Review TechRadar: Phone and communications news 05-03-2014

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In Depth: Meet the awesome tech that will soon make your smartphone smarter May 3rd 2014, 13:01, by Jamie Carter Smarter smartphones Context is everything. Your smartphone knows where you are and what direction you're facing, but that's about it. What if it knew your context? Not just where you are, but what you're doing, who you're with – and what you're likely to do next. It's called contextual computing, and it's going to make your smartphone into a much better personal assistant. With context, a smartphone, tablet, wearable device or headset could detect when you're driving and read your text messages out loud. It could detect when you're low on battery and start preserving power. It could even alert you when someone really important to you is suddenly nearby. Contextual computing is about improving interaction between human and computer – and it's about computers becoming intelligent. Adapting behaviour "It's the ability for a device, object or service to be aware of not only the users surroundings but about the user, their views, behaviours and their interests," says Kevin Curran, senior member at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Reader in Computer Science at the University of Ulster. "They adapt their functionality and behaviour to the user and his or her situation." Defining exactly what we mean by 'context' is tricky, but it's generally agreed that it includes the user's location, environment and orientation, their emotional state, the task they're engaged in, the date and time, and the people and objects in their environment. Your phone can probably already calculate some of those already. Your next smartphone Contextual computing isn't much about your smartphone; it's about your next smartphone. Producing context can be based on rules and the sensor inputs that now fill our phones, but it's also about machines making assumptions and anticipating our every whim. It's the missing link. "Instead of the user having to go and look for something like hotels, this device would already know what kind of hotel you are looking for by using the information gathered on what hotels they have picked in the past what facilities they used," says Curran. If you always stay at hotels with a swimming pool or a spa, that's the context within which the phone will help you search. But it could go further; your phone will know when you're due to arrive at the hotel, and if you're in the car, talk you in. If you're on the train, it will have downloaded your favourite podcasts and turned the ringer off if you're sat in the silent carriage. Calculate the context There are already some apps that try to make use of the sensors on smartphones to calculate some context. CallWho uses your call history to estimate who you would like to call; pull your phone out of your pocket for your daily phone call with your wife and her face will be at the top of the list. It also makes pictures of your contacts bigger; after all, who ever thought an A-Z list of contacts was pleasant to scroll through? Sickweather monitors Facebook statuses about illness and cross-references GPS locations to tell you whether you're near to someone who might pass on sickness. In return you tell the app if you're unwell. That approach might seem hopelessly inaccurate or a novelty, but building models of movement can have life-saving effects. Back in 2009, researchers at Telefónica used mobile phone records of its users in Mexico to help the government limit the spread of the H1N1 epidemic. By revealing exactly where people were, the government could evaluate their decision to close an airport and a university campus; in doing so they reduced mobility by a third and pushed back the spread of the disease by at least a couple of days. Combine social media with that – and the much more precise GPS data smartphones are capable of now – and contextual awareness becomes a powerful means of pattern-spotting. A contextually aware app that does just that is Agent, which uses GPS, gyroscope, accelerometer, Bluetooth, temperature and WiFi data from your phone combined with social data on who you're with to assess your context, and make decisions for you. It goes from the mundane (it knows when you're sleeping and automatically silences your phone) to the possibly life-saving (it can sense that you're driving and automatically reads allowed text messages), but there's more to come. "We have abundant computing power, along with lots of sensors, which means that smartphones can look at many inputs and start learning what we are doing, where we are, and who with," Kulveer Taggar, CEO at Agent, told TechRadar. Taggar thinks that in future Agent will be able to use a phone's microphone to sense that you're at a party or concert – somewhere loud where you're not going to hear your phone if it rings – and so switch to