Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 01-17-2014

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Fighting Talk: No, bad Nokia! Put down that Android at once! Jan 17th 2014, 13:05, by Phil Lavelle Know any Nokia fans? Noticed that they seem giddy, like their dreams are finally coming true? It's because the Finns could FINALLY be making an Android handset. This is bad news. The NokDroid project has been up and down more than a demented see saw. First, Nokia was developing an Android handset, fulfilling the liquid fantasy of geeks everywhere. Then the project was off. How could Nokia even consider such a thing? It's (sort of) owned by MICROSOFT for Gawd's sake. And now, it looks like it's back on. I can't keep up with this. I've never been the biggest fan of Windows Phone. Don't get me wrong. It's very nice. It has tiles. TILES. Who needs widgets? But I personally find it to have too many nuances. On one side, there's Android, which will let you customise to the hilt. On the other, there's iOS, which will barely let you change more than the wallpaper. Tell me I'm wrong Logically, Windows Phone should fall into the gap in the middle. But for me, it doesn't work. Hell, that's me. And I know the vehement fans of said OS will tell me I'm wrong. Go for it. But despite that opinion, I'm all for competition, so Windows Phone needs to be given a chance. It needs to develop more if it is to become a credible competitor to Apple and Google. And Nokia needs to concentrate its efforts there. Be a master of one trade, not a jack of them all. How would Windows Phone feel if it had emotions? Like its husband is constantly looking at others to see if they'd be a better partner. That's how. Read our Windows Phone 8 review Nokia is supposed to be the faithful hubby. The company looked like it was on its deathbed until boss Stephen Elop announced that he was flogging the family silver and taking WP as the provider's OS. Which looks like it's paid off, as the company doesn't appear to be on the brink of bankruptcy anymore (partly helped by the billions slung into the coffers by Microsoft). Cool again Nokia phones are actually cool devices that many want to own again. That's pretty good in terms of reinvention. But this apparent renewed interest in just trying to keep another project on the boil seems to be eating away into what should be a 110% commitment to Windows and nothing else. Just look at the screenshots. Android's beauty is that it can be skinned easily. It can look like anything you like. So what is Nokia doing? It's making an Android UI that looks like Windows! What's the point?! Do you want to confuse your buyers, Nokia? You're going the right way about it. By calling it a 'project', it makes it sound all Google Labs. You know, fun. Inventive… cheeky even. But it's not, it's just giving the critics another reason to beat you when it comes to nothing. You can't hope to become a key player here, Nokia. Samsung, HTC and Google themselves pretty much have Android sewn up. Sony and LG are on the periphery. How are you going to take them on when your dedication is really to Microsoft? A far better strategy would have been to continue with MeeGo. Geeks worldwide sobbed to themselves when that bit the dust. The only MeeGo handset became a bit of a collector's item. Going forward with a half hearted attempt makes you look weak. And you're not – you're the bastion of our phone world. Don't go changing! In Depth: iPhone 5S vs iPhone 5C Jan 17th 2014, 11:00, by Thomas Thorn The iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C might have been launched at the same time, but they're very different beasts in terms of design, spec and, perhaps most importantly, cost. So instead of muddling through on your own, here's our guide to help you decide which one is for you. Are you design-conscious? Do you need that 64-bit technology? Are you tired of passwords? We've created this guide to highlight the key features of each handset to help you decide which iPhone suits you. Design As with every iPhone in existence, both the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C follow very similar design strategies. The screen and the home button are both central to the 'flavour', and both the 5S and the 5C come with the Apple and iPhone logos on the rear. The 3.5mm headphone jack sits in the lower left corner, with the lightning port in the centre of the base. Volume keys and the lock key are also identically placed on both models. In all, a very similar start, but that's where it ends. Following on from the iPhone 5 before it, the iPhone 5S comes in a metal chassis measuring 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm. This makes it smaller than the plastic iPhone 5C, which measures 124.4 x 59.2 x 8.97mm. The plastic hasn't made the 5C lighter though, as it comes in 20g heavier than the 5S; 132g to 122g. This weight is particularly noticeable whilst holding the two phones, although the iPhone 5C manages to feel a little more comfortable. The plastic back wraps around the 5C more than the