| In depth: 7 reasons why now is the time to buy a Windows Phone May 6th 2014, 14:38, by David Nield 
Why Windows Phone deserves a second lookFor a long time, the biggest decision to make when weighing up a new smartphone has been whether to plump for iOS or Android. With BlackBerry retreating back to the services and keyboard-toting handsets that made it successful, and Windows Phone scraping by on a sliver of market share, few users have taken the time to look beyond what Apple and Google (and its hardware partners) have had to offer. Yet there's change in the air. Microsoft has a new CEO at the top of the tree, fresh ideas about how the company's different properties should slot together - and most importantly, a massive redesign of its phone OS hidden in a '0.1' update. While the global market share of Windows Phone continues to be tiny (up to 3.2 percent in 2013 from 2.5 percent in 2012), it is making significant gains in some areas. It's now the fastest growing phone OS in Europe, accounting for 10.1 percent of the market, for instance, and outsells the iPhone in some developing nations. What's more, Windows Phone 8.1 is about to be pushed out to users, bringing with it an improved interface, better apps and a digital assistant to take on Siri and Google Now. With WP8.1 bringing some significant extra functionality to the table, Microsoft's app store growing in scope and quality, and Nokia still producing top-notch hardware, the time is right to upgrade to Microsoft's OS — or so we think. Don't believe us? Check out these reasons below to see how Microsoft has leapt forward with its OS. 1. Live tiles and customisationiOS has its icons and folders, Android has its widgets, but Windows Phone's live tiles beat them both in terms of flexibility and customisation options. From the home screen, you can get a smooth, animated overview of your life — photos of your contacts, emails in your inbox, recent shows on iPlayer, upcoming appointments, ebooks, websites — it's all in front of you straight away. WP8.1 adds in the ability to add wallpapers that fuse with the live tiles as well as adjust the colours. The lock screen notifications are useful as well, particularly if your phone's sat on the desk or the arm of a chair. 2. The new Action CentreThe Action Centre that's arriving with Windows Phone 8.1 brings the mobile platform's notifications up to speed with Android and iOS. While Microsoft may be so late to the party that the caterers have gone home, it has certainly learnt from the best (and worst) of the features offered on iOS and Android. You can set up custom shortcuts within the Action Centre for everything from Bluetooth to the camera app and certain alerts can be easily previewed without opening the app in question. It doesn't have the flexibility and ability to launch actions that the Android equivalent has, but it brings Windows Phone right up to date in the notification stakes. 3. CortanaMicrosoft has only just got into the 'digital assistant' game, but the early signs point towards Cortana being more than a match for Google Now and Siri. Scheduling appointments, checking flight times, giving directions and tracking news stories — all of these are within Cortana's capabilities right from the off. Not only that, but she gets cleverer as you spend more time together. Bing powers everything of course, and it's accessible from everywhere. In many ways, Cortana helps to paper over the cracks in Windows Phone's multitasking capabilities. 4. Outlook, Office and universal appsYou can access your Outlook emails and Office documents on non-Microsoft platforms quite easily; in fact there are a choice of methods and apps you can use. However, these titans of productivity are built in and work nicely on Windows Phone as soon as you provide your Microsoft account credentials. If you're already heavily invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, then the company's mobile OS is a natural next step; as apps become universal across phones, tablets, Windows computers and the Xbox then Windows Phone could make even more sense. Office is on the iPad now, but when the chips are down and you need instant access to your pivot tables, Windows Phone is still the best bet - although it's still not quite cracked it in the tablet market. 