vibrate. For now Agent is limited to Android, but an iOS version is in the offing. Shopping around With Apple's iBeacon technology ramping-up, expect a urge in retail-based apps that enable hardware in shops and stores in shopping centres and malls to send you messages, reminders and discount codes according to your exact location in a store or mall. iBeacons could also be used at home; Placed automatically opens other apps on your phone as you approach specific devices in your home. For now it's messy and pricey – you'd have to fill your house with iBeacon hardware – but it gives you the right app when you need it. So it could launch a to-do app like Wunderlist or Remember The Milk when you sit down at your desk, open Spotify as you walk out the front door, or fire-up a remote control app when you sit down in front of your TV. "The remote control of a TV could be used in contextual computing scenarios by identifying the person that is holding it and displaying options suited to that viewer," says Curran, adding that the future of contextual computing probably isn't about apps at all. "As phones get smarter and tablets become popular," he says, "users will have a device where apps disappear and become part of the gadget's intelligence." Decision-making internet Curran predicts that the future Internet will be a "persuasive sensing and acting knowledge network … able to make decisions, actuate environmental objects and assist users." Not surprisingly given their concentration on mobile devices, contextual computing is a big focus at the digital big boys. Microsoft's new voice-based personal digital assistant Cortana can silence your phone during your regular quiet times, warn you about traffic on common routes, and even have an electronic boarding pass ready for you when you check your phone at an airport. At present it's a Windows Phone 8.1 technology, but it should spread. However, even the present generation of personal digital assistant are becoming context-aware. "Google Now is one of the best," says Taggar of current contextual computing innovations. "Google's goal is very much a focus on showing you your search results before you need them, which is slightly different to Agent," he says. "But Google and Apple are definitely looking at this." They certainly are. Google's Project Tango, a 5-inch Android smartphone prototype that tracks the device's 3D motion to create a 3D map of the surroundings. Meanwhile, Twitter acquired in April the team behind the Cover Lock Screen Android app that lets you customise what apps you see, and when. Expect the Twitter app to become a lot more contextual. Relax and unwind Contextual computing isn't just about making decisions – it's also about switching-off. As well as saving us brain-cycles throughout the day by automating repetitive tasks, a contextually aware device won't disturb you when you're sleeping, when you're busy working, or when you're in specific places (say, a museum, the theatre or on holiday). Could it be a key weapon in helping us quieten our busy, gadget-driven lives? Instead of being slaves to our phones and in a permanent 'always on' state, devices will move from being an erratic distraction to a helpful assistant. If it's done properly, contextual computing could be about taking the power back. Everything you need to know about Cortana Updated: Best Windows Phone - which should you buy? May 3rd 2014, 12:00, by Jen Allsopp Best Windows Phones - which should you buy? When Windows Phone 8 launched in 2012 it was looking to shake up the mobile market and differentiate itself from the dominant Android and iOS. While Windows Phone 8 has increased Microsoft's presence in the mobile market, its popularity has dipped in the past year. There's still hope yet though as Microsoft continues to persevere. The recently launched Windows Phone 8.1 replicates the popular features of Android and iOS whilst combining the comfort of home computing with the convenience of mobile. We've looked at the Windows Phone devices on offer and picked out the best ones around to guarantee you get the best bang for your buck. Nokia still dominates the list but as a Microsoft entity, that's no surprise. 1. Nokia Lumia 520 Price: from £84.99 Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.0 x 12.0 cm ; 124 g Internal Storage: 8GB It may not be the most expensive, most glamorous or most powerful smartphone but the Nokia Lumia 520 still stands firm at the top of our list. We are yet to find a more perfect introduction to smartphone and Windows Phone 8 use. Considering its low price point, the Lumia 520 still boasts impressive specs with a 4-inch display, 1GHz dual-core processor and even a micro SD card slot if you want to expand your storage. While it may not have all the fancy add-ons you expect from the top end phones, the Lumia 520 is still the most functional and fun Windows Phone on the market. It's certainly a winner in our book. Read our Nokia