metal frame of the 5S, resulting in a more pleasing grip. Read our in-depth iPhone 5S review Apple's svelte design of the 5S does bring a slightly cheaper feel (borne out in the price), with the sharper lines of the iPhone 5S packing a tangibly more premium punch. The iPhone 5C would look a little strange in the stiff working environment, but far more comfortable in the hands of a teen or young adult. According to Apple, the C in iPhone 5C is meant to stand for colour, with five different colours available; green, blue, yellow, pink and white. The bright colours and plastic chassis give the iPhone 5C a cheaper feel - it certainly wouldn't feel out of place in a ball pit. The metal chassis of the iPhone 5S comes in either 'space grey' and black, gold and white, or silver and white. These help give the 5S a far more premium look and feel. The redesigned home button (to incorporate Touch ID) is also a nice touch with the lack of white square giving the front of the 5S a smoother, more professional look. While we really like the design of the iPhone 5C, it doesn't quite meet the same standards of the iPhone 5S. The plastic casing does result in a cheaper price tag, but the metal casing of the 5S matches its higher cost better than the 5C. Camera In terms of camera performance, the iPhone 5C and the iPhone 5S come with identical forward-facing sensors. This means that for those heavily invested in the likes of Snapchat, or enjoy posting selfies to Facebook or Instagram, both handsets have you equally covered. The difference in cameras is exclusive to the rear sensor, although both come with 8MP to capture those candid, and less so, moments. Differences in the cameras lie deeper than just the amount of pixels that have been crammed into the sensor though. The size of the pixels on each sensor has changed, with the iPhone 5S commanding larger pixels and therefore allowing more light in. The iPhone 5S also comes with optical image stabilisation (OIS), helping to make images come out clearer, especially in low light conditions. Minor blurring associated with slight hand movements has been lowered as a result, if not eradicated. Upgrades have also made over to the flash, with the iPhone 5S being fitted with a dual-LED offering to make night time shots brighter and clearer, as well as bring a more natural tone to shots. This puts it above the iPhone 5C that comes with only a single LED light. In order to highlight the differences in cameras, we've taken a variety of shots so you can compare them side by side. Click here to view the full resolution image The larger pixel size is immediately obvious, with the image taken by the iPhone 5S coming out a lot brighter than on the 5C. More detail is also noticeable on the image taken by the 5S, with more colour appearing in the sky. Contrast is slightly higher on the 5S rather than the iPhone 5C, with markings in the paint work being more prominent, and water droplets also showing up better. Zoomed in, text also comes out clearer on the 5S. Click here to view the full resolution image The same differences found in the postbox images are also found in the images of the cathedral. It is clear that there is more detail in the brick work, and the contrast level is a lot higher. Zoomed in, edges of the building are a lot crisper. Click here to view the full resolution image Throughout our flash photography we found that the iPhone 5S generally produced more in focus shots, thanks to the dual-LED flash that sits next to the camera and improved processor speeds. When comparing photos there is a slight difference, although it's not as huge as you might think. Click here to view the full resolution image The larger pixels in the iPhone 5S come into play in darker scenes, allowing a lot more light to hit the sensor. This allows the 5S to produce a brighter image, with far more detail being captured; it is possible to make out brick work on the building opposite in the image taken by the 5S, but not the 5C. Light streaks are also largely eliminated. Performance A lot of the talk surrounding the upgrade of the iPhone 5S from the iPhone 5 was the inclusion of the new A7 chip, bringing across a laptop-esque 64-bit architecture. Right now this means very little, but as time goes by and as apps are optimised to suit the newer chip, expect to see bigger and faster apps. The iPhone 5C keeps the same chip that is found in the older iPhone 5. This follows a more standard chipset, although one that is expected to be replaced by 64 and eventually 128-bit chips in flagship models. Even Qualcomm have recently launched the budget Snapdragon 410 64-bit chip. This should mean that iPhone 5S comes with a greater life span, as it will be able to run the bigger and more demanding apps that we are likely to see in the future. Flicking through the home screens and the differences in terms of speeds aren't all that noticeable, but for everything else there is a definite disparity. Web browsing, gaming and downloading is a lot faster on the 5S. Read our in-depth iPhone 5C review We noticed that apps