5. A consistent lookIt's easy to spot a Windows Phone app from some distance. The same chunky buttons, elegant lettering and design aesthetic cover everything from Spotify to Facebook. When compared to the weird and wonderful interfaces that pop up across iOS and Android it is a welcome change to dive into a mobile platform that's consistent and recognisable. Even if it's not to your taste, you have to accept that Windows Phone has succeeded in bringing a unified look to its apps and menus. 6. OneDriveThe cloud storage platform (formerly known as SkyDrive) is in direct competition with iCloud and Google Drive, and has plenty to offer. It combines file backup, photo management and document editing, and of course it's baked into Windows 8.1 too. There's even a Mac client, giving it a Dropbox level of ubiquity across computers, tablets, mobiles and the Web. Its rivals all have their own key features and advantages as well, but OneDrive is a maturing platform that's all set to go as soon as you sign into your phone. 7. Camera technologyThis is more down to Nokia's engineering than anything Windows Phone does, but there's no doubt that many of the current Lumia handsets take dazzling pictures. The dedicated hardware button helps, as does the Nokia Pro Cam app, and the Windows Phone experience is proof that you don't have to settle for average snaps from your mobile. And that's not the end of it, as there are other features in WP8.1 that we haven't had time to mention too, such as the Battery Saver and Wi-Fi Sense apps that help you get more juice from your handset and connect to open networks more easily. And two big reasons why it shouldn't...It's not all peaches and cream on the Windows Phone farm of course - we're still talking about an OS that fewer than one in 20 people are using worldwide. So if our reasoning above has you charging out the door to your local phone emporium to buy the latest Lumia, think about these two points before you grab your coat: 1. Moving will be a painUnless you're starting from scratch with Windows Phone (if you're 12 years old, perhaps) or you're already heavily invested in Microsoft's other products then transferring your information (emails, photos, contacts) from iCloud/Google can be a bind. Unfortunately, it looks like that system is here to stay, as none of the big players want to make it easy for users to jump ship. Hopefully Office for iPad is a sign of an interoperable future, but we would dearly love to see an official Gmail client, for example. 97% of smartphone users aren't on Windows Phone (yet), and the process of switching needs to be made easier. Unfortunately that means Google and Apple need to put in the effort as well as Microsoft. 2. The apps still ain't rightTalk to anyone at Microsoft and they'll be predictably bullish on how many apps are landing in the Windows Phone Store every day. And to be fair, it is a decent number: 200,000 at the end of 2013, and that's still growing. Add to that the fact that the interoperability within Windows Phone is strong, and you could make a compelling case for purchase. But despite some of the bigger names still committing to the platform, the quality still isn't there compared to iOS and Android. Use the likes of Spotify, Facebook or Instagram and you'll see a distinctly lower performance, be it through features or general design, which is something that should definitely play into the thoughts of anyone that relies on their mobile for social networking. There are exceptions to the rule - Adidas MiCoach has a superior design on Windows Phone compared to its iOS and Android counterparts, for instance - so things may change in the future, but for now you'll need to be pretty cool with an undulating app experience if you're going to get on the WP train.   |  | It won't be long before mobile gaming looks this beautiful May 6th 2014, 14:05, by Hugh Langley 
Last year, TechRadar took a peek at Imagination's PowerVR ray tracing technology in action and it got us very, very excited. And the developments we're seeing today are even more promising. Imagination has just shown off a demo of its PowerVR ray tracing in action in a hybrid rendering demo. Not only does ray tracing product wonderfully lifelike graphics, it does so at incredible speeds - and the aim is to get it into consumers GPUs soon. "These are the features that ray tracing can improve in terms of mobile gaming," Imagination Technology PR Specialist Alexandru Voica told TechRadar. "We've taken the Unity 5 game engine and then we did all the work that was required to add ray tracing inside the game engine." Upping the