Lumia 520 review 2. Nokia Lumia 1520 Price: from £370 Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.9 x 16.3 cm ; 209 g Internal Storage: 32G If big is what you're looking for then look no further than the Nokia Lumia 1520 with its 6-inch display. However, it's not just the screen that's big, this mobile beast is brimming with powerful specs crowning it our best Windows Phone Phablet. The Lumia 1520 is the first Windows Phone 8 device with a Full HD 1080p display. It's also the first to run on a quad-core processor, making it the ideal gadget for mobile media lovers. You'd think all these features would result in an unattractive phone, but it's surprisingly sleek, even the impressive 20MP PureView camera barely bulks it out. Who says size doesn't matter? It certainly does with this bad boy. Read our Nokia Lumia 1520 review 3. Nokia Lumia 925 Price: from £290 Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.8 x 12.9 cm ; 141 g Internal Storage: 16GB Sleek, stylish and Nokia's only metallic Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia 925 is the flagship 'standard' smartphone. An update on the previous Nokia Lumia 920, the 925 offers a more premium finish. Although it is not entirely metal, it is however the slimmest of Nokia's designs. Aside from the look, there aren't many differences between the 920 and the 925. It still houses one of the best smartphone cameras we've seen with its 8.7MP PureView lens. Just imagine the 920 but all grown up. Read our Nokia Lumia 925 review 4. Nokia Lumia 1020 Price: from £369 Dimensions: 7.1 x 1.0 x 13 cm ; 159 g Internal Storage: 32GB With the highest spec camera out of all the devices in the Lumia range, you'd be forgiven for thinking the Nokia Lumia 1020 should be placed slightly higher on our top 10 list. The Lumia 1020 has an impressive 41MP PureView camera with Xenon flash which means it does take superb shots. Nonetheless, the rest of the phone's features don't live up to scratch in comparison. The screen and processor are no bigger than the 820 or 925 and therefore it's just not powerful enough. However, it's dropped a lot in price recently, and that, combined with the stunning photography ability, makes it really worth a look. It's great for keen photographers but the camera is definitely the sole focus here. Best make sure you're on a good data plan if you want to share all your images. Read our Nokia Lumia 1020 review 5. Nokia Lumia 820 Price: from £285 Dimensions: 6.9 x 1.0 x 12.4 cm ; 159 g Internal Storage: 8GB The Nokia Lumia 820 has also overtaken the 920 as a much more affordable alternative. The Lumia 820 is the first phone in the Lumia range with an interchangeable case, taking us back to the days of old Nokia devices. Now you can decorate your device to match your mood, occasion or even outfit. This does make it chunkier than the likes of the 720, however its dual-core Krait Qualcomm processor and OLED ClearBlack display keep it firmly in front. Read our Nokia Lumia 820 review 6-10 - the best Windows Phones. 6. Nokia Lumia 720 Price: from £169.99 Dimensions: 0.9 x 6.8 x 12.8 cm ; 127 g Internal Storage: 8GB The Nokia Lumia 720 sits smack bang in the middle of the Nokia Lumia range and as a result it does exactly what it says on the tin. Not exactly a showstopper, the Lumia 720 isn't bad for a mid-range phone. Its design remains more high-end than budget and it is actually slimmer and more lightweight than the Nokia Lumia 920. As you'd expect, the camera isn't as high spec, however neither is the cost and you still get a 6.7MP rear-facing camera and HD video on the front-facing camera. The phone also houses a 4.3-inch display and a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chipset, all in all, not too shabby for those on a budget. Read our Nokia Lumia 720 review 7. HTC Windows Phone 8X Price: from £207 Dimensions: 6.6 x 1.0 x 13.2 cm ; 91 g Internal Storage: 16GB Finally we reach the first non-Nokia phone in the top 10 and ironically the HTC Windows Phone 8X was Microsoft's signature device to launch its new operating system. Whilst still brightly coloured in its design, the HTC 8X is much sleeker and some say the best looking Windows Phone on the market. As with many HTC devices, the 8X boasts Beats Audio technology for superior sound quality. Its screen is also impressive at 342 ppi, beating the iPhone 5's retina display and coming close to the Google Nexus 7. Nonetheless, the 8X features lower on our list as it's not 4G enabled, unlike all the others above (with the exception of the Lumia 520 of course). Read our HTC Windows Phone 8X review 8. Nokia Lumia 625 Price: from £172.99 Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.9 x 13.3 cm ; 159 g Internal Storage: 8GB A relatively new addition to the low-end budget range, the Nokia Lumia 625 outdoes the winning Lumia 520 in just two respects; it is 4G enabled and with a 4.7-inch screen it is much larger. It also runs a faster processor