needed updating on both handsets, and the iPhone 5S managed to download four apps before the 5C had downloaded two. A check of the app sizes even showed that it wasn't due to the file size, as the iPhone 5S had downloaded larger files. Web browsing over Wi-Fi was a lot faster too. There may have only been a slight delay in loading basic mobile sites, but the delay was a second or two when browsing full mobile sites. Gaming was also faster on the 5S. Loading Sonic Dash on the iPhone 5C was considerably slower than the 5S; we had already started gaming on the 5S by the time the load screen had disappeared on the 5C. Anybody with the 5C won't feel too let down by their handset, until a 5S-toting friend turns up. Taking it down to brass tacks, and in the benchmark testing you can see that the 5S is streets ahead of its cheaper rival, scoring 2557 in real world testing compared to the 1282 of the 5C. This won't matter if you're only going to be idly checking web and email, but over time you'll likely yearn for a little more power. Storage and Touch ID Internal storage is relatively similar on both the iPhone 5S and the iPhone 5C. Both come with 16GB and 32GB models, although the 64GB model is only available on the 5S. Given that Apple has never supported additional storage through the likes of microSD, storage is a hotter topic on iPhones than it is on most other handsets - although many are now following Apple's lead. We're getting more and more conscious of just how much storage is needed on handsets, but Apple has always given the iPhone a very heavy media slant, starting life as a combination of the iPod and a standard mobile phone. If you're like us, you'll have a rather hefty catalogue of music and HD movies that you'll want to pop onto your new iPhone, as well as a range of gaming and productivity apps. This means that the smaller storage option can often be left feeling a little wanting. The 32GB option is a rather nice compromise, and should provide enough storage to last a typical two year contract. For those with really hefty media libraries, or those that are heavily into mobile gaming, the 64GB found only on the iPhone 5S is a must. It isn't just the massive storage that is reserved for the iPhone 5S, with Apple also reserving one of its other innovations for the 5S. For those that haven't heard, Touch ID is a capacitive finger print scanner built into the home button. Building the scanner into the home button was a stroke of genius, allowing swift and easy unlocking, saving the few seconds that it takes to input a pass code. It can also be used to safeguard iTunes purchases, so lending your iPhone 5S to someone won't result in a hefty bank statement. Having this technology built into the 5S is part of the reason that it commands a higher price tag. We can see it being a fantastically helpful feature for parents that loan their iPhone to their kids, and for those that are very privacy conscious. It is also a feature that has yet to take off widely, although it comes (rather awkwardly placed) on the HTC One Max and is rumoured to appear on the Samsung Galaxy S5. Price With all the extra features that we have mentioned so far, from the A7 and M7 chip to Touch ID and the metal chassis, the iPhone 5S was always going to command a higher price. It currently retails SIM free for £549, £629 and £709 for the 16, 32 and 64GB versions respectively. This puts it at £80 more expensive than the SIM free iPhone 5C equivalents; the 5C is available for £469 for the 16GB variant and £549 for 32GB. SIM free, this does also put the 32GB iPhone 5C on the same pricing structure as the 16GB iPhone 5S. We can envisage there being a few occasions where both models are being weighed up, choosing whether or not to opt for the larger storage on the 5C for the same price as the smaller 5S. In reality though, this isn't really a question that should be asked too often. If storage is that important, and we can see that really being the case, we'd advise going for the larger storage on the iPhone 5S. The added storage and the extra features make the larger 5S better value all round... as long as your heart's set on an iPhone, that is. Verdict We ended this by asking Siri which handset it thought was the best, and it told us to make our own minds up. If you've read this and are now left thinking that out of the two handsets we would opt for the iPhone 5S over the iPhone 5C...you'd be right. Having used the two together, sat often side by side, it is immediately clear which of the two Apple handsets is superior. Be it the sleeker, more industrial design, the lighter weight or the fancy Touch ID technology, the iPhone 5S beats the 5C every time. It is a little disappointing that we've had to say this, because the iPhone 5C is, in its own right, a very nice and very capable device. Anybody that has purchased one, or is thinking about purchasing one won't be left disappointed by what the 5C has to offer. In all, the iPhone 5S brings a lot of features to market that make it more pleasant to use than its lower spec-ed