gameCut out all the jargon, and what you're left with is a glimpse at the next revolution in mobile gaming. As for when you'll start seeing it for real, Imagination says you'll have a short while to wait. "Our expectation is that sometime within the next year we'll be delivering some dev kits to select developers," said Voica, who told us that there was a lot of interest shown by devs at GDC 2014. "And then in terms of actual devices, when you're adopting a new technology like ray tracing, it usually takes about two to three years between a company licencing the design and then an end product coming to market" You can go read all about it over on Imagination's blog here. YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyH4yBm6Z9g       | | Would you be happy if the iPhone 6 looked like this? May 6th 2014, 11:31, by Hugh Langley 
iPhone leak season is upon us and the downpour has well and truly started. However this time it seems Apple is having even more difficulty keeping the seal shut. The latest comes from Italian blog Macitynet.it, which compares an iPhone 6 dummy unit against the iPhone 5S in a series of photos and a video. The dummy unit, supposedly obtained from insider source, aligns with many of the leaks and rumours we've already seen. We can see a larger, 4.7-inch screen and a curved design that's more alike to the iPod Touch, while the power button now sits on the side of the device. Taking shape Overall, it would mark the most significant change to the iPhone design yet if it's accurate – and that's a big if. While it's claimed to be a dummy unit, this iPhone 6 mockup could just as easily be fake. Last week, the same site put the iPhone 6 unit side by side with a display model Samsung Galaxy S5, showing that an iPhone of this design could be a tad shorter and thinner than Samsung's effort. The questionable aspect right now is the flash. As far as we can see, the true tone flash is missing. However there appears to be a silver ring running around the outside of the lens - possibly the ring flash that has been mooted for the handset. Watch the video below and see whether you'd be happy with Apple releasing an iPhone of this design. YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzlR-pn0kig- Then go find out all the other juicy gossip on the iPhone 6
       | | High price for Samsung Galaxy K Zoom comes into focus May 6th 2014, 10:46, by John McCann 
We weren't expecting the Samsung Galaxy K Zoom to arrive with a budget price tag, and word from Europe has now confirmed our suspicions - it's a bit pricey. Samsung Germany has published its Galaxy K Zoom press release complete with a mid-May release date and a price tag of €519 (around £430, $720, AU$775). In the UK at least, that price may edge closer to the £500 mark after taxes are taken into a account, which in turn would see the K Zoom almost match the Galaxy S5 in terms of cost. What do you get?The main attraction on the Galaxy K Zoom is the 20.7MP 3 BSI CMOS sensor with 10x optical zoom on its rear, but round the front it's more smartphone than smart camera. You get a 4.8-inch 1280 x 720 display, hexa-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage Android 4.4 KitKat, 4G, NFC, microSD slot and a 2430mAh battery for your money. We have contacted Samsung regarding the final UK price and we'll update this article when we hear back.        | | The LG G3 - is it set to launch with a stylus? May 6th 2014, 10:23, by James Rogerson 
Another day, another leaked LG G3 picture - but this one comes with a mysterious extra hole that could show the location of a stylus. While these images of the phone in a third party case are broadly similar to what we've seen before, they do reveal some new details, as LG finalises the version it will be showing off to the public. These new images were spotted on Amazon Germany servers by MobileGeeks and they show the same rear-facing buttons, camera and mystery sensor that we've seen before, but also give a look at the top edge of the handset, which has a hole in the top right corner. More questions than answersThe obvious explanation for that would be a headphone port, but earlier images of the phone show what seems to be a headphone port on the bottom edge. So what else could it be? There's been speculation that this could be a Japanese version of the handset and that the hole is for an antenna, but it seems odd that there'd be a cut-out for that in a case designed for the German market. 