than the Lumia 720. Nonetheless it dwindles towards the end of our list as it doesn't provide the same all-round quality as its higher ranking alternatives. It simply doesn't have the same imaging credentials as its bigger brothers with just 201ppi. But if you want to take advantage of superfast 4G networks then it's an affordable option and definitely worth a look. Read our Nokia Lumia 625 review 9. Nokia Lumia 920 Price: from £220 Dimensions: 1.1 x 7.1 x 13 cm ; 186 g Internal Storage: 32GB It may have been 'replaced' but as a previous flagship phone, the Nokia Lumia 920 still has a lot to offer and now comes at a cut-down cost. Although slightly less powerful than the 925, its 8MP rear camera still rivals the latest offerings from Samsung and Apple and for a much more attractive price. It's a great buy for those looking for a top-end cameraphone that has mastered all the basic functions to a good standard. Also, with its large 4.5-inch display and PureMotion HD technology it is a reasonably priced alternative to the mammoth Lumia 1520. It's not widely available these days, thanks to the popularity of the 925, but can still be picked up by shopping around. Read our Nokia Lumia 920 review 10. HTC Windows Phone 8S Price: from £132.99 Dimensions: 6.3 x 1 x 12 cm ; 113 g Internal Storage: 4GB (can be expanded with a microSD card) The HTC Windows Phone 8S is a smaller, more affordable version of the 8X. It still retains the stylish and colourful design and is surprisingly fast for a mid-range phone. The HTC 8S offers the same screen size as the Lumia 520 and a Qualcomm S4 dual-core chip, although it comes with a slightly lower speed of 1GHz. It also stands out from most of the phones above, with the exception of the Nokia Lumia 520, as it has a microSD card for expandable storage. The specs on the HTC 8S read similarly to some of Nokia's mid-range options above and some say its design is more attractive. However, HTC have neglected some of the basics. The battery is average, web browsing can be slow and comparatively, it's a little over-priced at the budget end of the Windows Phone range - but it looks pretty nifty, right?. Read our HTC 8S review Latest Apple vs Samsung dispute comes to not-so-epic conclusion May 3rd 2014, 01:29, by Michelle Fitzsimmons Apple has come out a little richer from its latest courtroom cage match with rival Samsung. A jury in San Jose, Calif. has awarded the Cupertino firm a cool $119.6 million (about £70m, AU$120m) in damages. Samsung must pay the amount for devices the jury found infringed on two Apple patents. The jury found Samsung products to infringe on a "quick-links" patent and a "slide-to-unlock" patent, but didn't find some phones to infringe on two patents pertaining to universal search and background sync. The jury also found Samsung to have willfully infringed on a patent the judge in the case had previously determined the Korean company had violated. Samsung isn't leaving town empty handed; the jury determined Apple violated two Samsung patents, though the non-willful infringement will only cost Apple $158,400 (about £93,900, AU$170,929). On higher ground The final amounts are significantly smaller than either company had come to court hoping to win, but these disputes have never really been about the dollar amounts. In a statement to Re/code, Apple applauded the ruling. "We are grateful to the jury and the court for their service. Today's ruling reinforces what courts around the world have already found: That Samsung willfully stole our ideas and copied our products. We are fighting to defend the hard work that goes into beloved products like the iPhone, which our employees devote their lives to designing and delivering for our customers." Neither Samsung or Google have issued statements. Google would have covered some damages for two patents Apple argued for, however neither were found to have been infringed. 10 courtoom secrets from the Apple vs Samsung feud Motorola website outs Moto X+1 as the name of its next flagship May 2nd 2014, 21:24, by Michael Rougeau It seems the rumors that Motorola is using the same naming scheme as Dungeons and Dragons are true. The successor to last year's popular Moto X will be called the Moto X+1, according to a report that popped up in April, and some hard evidence to support the name just appeared on Motorola's own website. This has since been corrected, but for a time if you changed the the URL for Motorola's Moto Maker website (from FLEXR1 to FLEXR2) you got a placeholder site with the name "Moto X+1" on it, according to the German site mobiFlip. Unless the people building Motorola's websites are getting their info from the same place we are, that's a pretty good indication that Moto X+1 is the phone's real name. All will be revealed Besides the moniker, little is known about the next Moto X, though what could be its specs appeared on a benchmarking site last week. The site pegged a phone called the