brother. We can't help but feel that the appeal of the 5C is limited, with playground politics meaning that 5S will always bring more appeal - and for the money, there's not a lot of difference in price between the two devices. However, that doesn't mean that the 5C is without charm. It's got a strong and unique design and does give a lower entry point for an iPhone user. It may be a rebadged iPhone 5, but that's no bad thing. We would always recommend you look at the 5S if you're buying the C, and beseech you to save a little more as the gap between the two is so vast. 20 best mobile phones in the world today Panasonic to return, again, with shockproof smartphone at MWC 2014 Jan 17th 2014, 10:37, by John McCann Panasonic will apparently re-enter the smartphone market for a second time at MWC 2014 as fresh reports suggest the firm is working on a new, rugged handset. Remember the Panasonic Eluga? Launched at MWC 2012 as Panasonic's return to the mobile game the waterproof phone sunk without a trace, resulting in the firm pulling out of the smartphone market completely in 2013. According to Japanese site Asahi it won't be gone for long, as reports now point towards a shock proof handset being readied for the Barcelona show at the end of February. When the going gets tough There's not a huge amount of detail on the mystery Panasonic smartphone, but the unnamed sources do reveal that it will sport a 5-inch screen. Apparently Panasonic is targeting users such as construction site workers for its next handset, suggesting that this may not be a particularly mainstream device. TechRadar will be out in force at MWC 2014 to bring you all the latest from the show, including any possible return to form from Panasonic. Find out what else you can expect from MWC this year ZTE Blade Q Mini touches down as another budget blower Jan 17th 2014, 09:28, by John McCann The ZTE Blade Q Mini has been officially launched in the UK, exclusively on Virgin Media, as the Chinese brand looks to snaffle the first time smartphone user market. Setting you back just £59.99, the Blade Q Mini is one of the most affordable smartphones on the market, and while the specs won't blow you away, they certainly don't look too shoddy for the price. The Blade Q Mini sports a 4-inch 480 x 800 display, 1.3GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, 5MP rear camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. All good on paper On paper at least the Blade Q Mini is going toe-to-toe with handsets more than double its price - with the likes of the Sony Xperia M and HTC Desire 500 for company. You also get a 1500mAh battery, microSD slot, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth 4.0 and a FM radio in the 125.5 x 63.9 x 9mm chassis. As well as Virgin Media, the ZTE Blade Q Mini is also available in Sainsbury's and Argos from today. Everything sounds promising then for the Blade Q Mini but some of the previous ZTE handsets we've used have been let down by a poor user experience, so keep an eye out for our Blade Q Mini review to see how this one fares. Check out the best cheap phones around Microsoft's Siri-like voice assistant 'Cortana' may be voiced by Cortana Jan 16th 2014, 23:30, by klee Future Windows Phone 8.1 users may get the chance to play Master Chief. Well, in their heads at least. MSFTnerd has word that Microsoft's Siri-rivaling voice companion, codenamed Cortana, will enter beta on Lumia in April, becoming available for "US developers" at that time. That's interesting enough, but here's the kicker: Jen Taylor, who voiced Halo's AI character Cortana in the game series, will apparently lend her pipes to the smartphone assistant. We don't know if Cortana will be her sassy self on phones, but the April release lines up with the expected Windows Phone 8.1 update, which in turn matches with Microsoft's Build 2014 conference. Cortana cometh According to MSFTnerd, which cited no sources in its report, Cortana's march to other device will continue after spring. First, it will come wrapped in the iPhone Bing app starting in the fall, though only in the US. Xbox One and Windows PC users will be next, welcoming the assistant in 2015 with the Threshold (believed to be Windows 9) update. After that, it seems Cortana will travel to other English-speaking shores through the remainder of 2015 year and into 2016. Kinect intelligence The Cortana voice assistant made her first appearance last September as a rumored app, but this is the first time we've heard it was coming to anything other than Windows Phone. On mobile, Cortana is reported to be a faster way to change settings. The assistant could also be smart enough to anticipate appointments and automatically map out the route to them for users. These features could easily be replicated and useful on Windows 8.1 computers, but who knows what sort of Kinect integration Microsoft is cooking up for Xbox One. Even with supposed insider information, we're going to take these rumors with a grain of salt until we hear Cortana on our own Windows Phone devices. The first workstation