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PC Pro Magazine - February 2026

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In this issue

AI MIND-BENDERS OF THE MONTH
Barry Collins picks out the areas where AI can lend you a helping hand in 2026, sometimes bringing entirely new skills into your armoury.

CREATIVE TIPS OF THE MONTH
We reveal how to make the most out of the new, and entirely free, Affinity app, including an introduction to its main features and three pages of walkthroughs

INTERVIEW OF THE MONTH
You’ve probably heard of Cory Doctorow, the man behind the word “enshittification”. If that word offends, you won’t want to read our full interview as he isn’t afraid of strong language!

The VPN hunt is on

As regulators look to sharpen the Online Safety Bill, VPNs are now in their sights

4 mins

Geekom launches its first laptop

Taiwanese mini PC builder releases first portable computer

1 mins

6 things to watch for in 2026

What to expect from the year ahead in the tech industry

5 mins

Live long and prosper?

There are lessons for the transhumanist movement to learn from science fiction, but look to Frankenstein and Ex Machina rather than Star Trek

3 mins

The ICO clearly isn't fit for purpose

Experts have called for an inquiry into the Information Commissioner's Office – and they couldn't be more right

3 mins

Regulate before it's too late

Rather than rely on market forces, we might all be better off letting companies grow so big that governments are forced to step in

3 mins

10 GREAT AITOOLS FOR 2026

FROM EDITING VIDEOS LIKE WORD DOCUMENTS TO CREATING YOUR OWN BROWSER GAMES, BARRY COLLINS HIGHLIGHTS TEN BRILLIANT AI TOOLS YOU'LL WANT TO EXPLOIT IN THE YEAR AHEAD

10+ mins

AFFINITY THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE FREE CREATIVE SUITE

EDIT PHOTOS, CREATE CLEAN VECTOR IMAGES AND PUT TOGETHER PROFESSIONAL MULTI-PAGE DOCUMENTS: NIK RAWLINSON INTRODUCES THE AMAZING POWERS OF THE NEW FREE AFFINITY APP

3 mins

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THE INTERNET?

THE INTERNET HAS BEEN DRAGGED DOWN BY ENSHITTIFICATION, ACCORDING TO CORY DOCTOROW. IAIN THOMSON SITS DOWN WITH HIM TO DISCUSS WHAT WENT WRONG-AND HOW WE FIGHT BACK.

10+ mins

DO YOU STILL NEED BACKUP IN 2026?

With modern cloud services and solid-state storage, you might think traditional backup methods are obsolete, but Darien Graham-Smith urges you not to risk your data

10+ mins

Dell Pro Max Tower T2 Desktop

This sturdy and understated workstation will deliver the goods in lightly threaded workloads

6 mins

Medion Erazer Hunter X30

A basic chassis for the price, but you can't argue with the quality of the hardware within or the price

3 mins

CyberPowerPC Ultra R5RX

Easy on the eyes and the ears, this is a great choice for 1440p gaming with not a wasted pound in sight

3 mins

MSI Cubi ZAI 8M

A solid and unassuming mini PC that's particularly well suited to offices thanks to MSI's UK-based support

3 mins

Beelink SER9 Pro (Ryzen 7H255)

The novel AMD Ryzen 7 H 255 processor delivers strong all-round performance in a well-built system

3 mins

HP OmniBook X Flip 14

HP OmniBook X Flip 14 HP continues to flip the rules on what to expect for around a grand, making this our top choice for 14in convertibles

3 mins

HP OmniBook X Flip 16

HP pairs a gorgeous OLED touchscreen with a smart 2-in-1 design-the result is a superb everyday laptop

3 mins

BenQ PV3200U

Great colour coverage, integrated 2.1 speakers and a handy puck, but beware of this monitor's limitations

4 mins

Soamco Monitor Light Bar

No frills, but it does deliver on all its promises

1 mins

BenQ ScreenBar Halo 2

This bright and brilliant screen bar will light up your world in ways you may not even have thought of

3 mins

Motorola Edge 70

A disappointing successor to the Edge 60 and 60 Pro, with no obvious reason for a huge price hike

4 mins

INKJET PRINTER: Brother DCP-T780DW

Brother's first attempt ata refillable inkjet for the UK market, and it’s very nearly a killer debut

3 mins

INKJET PRINTER: Canon Pixma TS6550i

The TS6590i ought to sitin the sweet spot for Canon's new Pixma range, but huge running costs let it down.

3 mins

EnGenius ECW520

Not the best value, but this tri-band Wi-Fi 7 AP delivers good performance and smart cloud management

2 mins

TP-Link Omada EAP787

A good-value business Wi-Fi/ AP that delivers fine performance and plenty of management choices

2 mins

Ubiquiti Networks UniFi U7 Pro XG

This classy tri-band business Wi-Fi AP delivers the perfect blend of features, performance and value

2 mins

Zyxel NWA50BE

Modest performance, but this dual-band Wi-Fi? AP delivers great business-class features at alow price

2 mins

DrayTek VigorSwitch P2542x

A good-value gigabit PoE+ switch witha high port density, a big power budget and heaps of features

3 mins

Jabra PanaCast 40 VBS

This smart VC combo offers on-demand Microsoft Teams Rooms and BYOD modes, plus great image quality

2 mins

Cybersecurity for remote workers

Small businesses can't afford to skimp on security for remote workers. Davey Winder plans out your risk mitigation checklist

9 mins

Privacy by design

Protecting personal information can't be an afterthought. Steve Cassidy explores how to put data privacy first

3 mins

"Will this be another half-arsed Microsoft initiative that putters out after a few years?"

Why Microsoft's attempts to create an agentic OS may be doomed, plus Jon's first impressions of the iPhone Air after yet another shopping accident

10+ mins

"We were left shell-shocked.Somehow, we'd fixed a machine, for cash, without destroying it"

As a new year dawns, we wonder why flashing a BIOS remains so stressful, ask what Ridge it’s really running and stare at a £500 PSU that doesn't fit

9 mins

"An AI may be technically responsible for causing harm, such as financial loss or injury"

Have you considered how the use of AI affects your contracts and legal obligations? Probably not, but fortunately Olivia is here to help

7 mins

“Ransomware remains a major threat to business; denying that is akin to a nose/face spite thing"

Ransomware attacks are up and cyber insurance is up. Maybe it's time to start taking the threat seriously, huh?

8 mins

"Progress lies not with the trusted brands but through innovators in the gaming sector"

In the land where everyone is in a bind, those with the smallest devices will be king - or, why mini systems make such great diagnostic devices

8 mins

Football Manager A game of two halves

It's Football Manager versus Football Manager, new against old, as David Crookes explains

9 mins

How Mozilla hopes to stop the ENSHITTIFICATION of the internet

AI is already disrupting the web as we know it, but that could offer an opportunity to build a better way of working, argue speakers at this year's Mozilla Festival. Nicole Kobie reports from Barcelona

9 mins

When the Wi-Fi's down, who you gonna call?

Sometimes technology brings us the perfect solution to a real-world need. A solution that fits so well you wonder how we ever did without it. Allow me to explain.

3 mins

Read all Stories from PC Pro

PC Pro Magazine Description:

Publisher: Future

Category: Technology

Language: English

Frequency: Monthly

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.