How do I choose a mobile tariff that fits how I use a phone?
Working out what you actually use, the difference between SIM-only and a handset contract, and the terms that cost more than the headline.
beginner25 min4 min read
Buying Tech
What matters on a spec sheet and what doesn't.
35 guides in Technology
Which charger and cable should I use?
What the numbers on a charger mean, why cables differ more than they look, and where cheap is genuinely dangerous.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I choose a laptop?
Which specifications actually affect how a laptop feels to use, which are marketing, and how to match a machine to what you'll do with it.
beginner45 min3 min readShould I upgrade my computer or replace it?
The two upgrades that transform an old machine, and the point at which spending more stops making sense.
beginner25 min2 min readWhat do laptop specifications actually mean?
The four numbers that matter, what they do, and the ones that are mostly marketing.
beginner20 min2 min readHow much phone storage do I actually need?
Work it out from what you currently use rather than guessing — and why underspending here is the expensive mistake.
beginner15 min2 min readIs it worth buying refurbished technology?
The difference between manufacturer refurbished, seller refurbished and used — and what to check before buying.
beginner20 min2 min readShould I buy a tablet or a laptop?
The tasks that separate them, why a keyboard case does not turn one into the other, and who genuinely needs both.
beginner20 min4 min readAre third-party ink cartridges worth it?
Compatible and refilled cartridges cost a fraction of the originals and are legal to use. Where they genuinely work, where they cause trouble, and the calculation that decides it for your household.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I get better sound from a television?
Why modern televisions sound poor, the settings that help before you spend anything, and what a soundbar actually fixes.
beginner30 min4 min readHow long will a phone I buy today keep getting updates?
Manufacturers publish a commitment in years from the model's release, not from your purchase. It is the most useful specification when comparing phones and almost nobody checks it.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I choose a phone?
The specifications that actually affect daily use, and the ones marketing emphasises that do not.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I choose a television?
Size, panel type and brightness matter; most of the rest of the specification does not.
beginner25 min2 min readHow do I choose headphones?
Start from where you will use them — that decides more than any specification.
beginner20 min2 min readShould I trade in my old phone or sell it myself?
Trade-in is convenient and pays less; selling privately pays materially more and costs you time and some risk. The gap is widest on recent flagships and narrowest on old mid-range phones.
beginner30 min4 min readHow far should I sit from a TV, and what size fits the room?
The geometry that connects screen size, seating distance and resolution, and the honest answer to whether you will see the difference from where you actually sit.
beginner20 min4 min readShould I buy a refurbished laptop, phone or tablet?
What the word refurbished actually covers, the difference between a manufacturer refurbishment and a marketplace grade, and the checks that make it a genuinely good buy rather than a gamble.
beginner25 min4 min readShould I buy a Windows laptop or a Chromebook?
A Chromebook is cheaper, faster on modest hardware, far harder to infect and almost maintenance-free — as long as everything you do runs in a browser. The specific things that do not, and the expiry date on the box that nobody mentions.
beginner25 min6 min readWhat should I check on a second-hand laptop or phone before buying?
A twenty-minute inspection that finds the faults that cannot be seen in a photograph — activation locks, battery wear, hinge and port damage, and the screen problems only a plain background reveals.
beginner30 min5 min readDo I still need an aerial, or should I just stream everything?
The three routes television takes into a house compared honestly on cost, reliability and what each one fails at — including what you give up by removing the aerial.
beginner25 min4 min readHow do I choose a broadband package?
Matching speed to actual household use, reading past the headline figure, and the contract terms that matter.
beginner45 min2 min readHow do I get a device repaired or replaced under warranty?
Who to approach, what to prepare before you do, the wording that gets a claim taken seriously, and what to do when the answer is no.
beginner45 min5 min readHow do I choose a monitor for working at home?
The specifications that change how a monitor feels to work at all day, the ones that only matter for gaming or photography, and the ones that are pure marketing.
beginner25 min4 min readWhich SSD fits my computer — SATA, M.2 or NVMe?
Three physical formats, two interfaces, and one notch that decides whether it fits. How to identify what your machine takes before you buy.
intermediate30 min4 min read
Going deeper: DecisionHQ
Product and option comparisons with explicit criteria, rather than a single recommendation.