XT912A with a 5.2-inch 1080p HD screen, a Snapdragon 800 processor, 1.7GB of memory (probably more like 2GB), 24GB of internal storage and Android 4.4.3 KitKat. There's good indication that the XT912A refers to the Moto X+1 - including the fact that the Moto X used the same model number - but it might also be a Droid Razr successor, so there remains some doubt. In fact, all the rumors about the Moto X+1 so far come with a pinch of doubt, but given the original Moto X was announced in summer 2013 it's probably safe to bet that a reveal is coming soon. Here's what TechRadar thought of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Google Project Ara 3D printing details start to form May 2nd 2014, 19:05, by klee The heart of Project Ara's hardware production lies in 3D printing, and now we're getting our first details on how Google's modular phone parts will be made. 3D Systems, which has been tasked with producing Ara's tiles, put up a blog post detailing the new 3D printing technology it's using to develop sturdy and colorful modular phones. The company says it's pushed the limits on advancing material strength to make Ara phones more durable. Users will be able to choose between hard and soft composite materials, thus deciding the feel of their phones. What's more, parts can be printed in a wide assortment of colors including cyan, magenta, yellow, black, white, and a clear coating - much more interesting than your plain old white Samsung Galaxy S5. Next-gen plastic But customizable colors and textures aren't all. 3D systems says it's looking to integrate its additive manufacturing process to the internal components of Project Ara as well. In conjunction with Carnegie Mellon University, the 3D printing company has developed conductive inks that could potentially make it easier for power to travel across the surface of the phone and its components. Meanwhile, 3D Systems claims it's printed functional components such as antennas in partnership with X5 Systems, a Silicon Valley start-up specializing in advanced antenna design. Production plans While 3D Systems is exploring these experimental technologies, it's also developed a high-speed 3D printing production platform to create Project Ara components. Supposedly the new system prints plastic parts on a constantly moving racetrack that's faster and more efficient than a self-contained 3D printer. Ultimately, it's a new process that should churn out parts more quickly to ensure the phones make their January 2015 launch date. Like everything we've heard about Project Ara, all of this sounds extremely ambitious, and invariably, so unbelievable it could only exist as a concept. Still, January is half a year away, so we've got our fingers crossed Project Ara will actually become a reality by then. Project Ara could be the most exciting thing to happen to phones in years Tech giants plan to give users heads up on government data requests May 2nd 2014, 18:08, by JR Bookwalter You've got data seizure! The next time federal agencies come knocking on the doors of leading tech firms looking to snoop through the sensitive data of users, you may already know about it. The Washington Post reported Thursday that leading technology companies, apparently sick of being criticized for handing personal data over to government agencies willy-nilly, will now notify users whenever Feds come calling for it. Google, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft are among the list of companies revising their privacy policies to include such disclosure to users, with the exception of incidents where a "judge or other legal authority" has applied a gag order. Yahoo implemented a similar change last summer, which gives users advance notice anytime their internet data is requested as part of a criminal investigation or other government seizure. Tipped off Late last year, the aforementioned tech titans pleaded with the US government to give them permission to notify users when personal data has been accessed, a request that has thus far fallen on deaf ears. Although the updated policy will likely get a thumbs up from consumers, Justice Department officials are already criticizing the move, claiming it offers criminals a chance to destroy potentially vital electronic data before the government can gain access to it. In the past, tech companies including wireless carriers such as Verizon and AT&T quietly cooperated with such government requests, which in the case of the latter could also include access to cellular call data. Google updated its privacy policy this week, while Apple, Facebook and Microsoft are said to still be in the process of drafting revisions; other companies like Twitter have been notifying users all along, even before Edward Snowden's damning exposure of mass data collection by the National Security Administration (NSA) last year. Speaking of privacy, check out our hands-on review of Google Glass! Updated: 35 brilliant iOS 7 tips and tricks May 2nd 2014, 16:00, by Gary Marshall & Tim Hardwick iOS 7 tips and tricks 1-10 The jury may still be out on iOS 7's radical redesign - for what it's worth we love it, with a few reservations - there's no denying that it's the friendliest and most powerful version of iOS yet. But there's more to iOS 7 than headline features such as Control Centre and iTunes Radio: some of the best improvements are small things that make our everyday lives that little bit more pleasant. These are our favourites - let us know yours in the comments, and check out our iOS 7 review for the full lowdown! 