ultrabook is here, we go hands-on with the HP ZBook 14! Intel: PC sales are steadying, but we're continuing turn towards tablets Jan 16th 2014, 22:31, by Michelle Fitzsimmons Rays of light may finally be breaking through the storm clouds bearing down on the PC market. Intel has registered its Q4 and full year 2013 earnings report, and the buzzword around the beleaguered sector was "stabilization." CEO Bryan Krzanich stated in its earnings release that the company witnessed "signs of stabilization in the PC segment." CFO Stacy Smith noted in his commentary (PDF) that though the personal computer market was down for 2013, "We saw the market stabilize in the back half of the year with fourth quarter PC units up from a year ago." It's not a whopping number, but Intel's PC chip segment actually saw a 2% revenue growth quarter-over-quarter. What's more, its desktop chip business was up 7%. Year-on-year notebook numbers were flat, though the average selling price was down 7%. Despite competition from an influx of mobile chip makers, Intel remains the world's largest silicon manufacturer. Signs that PC sales are stabilizing here bring good tidings for the rest of the industry. If they last. Tablet talk In a sign of the times, tablets picked up a good portion of PC slack for 2013. Smith wrote the company "saw strong tablet growth in the back half of the year." Together, PCs and tablets contributed to a unit grow for the quarter that "was up almost 10% from a year ago." The numbers are positive, but there's still growth to be had in tablets and other mobile devices. The "other Intel architecture operating segments," which blankets Atom chips for notebooks, tablets and smartphones, saw revenue up 4% from the Q3 but down 7% year-over year. Intel attributed the decline to poor netbook sales. According to the Wall Street Journal, the segment also contributed a hefty $125 million (about £76.4m, AU$141.8m) operating loss to the company's bottom line. Though slates are by no means a silver bullet for yet, Intel anticipates 40 million tablets will ship with its silicon this year. About that CES future tech The company is also expanding its focus beyond the PC, and tablet, into the "other" category. Krzanich cited Intel's presence at CES 2014 were the company "demonstrated multiple devices that weren't on our roadmap six months ago." He was referring to such products as Edison, Intel's equivalent of Raspberry Pi, and a number of concept wearables. On a call with investors, as reported by The Verge, Krzanich reiterated Intel's plan to have these products available this year. However, he didn't specify whether the actual devices shown in Vegas or simply the chips that make them tick will make it market. CFO Smith said on the call that Intel will organize its future investments around the data center, tablets and low-power chip sectors. Kabooom! That's the sound of 2013 PC sales imploding. Updated: Vodafone apologises for outage, but it's all OK now Jan 16th 2014, 22:14, by Gareth Beavis Vodafone has confirmed to TechRadar that the issues some users were experiencing with their service have now been fixed. The earlier statement said: "We know that some customers may be experiencing intermittent issues when using their phone this afternoon. The issue will not affect all customers and we're working hard to resolve this. We apologise for any inconvenience." But while it hasn't given us a reason for the earlier failures, which saw some with full signal but unable to call, text or use data, it has just sent us the following update: "Some of our customers were affected by intermittent issues earlier this afternoon, which may have prevented them from connecting some calls, using some data services and sending some texts. We've had our engineers working to fix this as their highest priority and are restoring full service now. We'll be continuing to monitor the situation closely to ensure that all services remain stable. We're very sorry for the inconvenience caused." All a-Twitter NCGNetworks, a B2B telecoms provider tweeted earlier: "Vodafone have a nationwide issue sporadically causing problems with voice, data and SMS services. Engineers are working on it." The overall problem thankfully only lasted a few hours, but this unfortunately means the issues won't be enough for users to claim compensation. Here's hoping that the problems aren't as severe as in 2011, when some little blighter broke into the Basingstoke site and stole the important bits needed to broadcast a signal... The NSA reportedly collects a mind-blowing number of texts every day Jan 16th 2014, 22:10, by Michael Rougeau The leaked materials provided by NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden have revealed yet another worrisome surveillance program, this one focused on text messages. Called "Dishfire," the program reportedly involves the collection of up to nearly 200 million text messages every single day. Even more troublesome is the assertion that the NSA isn't targeting anyone in particular, but nonspecific groups of apparently randomly