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• Users who factory-reset can now get back up and running
• A new Google Home update enables affected devices to be restored
• This bug was first widely reported last week

It seems as though the saga of the Chromecast untrusted device bug is finally drawing to a close: Google has now pushed out an additional fix for those users who factory-reset their devices as a way of troubleshooting the problem.

As per a forum post and an email seen by 9to5Google, the solution is to update the Google Home app on Android or iOS. That should then allow you to set up affected Chromecasts from scratch again – something which hadn't previously been possible.

This all started last week, when owners of the 2nd-gen Chromecast and Chromecast Audio devices – both launched in 2015 – started seeing 'untrusted device' messages. The issue was, apparently, something to do with expired security certification.

While it investigated, Google advised users against factory-resetting broken devices, as they wouldn't be able to set them up again – though by that time, plenty of people had done exactly that in an attempt to get everything working again.

Find your fix

The Chromecast Audio has also been hit (Image credit: Future)

As far as Google is concerned, the problem is now resolved. If you didn't factory-reset your Chromecast device then it should be working again, thanks to an update that was rolled out a few days ago. If not, try updating the device firmware.

If you did run a factory reset and have since been unable to get your Chromecast up and running, check for the latest version of Google Home on your phone – the version you're looking for is 3.30.1.6 for Android or 3.30.106 for iOS.

Once you've got the app update (it may take a few days to reach everyone), start the setup process from the beginning: Open the Devices tab, tap the Add button, then follow the instructions on screen for your Chromecast.

You should then be up and running again. "We sincerely apologize for this disruption and any inconvenience it may have caused, and we are committed to ensuring all users are back up and running as quickly as possible," says Google.

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The Samsung S95D was not only one of the best TVs of last year – we named it our TV of the year for 2024 as part of the TechRadar Choice Awards. So following in its footsteps was never going to be an easy task.

In my Samsung S95D review, I was blown away by its picture quality, gaming features, gorgeous design and solid built-in sound. But one of the most impressive parts to it was its OLED Glare Free screen, which effectively eliminated distracting mirror-like reflections even in the brightest decisions. This not only made it one of the best OLED TVs I’d seen, but I labelled it “the standard bearer for OLED in 2024".

So, when I was offered the chance to see and get a hands-on with its successor, the Samsung S95F, I jumped at the chance. My colleagues had the chance to see the S95F in action at CES 2025, but it was now my turn – and given my experience with the S95D, I was naturally very curious about it.

Reflection-beating screen gets better

One thing worth noting; the Samsung S95F model I got to test was the 83-inch model, which is unique from the rest of the lineup. This model actually uses LG’s new W-OLED four-stack Tandem RGB panel that can be found in the LG G5, rather than the QD-OLED panel used in the other sized models (55, 65 and 77 inches).

My first port of call in my short test was to see if the S95F improved in one area that I felt the S95D struggled – namely its deep shadow detail in Filmmaker Mode. I heavily use Filmmaker Mode when reviewing TVs as I find it to be the most accurate picture mode in almost all cases.

While black levels, contrast and shadow detail were overall excellent on the S95D, I noticed in darker scenes that black crush occurred, which resulted in a loss in shadow detail. This mostly happened in well-lit conditions, which was a shame because it was a novelty getting to watch dark scenes in a bright environment with only haze reflections to deal with.

So, I naturally wanted to see how the S95F’s new OLED Glare Free 2.0 screen fared; and what an improvement it was. Using the same opening crime scene investigation sequence from The Batman that showed me the weakness in the S95D, the S95F demonstrated significantly improved shadow detail, with textures in Batman’s armor and other character’s clothing maintained far better while in Filmmaker Mode.

The Batman maintains strong shadow detail, despite the two reflections at the top trying to muscle in. (Image credit: Future / Warner Bros Discovery)

The room I was in had dimming lights, so I turned them up to the maximum and even then, black levels were still incredibly accurate and shadow detail was refined. Admittedly, with the lights on maximum, there was now a minor amount of black crush, but that's a small price to pay to avoid the annoyance of direct reflections.

A better handling of reflections

There are three types of reflections that TVs can suffer from; mirror-like, where objects clearly appear in the screen; haze, where objects are obscured by matte screens (like the ones found on the S95D and S95F) but there is still a hint of the object (such as a cloud-like look from a lamp) and Lambertian, which is reminiscent of haze but this evenly distributes across the reflected light across the screen and it can give blacks a faded look.