1. Camera: shoot in burst mode The redesigned Camera app has a nifty trick up its sleeve: if you want to shoot in burst mode, taking multiple shots in quick succession, just click and hold the volume-up button. 2. Multitasking: quit multiple apps You probably know that you can quit running apps by double-tapping the Home button and flicking the offending app upwards, but you might not have tried it with multiple fingers to force-quit more than one app at a time. We've made it work with three apps on our iPhone, although doing the same on an iPad means getting your nose involved too. 3. Notifications: begone! When you receive a new notification, you can still swipe right to open the appropriate app - but if you just want rid of it you can now swipe up to hide it. 4. All new balancing act iOS 7 is bad news for novelty app developers: not only has the Control Centre killed the market for flashlight apps, but Compass has done the same for spirit level apps too. If you launch the app you'll see the familiar dots at the bottom of the screen that indicate there's a second screen: swipe it and you'll see a spirit level for all your checking-things-are-flat needs. 5. Phone, FaceTime and Messages: block contacts Does someone have your number and you wish they didn't? Successfully avoid exes, creditors and the angry husbands and wives of your lovers with iOS 7's excellent blocking features. Add the number to your Contacts, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap Block This Caller to refuse incoming calls, messages (including SMS and MMS) and FaceTime calls. 6. Messages: see the timestamps iOS 7 likes to keep things nice and minimalist, but if key information isn't visible there's a good chance it's just a swipe away - so for example in Messages, you won't see timestamps against each SMS, MMS or iMessage. Want to know when they were sent? Swipe left. 7. Apps: swipe backwards This little tip is a handy time-saver: when you're finished reading an email or message, or fiddling with Settings, or exploring a Music playlist, swipe backwards to return to the previous page. If you're at the first level (such as your list of mailboxes in Mail, or the first Settings screen) nothing will happen. 8. Location Services: see where you've been iOS 7 keeps an eye on where you go to help it personalise features such as the Notification Centre, and to help improve the accuracy of Maps. If you fancy a look you'll find it in Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services > Frequent Locations. You'll see a list and a map, with blue circles showing where you've been and when. You can clear the history from this page, and if you think it's a little creepy you can turn it off from the System Services page. 9. Newsstand: put it away! We like Newsstand, but we don't like the way it can't be stuck in a folder like Apple's other stock apps. Hallelujah for iOS 7, then, because at last that absurd restriction has been removed. 10 . Settings: make iOS 7 easier on the eye We like the new interface, but it isn't for everyone. If you have problems with your sight or just want to make iOS more legible, you'll find some useful settings in Settings > General > Accessibility. You can make all system text bold, increase the size of text in apps that support Apple's Dynamic Type, scale down motion effects such as the parallax effect or invert the colours to make iOS 7 look like a 1980s electro-pop album cover. 10 more handy iOS 7 tips 11. Sounds: get some new tones iOS 7's library of sounds (Settings > Sounds > Sounds and vibration patterns) has been given a regular update, and Apple says they're so good you might miss calls because you're dancing. That, frankly, isn't very likely. 12. AutoFill: let Safari input your details Feeling trustworthy? Safari can automatically fill out web forms using your Contact info, previous names and passwords, and credit card details, should you so wish. You can toggle these AutoFill options individually from Settings > Safari > Passwords > AutoFill. 13. Siri: now reads your emails Siri makes light work of not only listing emails in your inbox, but also reading them out to you. Hold down the Home button and say, "Read my emails" and Siri will give you sender, time and date sent, and the subject of each in turn. When asked if you want it to read out your mail, just say "Yes". 