selected people across the globe. Dishfire was unearthed by The Guardian, which collaborated with the UK's Channel 4 News for its report. Striking gold Much of the information in The Guardian's report stems from a 2011 NSA presentation titled "Content Extraction Enhancements for Target Analytics." Tellingly, the subtitle for that presentation reads "SMS Text Messages: A Goldmine to Exploit." A related program called "Prefer" reportedly involves the extraction of metadata from automatic text messages like missed call alerts, roaming notifications and more. From these texts, the NSA each day derived contact information from five million missed call alerts, data on 1.6 million international border crossings, 110,000 names from electronic business cards, details of 800,000 financial transactions and geolocation data from 76,000 texts. 'Dishfire collects pretty much everything it can' One caveat is that data retrieved from US numbers was reportedly "minimized." And though the UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) reportedly has access to the texts collected for the Dishfire program, there are apparently restrictions to what data it can access, and how. In a statement sent to The Guardian, an NSA spokesperson said the assertion that Dishfire collected "untargeted" SMS data is "false." But the publication cites a GCHQ "memo" that states Dishfire's database contains "a large volume of unselected SMS traffic" and that it "collects pretty much everything it can." Might be hard to wiggle out of that one. President Barack Obama on Friday is scheduled to speak about these and other issues related to the NSA. Meet the super secure smartphone that promises ultimate privacy from the NSA. The latest Nokia Normandy leak brings possible launch date with it Jan 16th 2014, 16:30, by Kate Solomon It's beginning to seem a lot like Nokia's Android-based smartphone will launch at MWC 2014. Currently going by the moniker Normandy, the handset is expected to land with a heavily Nokia-ified version of Android just as the Amazon Kindle Fire range come with a Amazon-heavy version of the software. The latest shots of the interface come from @evleaks, the scourge of mobile secret keepers everywhere. The images show two different ways to have your homescreen set up - one is very Windows Phone-ish with tiles laid out in a grid formation, the other is more like a traditional Android layout. The icons are very similar to (although not exactly the same as) some leaked screens we saw earlier in January, and some of the imagery is along the same lines of Evleaks' own recent leak too. That doesn't mean they're legit - it's just as likely that an internet prankster is as up to date on the rumours as we are. Sleuthin' As PocketNow points out, the images look a bit like they could be press shots. If they are, then the calendar reading Tuesday 25 could be something of a launch date clue. Know when the next Tuesday 25 is? February 2014. Know what's on that week? Oh, just a little show known as Mobile World Congress. Convenient. Let's talk about what else we're expecting from MWC 2014 Samsung's first Tizen phone looks like it's very, very close Jan 16th 2014, 15:39, by Hugh Langley Samsung's first commercial Tizen handset is getting closer. In fact, it's just been certified in Japan under the name SC-03F. However, according to Japanese media outlet SankeiBiz, the phone's announcement has been postponed by mobile carrier NTT docomo. SankeiBiz says the announcement of a Samsung-built Tizen OS phone was originally meant to happen on January 16 but that's now been pushed back, with no reason given. En-tizing Rumours are rife that Tizen isn't ready to be shown off to the public just yet, although Phonearena speculates that another reason might be that Samsung is unhappy with NTT docomo after the carrier launched the iPhone 5S. Samsung is rumoured to be showcasing a Tizen phone just before MWC 2014 and there's a chance this could be that very handset. For now, Samsung isn't looking to launch its Tizen phones in the West - or at least not in the US. But who knows if that will change down the line. It just needs to get the OS off the ground for now. And with word that Samsung has a Windows Phone 8 handset in the pipeline - and of course a bunch of other Android phones - 2014 could be a year of juggling multiple operating systems. Is this Samsung's first 1080p Windows Phone? In Depth: Get marathon fit with your smartphone: the 10km Jan 16th 2014, 14:15, by Kieran Alger If the New Year has inspired you to get fighting fit, then you've hit the right page. Technology has the tools to help you get in the shape of your life but it's not easy to know which product is right for your goals. We've enlisted the help of T3.com Editor-in-chief and ultra runner Kieran Alger to put together a four-part guide to help you uncover everything you need to go from couch slouch to marathon finisher. You're now officially a runner. Not a jogger, a fully fledge race-experienced runner. With you 5km medal hanging on the back door it's time to take on the 10 