The S95D was extremely effective at dealing with mirror-like reflections, which is why I rated it so highly – it's possible to watch in spaces where other OLED TVs would've been overwhelmed by the light – but there were undeniably haze reflections for light sources and a sign of Lambertian reflection which resulted in the dulled, crushed blacks. The S95F’s screen showed a marked improvement in this.

Using footage from the Spears & Munsil Benchmark UHD 4K Blu-ray, scenes with pitch-black backgrounds, such as a ferris wheel at night and studio shots of animals and objects, showed deeper black levels more in line with OLED with glossy screens, even with strong lights in the room.

Note the two small reflection haze 'pools' of light – one near the top to the left of center, one in the top-right corner. Instead of hard lights being reflected, they're barely noticeable – and they don't raise the black levels around them. (Image credit: Future)

Even angling myself to purposely catch the overhead lights, the haze reflections were dramatically reduced and textures and details of objects appear clearer and more lifelike.

I loved that the S95D's anti-reflective screen made it a more flexible TV, and the downsides felt worth it, because they only occurred in conditions where reflections would have wiped out the TV's quality anyway. But now the downsides have been massively reduced too – it's very impressive.

Brighter and bolder

As I continued to watch the S95F, I also noticed a marked increase in brightness in Filmmaker Mode, and even a better handling of brightness. Viewing a black and white scene in Oppenheimer where the foyer in the university is brightly lit compared to the rest of the room, I noticed that the bright whites were punchy but without any loss in detail or any sign of oversaturation.

Turning on HDR Tone Mapping from Static to Active gave an even bolder brightness boost, yet the contrast between the black and white tones remained superb.

The contrast of Oppenheimer is really well-handled, and the extra Active Tone Mapping option boosts it even further. (Image credit: Future)

When I measured the brightness of the Samsung S95F it hit 2,388 nits in a 10% HDR window pattern – a huge increase over the 1,868 I measured for the Samsung S95D. Fullscreen brightness, measured on a 100% white window HDR pattern, was also a giant improvement, rising from 318 nits measured on the S95D to 465 nits measured on the S95F.

Again, it’s worth noting that the S95D I tested was the 65-inch model using the QD-OLED panel, whereas this 83-inch S95F uses the new-gen W-OLED panel – I'll be very curious to see how closely the smaller QD-OLED sizes match these figures.

The fullscreen brightness on the S95F looks stunning, and a major leap forward for OLEDs. (Image credit: Future)

I was glad to see that elsewhere the S95F maintained everything that made the S95D’s picture great. Colors were bold, vibrant and dynamic; textures were true-to-life; and contrast was excellent and well balanced. And of course, black levels and shadow detail was improved over the S95D.

After my brief time, I can’t wait to get my hands on the Samsung S95F for a full test. We’ll probably test one of the QD-OLED models for a fairer full comparison to the S95D, and to provide a counterpoint to these 83-inch measurements. But whatever size, it’s only excited me to try out the S95F in full. Will it be a TV of the year award repeat? There's tough competition, but we'll have reviews of all this year's hottest OLEDs in the next few months.

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• Stardew Valley is an iconic, relaxing RPG
• Someone has created a perfect Wear OS theme that mimics the game's aesthetic
• It means fans can take the relaxing vibes of the game everywhere they go

Stardew Vally is an iconic indie RPG with a quiet, calming aesthetic that's so good we dubbed it one of the Games of the Generation in 2020. Now, fans of the title with a Wear OS smartwatch can take the game everywhere they go with this incredible homemade watch face.

"I made a Stardew Valley themed Wear OS Watch face," u/brueqqe shared in the Stardew Valley subreddit in a post (spotted by ScreenRant) that now has more than 17,000 upvotes.

The custom watch face embraces the stylistic Stardew aesthetic, turning it into a functional watch face that can show you the battery life for your phone and watch, and featuring the Stardew Valley interface for date, time, and day progress. There's also a step counter and a temperature gauge, as well as a small exclamation notification for calendar events.

Get Stardew Valley on Wear OS I made a Stardew Valley themed WearOS watch face from r/StardewValley

The Wear OS Stardew Valley watch face comes with a low-power alternative, too.

As for compatibility, the creator says this watch face will work with "all Wear OS Samsung watches" apart from the new Galaxy Watch 7 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra – so unfortunately, if you've got two of the best Android smartwatches, you can't use this face (for now at least).

This face is also uniquely built around Wear OS, so there's no chance of this popping up on the Apple Watch or Garmin devices anytime soon.

