What are the best apps for learning to read and write, phonics, and spelling? We review the best reading and writing apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. Teaching your kids to read and write used to just involve books, pencils, paper and, later, giant coloured fridge magnets. Then along came smartphones and tablets and now parents can call on a huge raft of educational apps to teach their kids to read and write....

As great as your smartphone is, it will soon run out of power and be useless. This is less of a problem when you’re near a power point with the right cable and charger, but a disaster if you’re on the move and without a charger or nearby power socket. Unless you rarely leave your house, you need to carry in your bag or purse a handy power bank that can deliver immediate power to the fading phone and keep you going until you are back at base....

You’re spoilt for choice when it comes to budget smartphones. But aside from Motorola and Nokia, you might be hard-pushed to find many options from brands you’ve heard of. This isn’t to say it’s a bad idea to buy one of the many Chinese Android phones – some offer amazing value. But with Samsung’s A-series, you’d be forgiven for sticking with what you know. Where to buy the Samsung Galaxy A13 Before you spend time hunting for the A13, it’s worth bearing in mind that it wasn’t a great phone when it launched....

Speaker tech has changed a surprising amount over the past few years, with improvements in batteries, Bluetooth, and the internet of things making speakers portable, wireless, and internet-connected almost by default now. All that means this is a great time to think about an upgrade, which could net you a wealth of new functionality alongside improvements to actual audio. Best speaker deals right now We’ve gathered up the best speaker deals that are live right now – and you can head to our deals site to find more of our curated picks....

Like any other industry, tech has its seasons. There are regular times of year when shiny new things arrive to replace those that have lost their lustre. Apple, for example, pretty much always releases new iPads and iPhones at certain times, and the same is true of Google with its Nexus range , and Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphones . TVs tend to be launched all at the same time, but it’s different with laptops ....

USB wall sockets are easy to fit: they are a direct replacement for the faceplates you already have on your wall. They come in a variety of colours and finishes, as well as in single- and double-gang (one or two mains sockets). Before you buy USB wall sockets, first remove your current faceplate first and check the depth of the back box and buy a replacement that will fit. Most require 25mm but some are deeper than this....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict We never fail to be impressed by how much value you can get for your money if you’re prepared to buy a smartphone from China rather than the UK. Bluboo might not be well known over here, but its X9 is a stylish phone that packs in both a fingerprint scanner and a 5in full-HD screen for just £110. General performance is capable, and there’s plenty of space here for all your apps and media....

At a Glance Our Verdict We might not be seasoned Borderlands players at Tech Advisor towers but this certainly seems like bigger and better mayhem from 2K Games. We can’t wait to get properly stuck into all the new weapons, worlds and customisation. Best Prices Today: Borderlands 3 As expected, Borderlands is back with a bang and we’ve been hands-on with the new title at E3 2019 . Here’s what we make of Borderlands 3....

Folding phones are the cutting edge of mobile tech, and generally the most expensive devices in their respective lines. So it’s no shock that a repair for that fancy folding screen would cost a pretty penny. But according to a new vendor, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s primary screen costs a whopping $1,199.99 USD. That’s two-thirds of the price of the entire device. And keep in mind, that’s just for the part, sold via the do-it-yourself enthusiasts over at iFixit ....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict This Chillblast gaming PC lives up to its name with excellent all-round performance, including comfortable framerates at 4K resolution and Ultra detail. It’s more expensive than the competition but it’s not an outrageous price if you stick to the base spec which we reviewed. You’ll be future proofing yourself so it’s an investment. We have only minor complaints here. Best Prices Today: Chillblast Fusion Juggernaut 2080 The Chillblast Fusion Juggernaut 2080 has a name that suggests computing dominance – but, pleasingly, a price that sees this machine fall comfortably into the gaming market....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict At £143.42 it’s difficult to find fault in a 10in tablet that can handle most tasks and offers both Android and Windows operating systems. We strongly recommend you purchase the optional keyboard for the extra functionality it affords, including two full-size USB ports, but even without it the Chuwi HiBook is a very decent budget tablet, with acceptable performance and a decent screen....