14. Apps: one folder to rule them all Unlike previous versions of iOS, there's no limit to the number of apps you can file away in a single folder. Now you can simply pile icons onto each other to your heart's content. Finally, an end to the Games 1, Games 2, Games 3 (ad nauseum) home screen debacle. 15. Motion: reducing sickness iOS 7 likes to advertise its existence to you with all manner of motions, animations and alerts. If all the hullabaloo is leaving you slightly queasy, put a dampener on things by selecting Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion > Off. 16. Notification Centre: not on my lock screen Notification Centre got a visual overhaul in the latest version of iOS, offering a neat snapshot of your appointments and message snippets accessible from the lock screen. But not everyone wants their itinerary on show to all and sundry. Happily you can turn off this overview from Settings > Notification Centre, using the sliders listed under - you guessed it - 'Access on Lock Screen'. 17. FaceTime: data and duration You can check out your complete list of FaceTime calls via the Recents option at the bottom of the screen in the FaceTime app. If you tap the "i" next to each call you can see a breakdown of how long the call lasted and find out how much data it used. 18. Maps: walk or drive everywhere Maps still has its downsides, but it's useful for the most part - more so now that you can choose a default mode of travel. If you're more rambler than driver and want to avoid having to define your directions as such, simply tap to Settings > Maps and select Walking under Preferred Directions. 19. App Store: Near Me A new tab in the App Store app called Near Me automatically lists the most popular apps in your general location. That might sound a bit gimmicky, but we found it useful when visiting towns and cities for the first time, when it turned up local transport and tourist information apps. 20. Apps: Background App Refresh iOS 7 introduces the ability to selectively control which apps are allowed to refresh their content while you're getting on with other business. When battery life is at a premium, turn off any offenders by going to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. 10 MORE iOS 7 tips? Go on then... 21. Apps: Automatic Updates iOS can now update your apps automatically. That's great as long as a) you have an unlimited data plan, and b) your favourite app's functionality doesn't get mangled with some poorly advised revisions. Control this function either way by going to Settings > iTunes and App Store and sliding the Updates option under Automatic Downloads. 22. Siri: can handle calls You probably know that you can ask Siri to place calls for you, but did you know that you can ask her/him/it to play your voicemail or return your last missed call? Simply say "Return missed call" or "Do I have new voicemail?" and Siri will snap to it. You can also tell Siri "Check my call history" and get a list of your recent calls. 23. AirDrop: share everything with ease Want to quickly share a photo, a web page, a location, or a contact with someone? That's what AirDrop is for. If you have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on, then you can select AirDrop in the Control Centre and then tap the share icon on whatever you want to share and choose the person you want to share it with. 24. Data: stay within your allowance Most contracts have a monthly allowance for data and you're going to get stung if you exceed it. Head into Settings > Cellular and scroll down to see which apps might be eating your data. If there's anything unnecessary listed just toggle it off. If you reset the Cellular Data Usage each month you can also use it to keep an eye on where you are. 25. iMessages: delete or forward Sadly there's no way to delete the embarrassing text you drunkenly sent the object of your affection last night from their phone, but you can delete it from yours. The method is slightly different in iOS 7, hold down your finger on the message and tap More… and you can tick individual messages and delete them by tapping the trashcan at the bottom of the screen. If you want to send the same message on to someone else then tap the arrow at the bottom right instead. 26. FaceTime: don't look at me! Whether you're ill, hung over or just feeling ugly, you'll be glad to know that you can now make a FaceTime call without video. To make an audio only call using FaceTime select the contact you want and then just tap the telephone icon to the right of the FaceTime option. 27. Notification Centre: alerts and badges If you hate the sound that plays to notify you of an incoming message, or you can't stand the red badges on your app icons, then do something about it. Go into Settings > Notification Centre and you can select individual apps and choose whether the Badge App Icon should appear, what sound should play as an alert, and where alerts will show up. 28. Siri and Safari: search Google You can't change your default search engine in Siri from Microsoft's Bing, but you can say "Search Google for Tech Radar" and get the results you want. In Safari you can switch it. Go to Settings > Safari > Search Engine and pick your favourite. 