Since posting, the creator has flagged that some people are having problems installing the watch face because they're struggling to download the Kustom Watchface Creator (KWCH) app. If you've already got the app (you'll need the Pro version), you should be able to download and import the face.

Otherwise, u/brueqqe says they're working to rebuild the watch face in Samsung Watch Face Studio so more people can download it.

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• Ofcom will now issue sanctions for tech platforms for harmful content
• Fines of up to £18 million could be given
• Social media and messaging apps are in the scope of the Online Safety Bill

The UK’s communications regulator Ofcom has announced it will now issue sanctions against tech platforms that fail to remove illegal or harmful content on their sites.

From today, updates to the Online Safety Act mean new ‘illegal harm duties’ have come into force, meaning platforms must implement appropriate measures to “remove illegal material quickly when they become aware of it, and to reduce the risk of ‘priority’ criminal content from appearing in the first place.”

This means platforms will be assessed on compliance with ‘illegal harm obligations’, and law enforcement will be “ launching targeted enforcement action” when concerns are uncovered. Priority offences targeted include harassment, terrorism, abuse material, and fraud.

A wide scope

These enforcements won’t come just for social media platforms, but also for search engines, and ‘user-to-user’ services with “a significant number of UK users, or targeting the UK market”, where people may encounter content, including message, videos, and images that have been generated, uploaded, or shared by users.

Ofcom will use the ‘strong enforcement powers’ at its disposal, including applying to courts to block platforms in serious cases, and issuing fines of up to 10% of turnover, or £18 million for non-compliance.

“From our experience in advising clients with their Online Safety Act experience and assisting with their risk assessments, it is important for service providers to get it right and conduct the risk assessments properly,” comments Terry Green, Social Media Partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman UK LLP.

“This means service providers must fully take into account Ofcom’s risk profiles, various factors attributing to the risks and meet robust record keeping requirements. The amount of guidance released by Ofcom indicates it has high expectations in terms of how service providers are complying with its statutory duty.”

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This delusional airport trend only appeals to those who have no concept of how time or space work. Here’s how to actually travel like a pro.

A federal judge is requesting the DOJ give a sworn declaration about deportations over the weekend. And, Israel launched surprise airstrikes in Gaza early Tuesday, killing over 400.

(Image credit: Eyad Baba)

• A German retailer and a UAE classifieds site have listed the Pixel 9a for sale
• Specs and images were also included
• These listings suggest the phone will be launching imminently

The Google Pixel 9a must be one of the most heavily leaked phones in recent memory, as along with leaked specs and images we recently saw detailed hands-on Pixel 9a videos – and now the phone has popped up for sale in two different places.

As spotted by GSMArena, the phone was listed on a now-removed page on the website of German retailer Technomarkt. The listing included pictures, a starting price of 549 euros (roughly $600 / £460 / AU$940), and a fairly detailed specs list.

According to the listing, the Google Pixel 9a will come in Gray, Rose, Black, and Violet shades, will have Gorilla Glass 3 protection, and will have either 128GB or 256GB of storage.

(Image credit: Technomarkt.de) Solid specs we've heard before

It apparently has a 6.3-inch FHD+ OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2,700 nits, and it’s said to have a Tensor G4 chipset like the rest of the Pixel 9 line, 8GB of RAM, a 5,100mAh battery, a 48MP main camera, and a 13MP ultra-wide camera, all of which are details we've heard before.

(Image credit: Dubizzle)

The other listing is less revealing, and takes the form of a classifieds post in the UAE. This then isn’t an official store; rather it’s an individual who's selling a Pixel 9a for AED 2,350 (around $640 / £490 / AU$1,000), but the listing does include pictures of the box.

The fact that both of these listings exist suggests the Google Pixel 9a will launch very soon. Indeed, the German listing stated that the phone would be delivered in around 10-14 days.

We don’t know for sure when the Pixel 9a will be announced, but leaks suggest we could see it as soon as tomorrow (March 19), in which case we should know all the official details soon – although with the Pixel 9a having been so extensively leaked, we don’t expect to learn much that we haven’t already heard.

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• Subsea cables can detect disturbances in the light pulses they carry
• These can be used to locate potential sources of sabotage or damage
• Acoustic sabotage detection will become more common for subsea cables

Following several recent incidents of sabotage against undersea internet cables, many European countries, the European Union, and NATO, are looking for ways to detect attacks as and when they happen.

