Octa-Core 6.5 Inch Android 4.2 Mobile Phone is a Clive Gray Computers first as it offers superb specifications including a MTK6592 1.7GHz true 8 core CPU, 13 Megapixel Rear Camera and 1280x720p Resolution for the next generation feel of mobile phones.

Finally a true octa-core smart phone has been released and Clive Gray Computers are first in the queue in receiving a batch of these unique and extremely powerful phones. This 6.5 inch display powerhouse of a phone has been designed to give the user a special experience into the world of multi-core. The heart and soul of this phone is the MT6592 Octa-core CPU that can reach speeds of 1.7GHz, this processor offers a higher performance at a lower energy, which can be a big issue in mobile devices as they operate using batteries. Since each and every core in a multi-core is generally more energy-efficient, the chip becomes more efficient than having a single large monolithic core resulting in a higher performance that uses less energy. This phone uses a true, authentic octa-core CPU, which helps it increase its benefits and optimizing the system approach to the absolute maximum. By permitting tasks to run at tandem with the use of multiple different cores, the phone’s octa-core cleverly allocates processing power to where it is required, both on a per-application and per-task basis. Being an Android mobile phone, the user has access to a whole new world of customization while still having a user friendly interface. Exploit the phone’s octa-core power by downloading applications and seem them run with ease. 

Pictures will look great as the Android eight core phone has a 13 megapixel rear camera that makes capturing moments more special due to the higher pixels. Watch videos, view media and generally enjoy any that is shown on the 6.5 inch 5 point capacitive touch screen display of the cell phone as it has a 1280x720p resolution, which makes for a fantastic visual experience. Also, this octo-core phone supports 1080p video recording 

This is a large phone that is not so much of a burden because it has a 9.7mm super slim body that fits perfectly in the back pocket of your jeans making it convenient to carry. With many other features including Wi-Fi Miracast, 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory that can be expanded by an addition 32GB via the phone’s built in micro SD card slot, the Android octo-core phone is the perfect definition of next generation phones. 

Great for videos, games and web-surfing, the octa-core phone delivers a performance that no other phone on the high street can match.

At a Glance…

• Android 4.2 Mobile Phone
• MTK6592 Octa-Core 1.7GHz CPU
• 13 Megapixel Rear Camera
• 6.5 Inch Screen Display
• 1280x720p Resolution

All this for just €264.95

We are in the season to be jolly, fa la la la laaaa, la la la laa.
Time to part with lots of lolly, fa la la la laaa, la la la laa.
Bought a laptop from the auction, fa la la la laaaa, la la la laa.
Got it home and now it's crapped out, fa la la la laaaa, la laa laa laaaaa.

Jesting aside, buying a second hand laptop can be fraught with problems, depending where you buy it from.

Without exception, all the laptops I've seen at the various auction houses I wouldn't entertain. They look nice on the outside, all nice an clean (for the most part). It's when you start looking what's on the inside that you realise it's about to expire.

My rule of thumb for selling second hand pc's is - would I use it? If I answer no, then I don't see why I should expect my customers to either.

How do you know what to look for?

Firstly, look at the brand. Proper brands (Acer, HP, Toshiba) will usually be OK, although I wouldn't touch Acer or HP myself but if it's a cheapie brand, then don't expect it to last very long.

Well, if it's running, see who the previous owner was. If it says 'owner' or 'user' then you know it's been reinstalled with an illegal operating system (unless it has the manufacturers installation disc with it). Check that the operating system is the same one that's on the label on the laptop.

Check the size of the hard drive. If it's 80G or less, it's probably the original or a second hand one and if it has windows xp on it, it could be over ten years old. If it has a small hard drive and anything newer than windows xp, then it's definitely an illegal operating system and you should steer clear because it probably won't work properly. Again, check the labels on the laptop.

Another thing to look at is how much memory does it have. You need a MINIMUM of 1G to run xp or vista and more for win7. When xp first came out, it would run on a pc with just 128M of ram (memory) and many still have just 256M. Avoid these like the plague.

What programs does it have installed, if none, once again, it's probably a hookey OS so don't expect it to run properly. I have a customer who had a 'modified' copy of xp installed by somebody wanting to show off how clever they were. That has now crapped out to such an extent it's almost unusable and he needs a proper copy of windows installing now.

I'm always suspicious of 'modified' copies of windows. What has been modified, what has been added. It could easily have spyware added in, trojans or anything they desire.

I've also seen laptops for sale on facebook and enquired about them. Some definitely have the wrong version of windows on them because I checked with the manufacturers website. When I asked the seller (someone who sells them for a living) about this, the answer I got was 'that's what it had on it when I got it'. My comment about that is - liar.

I did ask some other questions as well, including recovery discs. He's selling machines with win7 on them 'with the disc that came with it'. Thing is, on checking, some of those machines came with vista ONLY - never had win7 on them at any time. That means you are paying over the odds for an old pc - and one that I wouldn't use.

I don't consider €200 to be a fair price for a five year old laptop. Why? Because the life expectancy is five to seven years for a decent model in good hands.

My advice:

• check the manufacturers website to see what version of windows it should have
  
• check labels on it - all laptops less than 8 years old will tell you the windows version
• check size of hard drive
• check how much memory (don't touch anything with less than 1G)
• make sure you have minimum 6 months full warranty (repair, replace or cash back)
  
• avoid 'modified' copies of windows
• insist on official recovery discs (it's built in to some pc's - HP & Compaq and others - make sure they work
• don't buy cheap models or nondescript brands
• do your research and know what spec you want
• buy from a recognised bona fide trader, not from facebook or the man in the pub

Sorry, I don't currently have any used laptops that I would sell to my clients.

A group called Malware Must Die have just reported they have successfully identified and suspended 138 Cryptolocker Command and Control (C&C) servers.  This is wonderful news but is surely just a drop in the ocean but there could be other ramifications with this for those people already infected with Cryptolocker.

The way Cryptolocker works is by encrypting your files using a public and private key. The public key is on your computer and the private key is held elsewhere. In this case on a C&C server. Once this process is complete, it then tells you you're infected and currently, the ONLY way you can get your files back is by paying the 'ransom' displayed on your screen before the countdown timer gets to zero. This 'ransom' could be anything upwards of $300.

But what if your private key is on one of the C&C servers suspended by Malware Must Die? Quite simply, I believe your files are toast because your computer cannot communicate with the C&C server to retrieve the private key and decrypt your files.

Don't think this will never happen to you. It has hit BIG companies and private individuals alike, all who believed they were immune to such attacks, or didn't think they had anything worth bothering about. How wrong they ALL were.

Now if you haven't done so already, get your files backed up off your computer. If you back up to a USB drive, make sure it's totally disconnected from the computer between backups and don't try backing up if you find yourself infected with Cryptolocker unless you want to lose the lot.

How do you back up?

You could use the Windows Backup and Restore option if you wish, or just follow the instructions below.

First, make sure all your files are where they should be - somewhere in your 'My Documents' folder (Win XP) of somewhere in your 'Libraries' folder (Vista/7/8) and not on your desktop like I see all too often.

Then all you need to do is copy the 'My Documents/Libraries' folder to the external drive.

Keep safe!