29. Weather: it's probably still raining When you fire up the weather app you can see basic info for your chosen cities. Tap the city and you'll get the current temperature and an extended 7-day forecast. Tap on that big temperature number and you will reveal a breakdown showing humidity, chance of rain, wind speed, and what temperature it will actually feel like when you head out. 30. Keyboard: speed typing It's easy to miss little shortcuts that can speed up your typing - you might already know these from previous versions of iOS, but if not, they're massive time-savers. Double tap the spacebar and you'll end a sentence with a full stop and automatically bump on a space ready for the next one. You can also double tap the shift key to keep caps lock on, and hold down the "123" key to pick a single character without leaving the standard keyboard layout. 5 more tips, this time for iOS 7.1? Great! 31. Brightness: Reduce the glare You know that feeling when your iPhone or iPad screen flicks to life in a darkened room and instantly melts your eyeballs? Apple's love of a clean white aesthetic can be painful at times, but with iOS 7.1 you can do something about it. Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Increase Contrast and toggle Reduce White Point to 'On'. You'll find the glaring white has been dialled down a notch. Wizard. 32. Button shapes: press here Not everyone is a fan of iOS 7's minimalist look and the lack of outlines on buttons can make it harder to tap your target. Well, now you can bring them back. Just go to Settings > General > Accessibility, scroll down to Button Shapes and toggle it on. You'll get grey outlines on buttons in the menu bar and tappable text will be underlined - although it does make everything look a little less refined compared to the usual Apple fluidity. 33. Siri: stop listening There's a pause when you've finished speaking before Siri realises that you're done and it can be annoying having to wait. Sometimes Siri decides you're done because you paused for a moment too long, but actually you aren't. If you were done, you could always tap the screen to tell Siri to stop listening, but that's a bit convoluted. With iOS 7.1 you can hold down the Home button while you speak and let go when you are finished so Siri knows exactly when you're done. This is especially handy if you only have one hand free. 34. Perspective Zoom: Kill the parallax Whether it gives you motion sickness or you just don't like it, there is thankfully now a way to get rid of the parallax effect on your wallpaper without having to kill the zooming transition animations coming in and out of apps. If you have Reduce Motion off in Settings > General > Accessibility, then you can go to Settings > Wallpapers & Brightness, choose your lock screen and home screen wallpapers and toggle Perspective Zoom to the 'Off' position. 35. Contrast: Reduce transparency and darken colours If you don't like the transparent menus with blurred backgrounds underneath then good news: you can tweak them. Head into Settings > General > Accessibility > Increase Contrast and turn on Reduce Transparency. It will make the dock, keyboard, Notification Centre and everything else opaque. You may also want to toggle on Darken Colours to make everything a little easier to read. The next thing mobile phones will kill? Freeview May 2nd 2014, 14:48, by Kate Solomon Music players, books, handheld games consoles, paper maps and sat navs: soon you may be able to add Freeview to the list of things that mobile phones have caused to wither and die. That's according to Caroline Thomson, chair of Digital UK, who says that mobile companies are trying to get their hands on the spectrum that Freeview needs to stay on air. She says that mobile companies are "jostling" and "vying for space" on the spectrum to allow for increasing mobile data demands, with the worry being that they and their big budgets will force broadcasters of free public service television out. Technologists lie "Despite what the technologists and the media would have us believe, live television is hugely popular. 90% of viewing is still live broadcast," she said, arguing that although iPlayer is growing in popularity, it still makes up a very small proportion - around 2% - of all BBC viewing. Ofcom, the body that dishes out the UK's spectrum, is planning to hold a consultation to address the potential issues. A spokesman insisted that extra spectrum can be provided for mobile networks while still allowing terrestrial digital television to "thrive." Thinking of going HD? Consider the 10 best Freeview HD boxes and recorders in the UK

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