AP Sensing has now developed a way to ‘listen’ for irregular light pulses travelling through undersea fiber optic cables caused by acoustic energy, such as a diver touching a cable, or a ship dragging its anchor towards one.

Over 95% of the world's internet traffic travels using undersea cables, with damage to these cables being the leading cause of internet disruptions in early 2024.

Detecting sabotage

During a diver detection demonstration shown to the BBC, Daniel Gerwig, global sales manager at AP Sensing, said, “He stops and just touches the cable lightly, you clearly see the signal. The acoustic energy which travels through the fiber is basically disturbing our signal. We can measure this disturbance.”

In addition to the disturbances created by the acoustic energy of a diver touching the cable or a ship passing by, the light signals travelling through fiber optic cables can also be disturbed by changes in temperature, potentially indicating that a section has become unburied.

The technology developed by AP Sensing can also provide some approximate insight into a vessel’s size, location, and even direction of travel. The technology does not require brand new cables to be installed, as the system can use ‘dark’ or unused fibers, or live fibers with free channels.

The system is not perfect however, and requires listening stations to be installed on the cables around every 100km or so, with Gerwig noting that its systems can pick up vibrations up to hundreds of meters away, but “usually not several kilometers away.” The detection distance also varies on how much acoustic energy is transmitted into the cables.

Many other telecommunications and subsea cable companies are developing novel ways of detecting potential damage or sabotage of undersea cables following damage to a number of cables in the Baltic Sea that evidence suggests was deliberately caused by Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’.

Russia’s shadow fleet is made up of incognito commercial shipping vessels that appear to be engaged in maritime trade, but in reality often conduct reconnaissance, espionage, and, in this case, subsea cable sabotage. The vessels often have complex ownership structures and obscured or unknown insurance.

In 2024, the International Advisory Body for Submarine Cable Resilience was launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) in response to increasing geopolitical tensions and the targeting of subsea cables by groups in the Red Sea area.

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Martha Stewart talks gardening, wanting to be "one of the girls" and her 101st book with NPR Morning Edition host Michel Martin.

(Image credit: Elizabeth Zeschin)

The Paris AI Summit brought global leaders together to discuss pressing topics such as AI safety and governance. However, one key takeaway from the summit was the ongoing divide between policy makers and their goals versus the everyday challenges businesses face when it comes to integrating AI and maximizing its results.

While global discussions on AI tools often focus on increasing compute power, the real question for businesses is not just about capacity, but how effectively AI is utilized.

Speed Over Scale: The True Competitive Advantage

In the race to leverage AI, businesses often focus on scaling up their technology—purchasing more powerful software, adopting advanced algorithms, and increasing computational resources. While these efforts provide short-term improvements, the true competitive advantage lies in how quickly AI can deliver actionable insights. As opposed to simply aiming to expand AI’s capabilities, businesses should focus on how AI can help drive faster, data-driven decision-making.

The real differentiator is speed. In an AI-driven landscape, latency can substantially impact the agility of a company. Organizations that optimize their AI systems to deliver faster results will have the ability to respond more quickly to market changes, customer demands, and emerging opportunities, which all impact upon business successes. The faster a business can act on data insights, the more likely it is for the business to stay ahead of the competition.

Optimizing AI for Workforce Productivity

Treating AI as a supplementary tool or a “nice-to-have” often results in missed opportunities. The most successful AI deployments are those that embed the technology into the core of the organization, where it can seamlessly integrate with business workflows across teams and drive real value.

The key to unlocking productivity gains is ensuring that AI works in tandem with other systems within the organization. It’s not enough to simply apply AI to individual tasks; companies need to focus on integrating it into key areas like customer service, supply chain management, and fraud detection, where its impact can be maximized. By aligning AI with core business processes, organizations can drive efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the speed at which they make decisions.

Beyond operational efficiency, AI is also transforming workforce productivity. Businesses are now using AI-driven automation to enhance employee workflows, reducing time spent on repetitive tasks and allowing staff to focus on higher-value work. AI-powered tools can streamline project management, improve collaboration, and enhance decision-making across departments.

The future of AI in business lies with organizations that leverage AI to empower their workforce both horizontally and vertically to ensure all levels and all teams are using the technology to their advantage. This will see gains in efficiency and improvements in employee satisfaction and innovation.

Achieving AI Maturity: Strategy, Implementation, and Growth

To fully realize AI’s potential, businesses must approach its adoption as a long-term strategy rather than a quick technological fix. A structured AI roadmap—focused on clear business objectives, continuous optimization, and workforce enablement—can help organizations unlock sustained value.