In summary: Tech Advisor reports that the BBC has announced a major content deal with YouTube, offering free access to shows across entertainment, documentaries, news, and sports starting with the Winter Olympics. UK viewers will receive ad-free content while global audiences see advertisements, potentially impacting traditional TV licence requirements and generating new revenue streams for the BBC. This strategic partnership involves creating YouTube-specific content alongside iPlayer availability, targeting younger audiences and adapting to changing viewing habits....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict Overall, we’re impressed with the H115i RGB Platinum. Despite the high price it performs well and in many PCs will run inaudibly, both pump and fans. It also looks great, and for many enthusiasts that is reason enough to pay the extra for this over less expensive AIO coolers. Best Prices Today: Corsair H115i RGB Platinum Corsair is one of the best-known names in closed-loop cooling (or AIO if you prefer), and the latest Platinum model both looks amazing and similar adjectives can be used to describe its performance....

At a glance Expert’s Rating Pros 9 functions Touchscreen controls Dishwasher-safe parts Turbo modes Cons Button to open drawer No manual mode Limited capacity for a large family Our Verdict Cosori’s 6QT/6L Turbo Blaze Air Fryer has a wide temperature and time range, plus presets geared towards cooking from scratch, and its faster Turbo modes, meaning that you can do more with it than your average appliance. While it won’t suit larger families, its medium size strikes a good balance between capacity and countertop takeover....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Infinity X55 SE performs well, but not as well as much of the competition thanks largely to its unambitious 4.2GHz maximum clock speed. It also boots from a rather small SSD without the large performance advantage of an M.2 model. Some will love the AMD graphics card with its huge video RAM capacity, but overall the price seems a little high for what you’re getting....

With the Daredevil revival edging ever closer, I decided to rewatch season 3 of the best-ever Marvel TV series . While a bit slow to start, season 3 of Daredevil saw Matt hit his lowest point yet, as he struggled with his faith and alter-ego. Meanwhile, the Kingpin rose (quite literally, in that swanky penthouse of his) to full power. He manipulated the FBI, a grand jury and more into doing his bidding....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The X2 Pro is well designed and one of the most convenient and easy-to-use dash cams around. It’s great for quickly downloading clips to your phone and sharing them, a task that’s hard on most rivals. However, it’s expensive – you could buy two decent 1080p dash cams for less – and isn’t available locally in the UK, which means you’ll pay extra for import duty....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Eye-catching design Good tank size Automatic volume dispense Cons No tank max line Fiddly drip tray Pod drawer can get stuck Our Verdict The Infinissima Touch makes it easy to customise coffee with its new touchscreen. This, plus its generous size and eye-catching design, makes it a good option if you want a Dolce Gusto machine. Best Prices Today: De’Longhi Nescafe Dolce Gusto Infinissima Touch The Infinissima has had an update....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Dell Latitude 5289 is a serious business laptop with the portability and features of a fashionable Consumer model. It’s a hybrid, it has excellent battery life and is light. Good connectivity, added security features and a keyboard made for long-form typing ensure this is a great choice for many business users. The one major drawback is the screen. It looks just fine for documents, but limited colour depth is not well-suited to design or photography work....

Hot off the heels of AMD and Nvidia’s CES 2021 announcements, Dell has revealed this year’s refresh to its hugely popular Alienware range. The company lifted the lid on the Alienware M15 R4 and M17 R4 with Nvidia’s new, seriously powerful RTX 30 Series Laptop GPUs under the hood and, for those on the hunt for a high-end desktop, there’s the updated Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10 to consider. Dell’s gaming-focused Alienware M15 and M17 are the company’s thinnest laptops to date – although that’s not to say it’s the thinnest laptop on the market right now....