kilometre distance. So, how can your phone help you step up? Preparing to run a 10km is going to mean one thing: more running. You'll be out there pounding the pavements more often, going further and experiencing different types of training run for the first time. It can be a daunting gear change and this is where some people can find it tough to stay motivated and boredom free. Missed a bit? Part 1: Getting started | Part 2: the 5KM challenge Apps like Endomondo Pro and Adidas MiCoach are perfect for setting up training plans, taking the guesswork out of preparing to run 10km, but motivation and enjoyment are also vital as you strive to get race ready. Luckily there are a whole host of other apps that can help keep the hunger alive. Best motivational running apps Runnit - Free, iOS What if we told you there was an app that let you earn rewards for each mile run? From coffee to clothing, Runnit rewards your efforts out there on the streets. You simply select a challenge, do the miles and pick up your goodies. Polar Beat - Free, Android and iOS Polar Beat is an easy way to unlock the power of Polar's running and fitness tracking without the need for a watch. Pair it with the Polar H6 or H7 heart rate sensor and you get real-time graphical and voice guidance to keep you running at the right intensity. Keeping your effort levels right means you can avoid the negative effects of over training, one of which is that horrible feeling that you're not enjoying the run. It can also tell you how to run to help your body recover from tougher sessions earlier in the week. iMapmyrun - Free, Android and iOS This hugely popular running app has all the usual GPS run tracking tricks up it's iOS and Android sleeves but it has one very useful function on top of that, it lets you search existing routes near you. There are well over 36,000 routes logged, offering a great way to keep your training runs fresh. Strava Run - Free, Android and iOS If competition is what keeps you motivated, then Strava Run is a great app for you. Just like the cult cycling version of the app, Strava Run lets you find and compete for the fastest times on routes near you. It's the ultimate way to add a competitive edge to those otherwise potentially dull training runs. Upbeat Workouts for Runners Making the perfect running playlist can be tricky, particularly if you want to do clever things like match the music to your training intensity. Upbeat Workouts for Runners takes the pain out of that process, calculating your stride-per-minute (SPM) rate and finds a song on your iPhone with corresponding beats-per-minute. If you pick up the pace or slow down, the song selection changes. Perfect for motivation during for interval runs and for runners working at holding a steady pace over distance. Helpful running sites Training runs explained Now that your ambitions are more serious, you'll start to hear words like fartlek, tempo and interval. These are all different types of training runs you should look to build into your plan in order to get the full all-round package of building strength, endurance and speed. The running experts at Competitor.com have put together a great guide to help explain. Run your fastest 10km Great tips from running experts over at Men's Health that'll help you not just complete the 10km, but do it in a double-quick time. How to run when you don't really want to Getting out there running is easier than you think but if you're finding it hard to make that first step, here are a few handy running tips to help you banish those pre-run doubts. Essential Reading: E-books to help you run better The Art of Running Faster Julian Goater and Don Melvin This is a nitty-gritty book that aims to make you a faster runner. It delivers detailed training advice, hints on how to avoid injury and tonnes of inspirational advice to help you hit that PB. Run Fat Bitch Run Ruth Field This is a great read for anyone who's ever tried to run and failed to 'get into it'. It offers up a no-nonsense, nowhere-to-hide approach to becoming a runner and losing weight as a result. It comes with a complete six week plan for absolute beginners and a whole load of straight forward wisdom to help break down the barriers to success. There's a definite female focus but the "eat clean, run more" philosophy for leading a healthy life is well made. Part 4 of our "Get marathon fit with your smartphone" series will be online soon and will help you in the last step of becoming a fully fledged marathon runner. In the meantime, good luck! Nokia's Android phone gets snapped yet again Jan 16th 2014, 12:29, by James Rogerson Despite Nokia's device and services division now being owned by Microsoft, Nokia's Android handset, the 'Normandy' as it's currently known, just won't go away. Today we've got a photo that's purportedly of the back of the handset, posted to Twitter by Vizileaks, along with the caption 'and the waiting game begins...' The picture looks a lot like some earlier images we've seen of the phone, though in fairness it could just as easily be a new Lumia, with