The companies that succeed with AI will be those that not only integrate it into their operations but also cultivate an AI-first mindset. By embedding AI-driven insights into everyday decision-making, businesses can build resilience, accelerate growth, and remain competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

As AI continues to evolve, businesses that prioritize strategic integration, real-time insights, and measurable impact will be best positioned for long-term success. The key is not just adopting AI, but using it intelligently to drive agility, efficiency, and innovation. Now is the time for organizations to move beyond theoretical discussions and take actionable steps toward AI-driven transformation.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro's Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

Tariffs, inflation and stock market volatility won't affect your CD returns.

It's hard to believe we're already a third of the way through Daredevil: Born Again season 1. But, even though we're three episodes down on the latest Marvel TV show, there are still six more to go. We won't be bidding farewell to Matt Murdock and company just yet, then.

So, when will Born Again's fourth episode be available to stream on Disney+? In this article, I'll reveal when it'll launch in the US, UK, and Australia. I've also included a full episode release schedule at the bottom of this guide, so you can commit it to memory and work out when new episodes will be released.

When can I watch Daredevil: Born Again episode 4 on Disney+ in the US?

"What do you mean we have to wait until Tuesday night to watch episode 4?" (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Just like its three predecessors, Daredevil: Born Again's fourth chapter will be available to watch at 6PM PT and 9PM ET. It'll air on Tuesday, March 18 on Disney+, aka one of the world's best streaming services, too, for those wondering.

What is Daredevil: Born Again episode 4 going to come out in the UK?

"Vanessa, the wait for episode 4 is even longer for our UK fans" (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

UK viewers will be reunited with Matt Murdock and his superhero alias Daredevil (well, if the latter shows up this week) on Wednesday, March 19 at 1AM GMT.

New episodes of the Marvel Phase 5 TV series will drop at that time next week as well. After that, though, the clocks will go forward in the UK, so the Disney+ UK release time will change from April 2 onwards. But, those of us who live on British shores will worry about that closer to the time.

When will Daredevil: Born Again episode 4 get released in Australia?

Looking through the Disney+ Australia schedule to find out when episode 4 will air like... (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

Born Again's fourth entry is set to make its Disney+ debut in Australia on Wednesday, March 19 at 12PM AEDT.

Like the UK, the episodic release time will change Down Under soon. The clocks will go back on Sunday, April 6, so you'll need to take that into account once it happens. I'll let you know when new episodes of this Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) will launch on Disney+ in Australia once that takes effect.

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When will new episodes of Daredevil: Born Again be released where I live?

Will Muse finally show his face – I mean, mask – in episode 4? (Image credit: Marvel Studios/Disney+)

New chapters of Daredevil: Born Again, which is one of the best Disney+ shows around, will arrive every week. There is one exception to that rule, though. In February, it was revealed that Born Again will have an unusual Disney+ launch schedule.

The reason? The forthcoming release of Andor season 2. The highly-anticipated Star Wars show's second and final season will be released on April 22. To stave off a clash between it and Born Again, the latter's first season needs to end before the first three episodes of Andor's sophomore outing are with us.

In short: Daredevil: Born Again has to wrap up by April 15. Here, then, is when new entries will air on Disney+:

• Episode 1 – out now
• Episode 2 – out now
• Episode 3 – out now
• Episode 4 – March 18 (US); March 19 (UK and Australia)
• Episode 5 – March 25 (US); March 26 (UK and Australia)
• Episode 6 – March 25 (US); March 26 (UK and Australia)
• Episode 7 – April 1 (US); April 2 (UK and Australia)
• Episode 8 – April 8 (US); April 9 (UK and Australia)
• Episode 9 – April 15 (US); April 16 (UK and Australia)

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While the U.S. grapples with an egg shortage caused by avian flu, eggs remain plentiful and affordable in Canada. There are reasons for that, including that egg farms there tend to be smaller.

(Image credit: Patrick T. Fallon)

The Trump administration cut a clause from federal contracting rules that had been on the books since the 1960s: Companies are no longer explicitly prohibited from having segregated facilities.

(Image credit: William Lovelace/Hulton Archive)

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(Image credit: Jeff Roberson)

Jersey City doesn’t have a long list of internet providers, but the good news is you can still get blazing-fast multigig speeds. Here are CNET's top picks.

This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.

