPlex.
Google Docs: Add Docs content to your web site.
Programming: Work with Access data in Visual Basic.
Cover DVD guides: Get started with Ashampoo Studio Burning Elements, Paragon Disk Wiper 2010.

Doing business online

Google AdWords guide: How to enhance the effectiveness of your Google text ads.

NetGuide

Homework helpers: The best sites for helping kids with their homework.
Kids software and hardware reviewed: Go Diego Go: Greate Dinosaur Rescue & Safari Rescue, Dora the Explorer: Lost and Found Adventure, Twisty Noodle, Playskool Alphie.
Internet know-how: How to edit and annotate PDFs.
Genealogy: Use Picasa to identify photos.

After Hours

Game guide: World of Warcraft: Catalysm.
Game reviews: Dead Space 2, Dead Space for iPad, Monday Night Combat, DC Universe Online, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam, Tron: Evolution, FIFA Manager 11, Create.

Buyer's Guide

Perfect PC: We select the best-value PC specs.
Top 100 products: Highlights from previous reviews.

April 2011 DVD: Hack pack

Hack pack: 20 free tools to help you jailbreak your iPhone, root your Android phone, turn your PC into a Mac, recover lost passwords and serial numbers, and more.
PC User's free operating system: UserOS Select 10.10 is fast, lean and features PC User Select, which allows you to install only the apps that you want. World exclusive!
Easy Linux installers: With our exclusive PC User tools, you can use your Windows PC to copy UserOS to your USB key and make it bootable, or install UserOS on your PC without disturbing Windows.
Easy burning suite: Ashampoo Burning Studio Elements 10.0.4 offers you everything you need to burn CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray discs. This full version is valued at $49.
Powerful file shredder: Paragon Disk Wiper 2010 SE will completely erase a whole hard disk, a separate partition or just clean free space. This full version is valued at $31.
Exclusive video guides: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm game guide, get started with UserOS Select, and more.
Huge demos plus 2 free games: Alien Arena 2011 and Starport: Galactic Empires, plus playable demos of Bejeweled 3 and Gray Matter.
Your own PC expert: Buying or building a new PC? Get our recommended PC specs, tailored to your budget, with our new version of PC User Perfect PC. World exclusive!

Full DVD contents

Hack Pack

Vmware Player
DiskAid
Unrevoked3
Androidx86
NetSurf
iPhoneBrowser
Tiny Umbrella
bbupdater
BackOff
Office 2010 Trial Extender
Cain & Able
Password Cracker
Mail PassView
ProduKey
WirelessKeyView
Glibe Proxy Script
Handbrake
Daemon Tools Lite
GismoRip
RockBox
AirSync
Winamp
SlideME Application Manager for Android

Software

Full versions:

Ashampoo Burning Studio Elements 10.0.4
Paragon Disk Wiper 2010 Special Edition
PCUser OS Select
PC User PerfectPC

Applications:

Swiff Player
FeedDemon
Hamster Free Video Converter
Spotify
FBackup

Online tools:

Aktiv Download Manager
TeamViewer

System utilities:

USB Safeguard free
SideSlide
Freemake Video Converter
Q-Dir
Microsoft Security Essentials
Easy2Sync for Files
Concord

Entertainment

Game demos:

Gray Matter
Bejeweled 3

Free games:

Alien Arena 2011
Starport: Galactic Empires

Tutorials

Exclusive video guides:

Make more interesting presentations with pptPlex & PowerPoint 2007/2010
How to install UserOS Select
Game guide: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Wiping a drive with Paragon Disk Wiper 2010 Special Edition

Featured tools:

Word macro of the month
Excel macro of the month
PC User UserOS Select
PC User PerfectPC
AVG Anti-Virus Free 2011
Editshare Lightworks (BETA 10.10)
Medieval Bluetooth Network Scanner
BluetoothView
BluetoothCL
SharpKeys
KeyTweak

DVD registrations

Ashampoo Burning Studio Elements 10

Ensuring you are connected to the internet, install Ashampoo Burning Studio Elements 10 from the PC User April edition's cover disc. Once the installation process is complete, your web browser will go straight to the registration site. Here, enter a valid email address in the form provided and click Send. A registration code will then be sent to that email address. (If you don't receive the email please check your junk email folder, as these emails are sometimes picked up by spam filters). Launch Burning Studio Elements, click Enter Code and enter the code from the email into the dialog and click Check Code. (Note: if you have previously installed other Ashampoo products you may be taken directly to Ashampoo's site and your registration code may appear automatically in your browser). Now you're ready to start using your full version of Ashampoo Burning Studio Elements 10.

Paragon Disk Wiper 2010 SE

Ensuring you are connected to the internet, install Paragon Disk Wiper 2010 SE from the PC User April edition's cover disc. During installation, when you're prompted to register, click the Registration option, fill in your details and click Submit. Make sure you enter a valid email address because your registration codes will be sent to that email address. (If you don't receive the email please check your junk email folder, as these emails are sometimes picked up by spam filters). Complete Paragon Disk Wiper's installation process, installing either the regular or 64-bit version, depending on your operating system. When you receive the email from Paragon, copy and paste the Product Key and Serial Number from the email into the dialog box as prompted by Paragon Disk Wiper, then click Next to complete registration. Now you're ready to start using your full version of Paragon Drive Copy 2010 SE.

UserOS Select 10.10

No registration required. Just install the software from the PC User cover disc, and enjoy!

Special offers

Ashampoo Burning Studio 10 special offer

Enjoying Ashampoo Slideshow Studio Elements 2 from PC User's May cover disc? For a limited time you can receive a big discount off Ashampoo Slideshow Studio HD 2, the latest version which can create high-def slideshows, burn to DVD or Blu-ray, upload to YouTube and more. From inside Slideshow Studio Elements 2, select the MyAshampoo menu, then Upgrade to Ashampoo Slideshow Studio HD 2 to go to special offer web page.

SnipClik 4 special offer from SmartKite Software

Impressed with SnipClik 3 from our May cover disc? For a limited time only you can receive a big discount off SnipClik 4, SmartKite Software's latest version which includes several new features including geotagging and email support. From inside SnipClik 3, select Help, then About and Update. (Do not use any other Update option in the Help menu as these don't link to the reduced price offer).

CFB Word Games offer

Enjoying WordJubbler from our May cover disc? You'll get two additional word games for under US$10 by purchasing the full CFB Word Games pack at CFB Software's web site.

PC User