its bright red, curved plastic shell. This comes just days after getting a glimpse of the Normandy's screen, complete with what could be a modified version of Android 4.4. The phone that wouldn't die It seems a little odd for Nokia to still be working on the phone now that it's owned by Microsoft, yet far from dying the rumour just keeps on growing and an Android phone could help the Finnish firm snaffle some more market share. If somehow the Normandy does make it into shops it might not be something to get too excited about though, as rather than going toe to toe with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 it's thought to be a rather low end handset with a 5MP camera and 854 x 540 display. If you're looking for a Nokia phone that you can actually buy you could do worse than the Lumia 1520 Samsung Galaxy S5 will have improved Jedi-like gestures Jan 16th 2014, 11:33, by James Rogerson As if there weren't already enough reasons to be excited about the Samsung Galaxy S5 it now looks like it will have improved hovering recognition range. According to ETNews, industry sources claimed that Synaptics, the company behind the hovering technology on the Samsung Galaxy S4, are working on a "touch solution", which will allow your finger to be further from the screen when using Air Gestures and Air View. On the S4 these features allow you to perform simple actions on screen by waving your hand across the device, or hovering a finger over something like an image to see a larger preview. Fine print The improvements should also benefit the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, as they allow the screen to recognise a finer pen point, allowing for more intricate writing and drawing with a stylus. The source additionally claimed that the manufacturing cost of the technology will be lowered, so hopefully we won't see too much of a price hike in the next wave of flagship handsets. Samsung has long been a pioneer in the development of alternate ways to interact with your phone, be it Air Gestures or eye scanners, so this news isn't particularly surprising, but anyone interested in the next generation of finger-hover technology should be able to get their hands on (or off) it soon. Check out all the latest news and rumours about the Samsung Galaxy S5 LG G Flex's screen may be in for a bumpy ride Jan 16th 2014, 10:57, by James Rogerson The LG G Flex is designed to be flexible, as highlighted by its curved display. But it seems that excessively bending the device can lead to small bumps developing on the screen. It could be a common issue too, as according to an electronics salesclerk who spoke to the Korea Times, all of the LG G Flex handsets that he'd seen had come with small bumps. Thankfully it doesn't look like the problem has any impact on the handset's performance. LG is aware of the issue and released a statement to the Korea Times saying that "because key components inside the G Flex such as the glass cover, OLED display, battery and frame are elastic, excessive or frequent force that flattens the device may produce bumps. The issue has no relation to the performance and quality of the device." Flattening out The good news is that the bumps are temporary and should disappear over time, or if you'd rather not wait you can even just push down on them and that should solve the problem. If the thought of a bumpy screen hasn't put you off the LG G Flex, you can now pre-order it for a hefty sum. The future's bright, the future's flexible. LG G Flex hits UK pre-orders, but getting ahead of the curve sure is expensive Jan 15th 2014, 23:37, by Chris Smith The LG G Flex is coming to the UK soon and is available for pre-order. Hooray! However, It'll cost a staggering £689 to buy off contract. Boo! Carphone Warehouse is now taking reservations for the 6-inch 720p curved smartphone, but isn't yet bold enough to say when it'll actually be released into the wild. Previous estimates have suggested the device will get its UK bow next month. Beyond the inhibitive near-£700 SIM-free price, the quad-core handset with 2GB RAM can be nabbed on contract from £52, for the up front cost of £79. For that buyers get 5GB of 4G data on any network. Those upgrading through CPW get somewhat of a better better deal. They can get the handset free of charge on a 2-year deal with 2GB of data for £42 a month. LG goes curvy The G Flex went on sale in November in its Korean homeland and in France on Orange in December. Previously network EE had said it'd be selling the device from February, but hadn't confirmed pricing. Those who device to order the 13-megapixel handset through the independent high street retailer will also have the chance to win one of LG's 55-inch OLED televisions worth £7,000. The handset, which has a self-healing Wolverine-style casing, will step inside the smartphone octagon with the Samsung Galaxy Round, but there's still no word on whether that handset will ever set foot in Blighty. Sure enough, the LG G Flex can actually flex... check it.

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