HP’s OfficeJet Pro 9012e is almost indistinguishable from the 9010e we crowned inkjet Labs winner this time last year. It’s a chunky-looking, businessy MFP aimed squarely at home and small offices. While it’s clearly not an enterprise-class device, it’s built to take moderately high use, with a one-time maximum monthly duty cycle of up to 25,000 pages.

In reality this MFP is unlikely to print anywhere near that volume, but it’s well set up for its recommended 1,500 pages a month. In its base you’ll find a 250-sheet paper cassette, while on top there’s a 35-sheet ADF. It can print, scan, copy and fax, with direct control coming via a 6.9cm color touchscreen running a user-friendly menu. It’s hidden slightly on the left side, but you also get a USB host port for direct prints and scans.

The “e” on some HP printers denotes that you must sign up to HP+ to activate the device, and thereafter leave it connected to the internet for it to function. Happily, that’s not the case here, with users allowed to choose whether to activate HP+, the Instant Ink subscription service, or neither. We asked HP to clarify whether it had changed its “dual SKU strategy” which obliged users to choose HP+ or not at the time of purchase, but didn’t hear back before we went to press.

Regardless, the 9012e offers the best of all worlds. Choose to sign up to HP+ and you’ll get an additional year’s warranty and six months of Instant Ink for free. Opt out and you can still get two years’ cover with online registration, and choose to sign up to Instant Ink if you want. We discuss the economics of this in View from the Labs, but without it – at 1p per page in black or 4.2p in color – the 9012e is cheap to run for a cartridge-based inkjet.

Control is via a user-friendly 6.9cm touchscreen (Image credit: Future)

HP claims the 9012e has self-healing Wi-Fi, but we had issues connecting it to our regular Labs router – an unremarkable dual-band TP-Link. It couldn’t detect the 2.4GHz network until we rebooted it, after which the printer failed to connect and lost sight of it again. We tried the 5GHz network with similar results, eventually giving up and using our main router. Although this worked without any problems, it’s further away from the test area, which may have slowed the 9012e down.

If it did, we can’t say we especially noticed. The OfficeJet Pro 9012e took quite a while to spool and start printing multi-page jobs, but once started it was the fastest inkjet in this group. It hit 21.1 pages per minute (ppm) on our 25-page text test, and reached an equally impressive 6.9ppm over 24 pages of color graphics. Encouraged by these results we tried our 50-page Alice in Wonderland test, but with a very long spool time this proved slower at just 11.6ppm. The 9012e was also underwhelming when duplexing, reaching only 3.4ipm when printing ten sides of color graphics.

For an inkjet, this is a fast copier, managing single black pages in nine seconds, and needing only ten seconds in color. It rattled off ten mono copies in 71 seconds, and again needed little longer in color, taking 79 seconds. A 10-page, 20-side duplex color photocopy took nearly five minutes, however.

When it came to scanning, this was again the fastest inkjet here, dispatching low-resolution A4 scans in only ten seconds. We were even more impressed at higher resolutions, the 9012e needing only 12 seconds to capture a 10 x 15cm photo at 600dpi.

The 9012e isn’t a great photo printer, with its pigment inks drying to a dull, semi-matte finish. We were also disappointed in its slightly dark and dingy photocopies. Otherwise, it’s hard to fault the quality of its prints and scans, particularly on typical office jobs such as text and color graphics. It’s certainly good enough for printing formal correspondence, and it would be great for archiving documents – if only it came with software that could save scans as searchable PDFs.

Overall, this remains a great MFP for a typical home office. It’s fast, robust, produces good results, and is almost as cheap to run as cartridge-based inkjets get. However, its purchase price has crept up somewhat compared to the 9010e, so it loses out on value for money.

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This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.

HP’s LaserJet Pro MFP 4302fdw looks like the perfect color laser MFP for a small office. It’s a four-in-one with fax, topped off by a 50-sheet ADF. Both this and the printer are duplex-capable, so you can start a multi-page double-sided copy and go off to put the kettle on.

This MFP has virtually no packing to remove – you can just load up paper, join it to a network and install the drivers. Unfortunately, that didn’t go as smoothly as it should have. The touchscreen didn’t confirm whether the 4302fdw had joined our Labs network, and it didn’t respond when we repeatedly tried to print a network report. Shortly afterwards the printer sprang into life, delivering several unwanted copies.

