Alex Blake

Alex Blake

Freelance Contributor

Alex Blake has been fooling around with computers since the early 1990s, and since that time he's learned a thing or two about tech. No more than two things, though. That's all his brain can hold. As well as TechRadar, Alex writes for iMore, Digital Trends and Creative Bloq, among others. He was previously commissioning editor at MacFormat magazine. That means he mostly covers the world of Apple and its latest products, but also Windows, computer peripherals, mobile apps, and much more beyond. When not writing, you can find him hiking the English countryside and gaming on his PC.

Articles by: Alex Blake

A wearable poison-detection patch developed by North Carolina State University.

This wearable patch will buzz your arm when it detects poisons, and it could one day save your life

By Alex Blake Published

A new skin patch can warn you of environmental toxins using a clever system of haptic vibrations.

A firefox logo on a mobile phone

I’m a diehard Firefox user — and its new ad blocker rolling out on iOS could finally let me switch from Safari

By Alex Blake Published

Firefox’s iOS app now has a built-in ad blocker to protect your browsing privacy.

Upset gamer with her head in her hands

The hidden cost of the RAM crisis: why memory prices might not be your only PC upgrade worry

By Alex Blake Published

Upgrading your PC often means buying more than just expensive RAM, especially if compatibility issues are in play.

iFixit tearing down the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 foldable phone.

iFixit showed the shocking damage dust can do to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 — and the iPhone Ultra needs to solve this

By Alex Blake Published

iFixit tore down the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and discovered the huge damage dust can do to its hinge.

A man looking tired and bored at his gaming pc

‘If it was opt in, nobody would opt in’: Amazon’s AI is being trained on your Twitch streams unless you turn it off — here’s how to stop it

By Alex Blake Published

Twitch users’ streams are being used to train Amazon’s AI, and you have to opt out to stop it.

Two phones showing the Google Health app.

‘Nonstop lies from the AI’: As Google launches the Pixel Watch 5, its redesigned Google Health app is leaving Fitbit users incensed at its crazy hallucinations

By Alex Blake Published

Fitbit users say Google Health’s AI is hallucinating non-existent workouts and imagining fake exercise numbers.

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The Amazfit Active Max smartwatch.

Amazfit’s five-star fitness tracker just got a new way to take on Garmin’s best smartwatches, and it just got even better value

By Alex Blake Published

Amazfit has added several new features to its range of fitness smartwatches, including for swimming and indoor rowing workouts.

An Apple Watch showing a move goal streak of 2,000 days.

‘My Apple Watch is going to hate this’: Our wearables are making us anxious and obsessive — Here’s what we can all do about it

By Alex Blake Published

Wearables are designed to create healthy habits, but what happens when they end up reinforcing unhealthy behavior?

A hand holding a phone showing a call from an unknown number

WhatsApp scam costs Hong Kong man $1.27 million after criminals used AI voice notes to impersonate his father — experts say secret codewords are the best way to stay safe

By Alex Blake Published

Scammers used AI to steal $1.27 million from a Hong Kong man as experts say a secret codeword can keep you safe.

The top of a Mac Pro desktop computer on an abstract background

The Mac Pro is dead. 20 years after its glitzy launch, what went wrong with Apple’s ultimate flagship computer?

By Alex Blake Published

The Mac Pro would be 20 today if it hadn’t been discontinued. Here’s why Apple ditched its most powerful Mac.

MacBook showcasing Chrome Canary in office

35 years ago today, the World Wide Web changed our lives forever — as Tim Berners-Lee says, ‘trading personal data for use certainly does not fit with my vision for a free web’

By Alex Blake Published

The World Wide Web was first announced by computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee 35 years ago today.

Three iPads running macOS thanks to the Virtual Mac on iPad project from GitHub.

Forget Sidecar, someone just got the real macOS working on an iPad — and it proves it’d be a terrible idea

By Alex Blake Published

Virtual Mac on iPad lets you run macOS on your iPad, but I think it’s more effort than it’s worth.

Two Samsung Galaxy Fit 2 fitness trackers on an orange background

Samsung’s cheap Fitbit Air rival just leaked again, but we still have tons of unanswered questions

By Alex Blake Published

Details of the Samsung Galaxy Fit 4 wearable have leaked in FCC regulatory filings.

Back to school

I’m an Apple expert, and I’ll show you how to buy the best Mac for going back to school

By Alex Blake Published

The best ways to save on a Mac for students, teachers and more.

Apple Health

Google just made managing your Fitbit health data far easier on iOS, and I can’t believe it’s taken this long

By Alex Blake Published

Fitbit data saved in Google Health can now be synced to Apple Health on iOS.

Indonesian student wearing hijab, sitting and using a laptop computer. She is at the university doing homework or assignment. She is smiling and looking down at the screen while typing on the keyboard.

Backpacks, USB hubs, and more: the essential accessories every student needs for their Mac

By Alex Blake Published

Supercharge your studies with the best back-to-school accessories for your Mac desktop or laptop.

A person lifting weights, with smartphones running Siri AI and ChatGPT on either side.

I asked ChatGPT and Siri AI to build me a workout plan — and there was only one winner

By Alex Blake Published

ChatGPT and Siri AI made AI-powered workout plans for me, and only one was worth keeping.

A person uses a Mac.

The best hidden macOS 27 features people aren’t talking about

By Alex Blake Published

5 of the best macOS 27 features that no one knows about.

The satellite connectivity feature of the Google Pixel Watch 4.

‘As a Pixel Watch 2 owner, this is disappointing’: Pixel Watch 5 leak just revealed a frustrating chip spec, but there’s one reason for hope

By Alex Blake Published

The Google Pixel Watch 5’s specs have apparently appeared in a new leak, and they’re dividing users.

Josh Kerr celebrating break the one mile record next to an Amazfit watch on a wrist

Amazfit Cheetah 2 Pro data reveals how Josh Kerr just shattered the 27-year-old mile world record — and his split stats explain the historic run

By Alex Blake Published

Amazfit has published data from Josh Kerr’s world-record mile time and revealed the secrets to his success.

An Asteroid Heating Up As It Reaches Earth's Atmosphere Ahead Of An Ocean Impact

An intrepid hiker just found something unbelievable on Google Maps — and it’s been hiding in plain sight for 390 million years

By Alex Blake Published

An amateur astronomer has discovered a 390-million-year-old meteorite crater on Google Maps.

A Starlink Mini satellite dish in use in the mountains.

Starlink Mini 2 may come with a major speed downgrade, according to a new leak — and that’s bad news for some users

By Alex Blake Published

The Starlink Mini 2 could have a built-in battery but lower internet speeds, a new leak claims.

A leaked image purporting to show the Garmin Cirqa band.

Garmin just accidentally revealed pricing for its own Fitbit Air rival — but leaked images look awfully dubious

By Alex Blake Published

Pricing and images for the unreleased Garmin Cirqa band have leaked, but not everything appears to be legitimate.

Find My app logo displayed on an iPhone 11 screen

An Apple 'Find My' mystery keeps sending strangers to a Reddit user's house in search of lost iPhones — here's what's likely happening

By Alex Blake Published

Apple’s Find My is sending people to the wrong address looking for their lost iPhones.

MacBook Air 15-inch with M4 chip on a creative's desk with screen open

MacBook users are filing off the sharp corners of their laptops for better wrist comfort

By Alex Blake Published

Apple users have been filing their MacBooks’ edges due to their painful sharpness.

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