We still don’t love HP’s TWAIN scan software, which in this case doesn’t offer 150dpi, but its MFPs’ lipless scan platens make it so much easier to retrieve your originals. This is quite a fast scanner, managing a 10 x 15cm photo at 600dpi in just 17 seconds, but it repeatedly dropped out midway through our 1,200dpi test.

The 4302fdw’s control panel makes life easy, but it wasn’t always particularly responsive (Image credit: Future)

If it’s been idle for a while, the 4302fdw needs only about three seconds extra to warm up before delivering a first black or color page. From standby it managed this in 17 seconds, and went on to deliver our 25-page test in exactly a minute. It was slower on our challenging color test, but its 14.4ppm still compares well at this price.

At 1.5p in black or 8p per color page this isn’t the cheapest laser to run, but you can sign it up to HP’s Instant Ink toner delivery, which brings the cost down as low as 1.3p. Unfortunately, you can’t do much about the 4302fdw’s indifferent print and scan quality. Black text was perfect, but graphics and photographs had a blue bias, apart from skin tones, which tended to look flushed. Office scans were perfectly good, but with photos we noticed a loss of detail from the darkest areas.

It’s a shame. The LaserJet Pro MFP 4302fdw should be the perfect small office device, but its results are just a little too weak.

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This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.

If Epson’s EcoTank ET-2830 was a normal inkjet we’d be bemoaning its high price and taking aim at a relatively basic specification. We’ll come back to the latter, but the first is explained by this MFP’s refillable ink tanks. The ET-2830 arrives with about 6,000 pages’ worth of bottled ink – enough to see out a year or two of light use in the home. It’s better value out of the box than a comparable entry-level, cartridge-based device.

And entry-level the ET-2830 is. It’s a three-in-one, able to print, scan and copy, yet there’s no display, no USB port and no memory card slot. Instead, you get a few buttons and LEDs, and a reasonably appealing and uncluttered design. It offers just a single rear paper feed, and a basic scanner with no ADF. The printer can’t flip over pages for double-sided prints, although the driver will help you do it manually.

The ET-2830 arrives with blue tape holding down every conceivable flap. Remove that and it’s time to flip open its ink tanks and empty the supplied black and color inks into the relevant nozzle – they’re physically keyed to prevent a disastrous misfuelling. This is usually the bit where we gripe about waiting for the one-off ink priming to complete, but Epson’s new Smart Panel app lets you join the MFP to a wireless network and get on with installing software while you wait. We found its verbosity annoying, but it worked perfectly and turned out to be a time-saver overall.

Once set up, this MFP offers no real surprises. Despite its basic nature, it will happily get on with regular household or micro-office duties, leaving printed pages in a neat stack. As you might expect, it’s not especially fast, managing only 12.3ppm on our 25-page black text test. However, with the print quality dropped to draft it reached 17.2ppm – significantly more than Epson’s stated 15ppm.

These ink tanks make all the difference, turning this MFP into a bargain (Image credit: Future)

Cheaper inkjets often make a meal of our challenging 24-page colour graphics test, but the ET-2830 chugged along at a steady 4.5ppm – more competitive than it sounds. It wasn’t even that slow when printing larger photos, needing about three minutes for each 10 x 8in shot printed onto A4 paper. Unfortunately, it only offers borderless prints on 10 x 15cm paper, on which it took a beard-lengthening 14 minutes to deliver six prints. Color photocopies provided another opportunity to grow facial hair, with a single copy needing 35 seconds. At least mono copies, at 14 seconds each, were relatively brisk.

The ET-2850’s scanner didn’t hang about at lower resolutions. It completed a preview in 12 seconds, and in the same timeframe could capture an A4 document at 150dpi. At 300dpi, the same job took 22 seconds. Things got slower at middling resolutions, with the scanner needing 37 seconds to capture a 10 x 15cm photo at 600dpi. However, scan speeds remained competitive at 1,200dpi, with the same document needing just less than a minute.

Delightfully, there’s nothing especially entry-level about the quality of this MFP’s prints, scans or copies. Draft text was quite faint, but Normal quality produced crisp and dark results. Colour graphics weren’t the boldest we’ve seen, but they were free of banding, and comfortably good enough for home and internal business use. Photocopies faithfully reproduced the originals – although colour copies were a touch less saturated.

This MFP’s photo prints were a highlight of our tests, combining surprisingly crisp details with vivid colors and realistic skin tones. Only our black and white photo presented a challenge, with the ET-2830 adding a slight green tint and failing to preserve the darkest shade details. We were also very impressed with its scan quality, which combined excellent color accuracy with a wide dynamic range, making the most of office documents and photographs.

The EcoTank ET-2830 may be basic, but it’s not unduly slow, and it does everything well. Yes, it’s missing duplex printing and other helpful features, but it’s about as cheap as refillable inkjets get. Once you’ve used up the generous bundled ink, its ongoing running costs are less than 0.5p per color page. Don’t be fooled by the purchase price: the ET-2830 is a bargain.

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This review first appeared in issue 353 of PC Pro.

While Canon’s Maxify printers are aimed at home and small offices, the Pixma series is unapologetically focused on creative and home use. The Pixma TS8750 sits near the top of the current lineup; a six-ink MFP offering high-quality photo prints and detailed scanning. What it lacks in office features it makes up for with photo-friendly touches such as the memory card slot and a huge color touchscreen display.

The TS8750 is a striking MFP, made from a mix of textured, shiny and translucent black plastics. Its squat stance makes it look as much like AV equipment as it does a printer. But although it looks as if you could sit the TS8750 on a bookshelf, you’d risk losing access to its scanner and its 100-sheet rear paper tray. The bulk of the MFP is inset slightly from a base that juts out at the front. Here you’ll find a 100-sheet paper cassette and the card slot.

If it’s not immediately obvious where paper comes out, all becomes clear when you start printing. The TS8750’s motorized paper output tray emerges – tilting the front panel upwards – shortly followed by your first page. It’s a slick party piece, partially reversed when you turn the MFP off; the panel itself isn’t motorized, so it stays slightly open.

With manufacturers including Canon making a big push on refillable printers, it almost feels odd to fit the TS8750’s six supplied cartridges. They’re easy to insert and, although you can physically put them in the wrong slots, the printer won’t initialize until it detects everything is ship-shape. This printer augments a standard black, cyan, magenta and yellow setup with grey and a second black cartridge. The three colors, grey and smaller black cartridges all contain dye-based inks, ideal for photo printing, while the main black tank is pigmented for strong black text on plain paper.

Squat, smart and very black, the TS8750 doesn’t look like the average MFP (Image credit: Future)

The TS8750’s chunky SD card slot might seem to the smartphone generation like a relic, but it makes sense when many high-end cameras still use full-sized SD for storage. Insert a loaded card and the initial single-shot preview isn’t that helpful. You can pull up a multi-frame view through which it’s easier to find specific shots from a selection of snaps, but it won’t let you batch select photos to print.

The TS8750 has two other foibles. There’s a handy lip to help you pull out its main paper cassette, but it’s obscured once the output tray is extended. The paper output tray has a flip-up stop, useful to rein in multiple pages after longer print jobs, but it’s not extended automatically when the tray itself emerges.

We hit the TS8750 with our usual mix of office documents and photos. It wasn’t especially fast, reaching just 13.4ppm over 25 pages of text, and only 3.9ppm on our demanding graphics test. Photo prints were snappier, with borderless 10 x 15cm postcards arriving every 70 seconds or so, although a borderless A4 print inched out over five minutes.

This is a reasonably fast scanner, completing a preview in 12 seconds, and needing 20 seconds to capture an A4 document at 150dpi. At a detailed 1,200dpi it needed 78 seconds to complete a 10 x 15cm photo scan. Copy speeds were middling, with a single page taking 17 seconds in black only or 23 in color.

The huge 10.8cm touchscreen is a doddle to use (Image credit: Future)

If we were underwhelmed by this MFP’s speeds, it rose sharply in our estimations once we looked at our results. Black text was as crisp and bold as you’ll get from an inkjet, while color graphics were punchy and consistent, with only the merest hint of banding. Photocopies were very strong, with both mono and color copies preserving the details of the original.

Without doubt, the best results came on glossy photo paper, and from the TS8750’s scanner. Captured images showed a sharp focus with faithful colors and a wide dynamic range that preserved detail from the very lightest and darkest parts of originals. Photo prints were exceptional, offering perfectly reproduced skin tones, vibrant colors and crisp detailing. Unsurprisingly, given the dedicated black and grey inks, black and white prints were rich and free of any color cast.

This isn’t a cheap multifunction in the first place, and with a cost per page upwards of 10p, it won’t prove especially economical in use. That’s particularly true if you’ll often print text, every page of which will set you back a steep 3.5p. However, if you want a smart home MFP that’s as comfortable printing photos as it is scanning artwork, the TS8750 may well prove worth the premium.

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