Credit: Mobile Geeks Another possibility is that it could be a slot for a stylus. We haven't heard any rumours of a stylus but with a screen that's expected to be 5.5 inches (and super-high-res) it's certainly big enough to warrant one. Or then again it could just be a headphone port after all, which would leave us with a mystery hole at the bottom of the handset instead. We should know soon enough as we're expecting the LG G3 launch to happen on 27 May.   | | Tesco to launch a Galaxy S5-rivalling Hudl phone this year May 6th 2014, 08:45, by Hugh Langley 
Following the success of its £119 Hudl tablet, Tesco is set to launch its own Hudl smartphone too. The handset will land by the end of the year, Chief executive Philip Clarke told BBC Radio 5, who confirmed it'll keep the Hudl branding. The BBC reports that the phone will be comparable to the Samsung Galaxy S5 and will run on Android, although Clarke didn't dish anything on specs or price. Check it outHowever he did say that the Hudl phone will come loaded with a bunch of Tesco services, which will include Blinkbox video streaming, Tesco shopping apps, and a media store. The phone will apparently be "aggressively priced" while still being comparable to other higher-end smartphones on the market. Comparing it to the S5 is probably just some early hype-building - we wouldn't take that as gospel until we actually see a spec sheet.        | | That biometric Apple EarPod rumor literally came from the toilet May 6th 2014, 00:41, by Michael Rougeau 
The rumor that Apple's next EarPod headphones would feature a heart rate monitor and iBeacon built in has turned out to be a complete and utter hoax. We did call it "the most unfounded Apple rumor" we'd yet heard, though we also pointed out how much sense it would make. Still, the prankster has come out of the woodwork to clarify that he or she "just made it all up on the shitter." Well that's pretty cut-and-dry. Can't argue with you on this oneThe culprit claims to have never seen the Apple patents related to earbuds, and reportedly knew nothing of Apple's recent medical-focused hires. Instead, this person apparently made the rumor up because the Secret social network's "anonymous nature makes it a fun place to post things you can't on Twitter." "I wrote it 5 minutes after I woke up on the 1st of may," the confessional Tumblr post reads. "I was blurry eyed, I had a headache, I was using the toilet and worrying about my blood pressure." The person laments that a number of coincidences made the rumor sound more credible than they intended, and the guilt of duping so many people legitimately appears to be a heavy weight. "I'm sorry this joke got out of hand," the post reads. "I'm just someone who thought they were funny and made a lucky guess and was too dumb to cut it off early before it got silly. I was a jerk." Fair enough. And just in case you're skeptical about this confession - can't imagine why - note that the author of the original Secret post linked to the Tumblr exposé in the comments. The takeaway from all this? "I'll think twice from now on about what I say online," the jokester wrote. "I suggest for some this act as a warning that they should, too." - Here's everything TechRadar knows about the rumored Apple iWatch
       | | Updated: iOS email encryption isn't as safe as Apple led you to believe May 5th 2014, 23:57, by Nick Pino 
The maelstrom of internet security risks keeps on brewing, this time involving the Apple's latest iOS update, iOS 7.1.1. The day after the new system's release, security researcher Andreas Kurtz wrote on his blog about a serious flaw in the system's ability to encrypt email attachments within the MobileMail.app. He wrote to Apple immediately. Kurtz setup an IMAP email account and sent out some test emails with attachments. He shut the phone down and used "well-known techniques" to recover the attachments "without any encryption/restriction." "They responded that they were aware of this issue, but did not state any date when a fix is to be expected," Kurtz wrote, speaking about Apple's response. "Considering the long time iOS 7 is available by now and the sensitivity of email attachments many enterprises share on their devices (fundamentally relying on data protection), I expected a near-term patch. Unfortunately, even today's iOS 7.1.1 did not remedy the issue, leaving users at risk of data theft." TechRadar received a similar response from Apple about a possible flaw in Data Protection, stating:"We're aware of the issue and are working on a fix which we will deliver in a future software update." The plot thickensWhat's worse is that this isn't just an issue for 7.1.1 users, but for anyone using iOS 7.1 or version 7.0.4 as well. Is Apple saying "too bad, so sad" to its trusting business-class users? Some have suggested that this problem is fairly niche, with iOS 7-running devices before iPhone 4S and iPad 2 the most vulnerable due to the imbued hardware. While Apple may not be known for their airtight security when it comes to operating systems, these are the people who recently embedded fingerprint-scanning technology into their flagship iPhone 5S. These software updates are generally tens of thousands of lines long and, realistically, come with a few possible exploits. While Kurtz goes on to suggest concerned users can disable news synchronization, it seems like this is more a concern for government workers and law enforcement agencies and less likely a concern when trying to keep your vacation pics safe. - Here's everything TechRadar knows about the iPhone 6
       | | AMD's Lisa Su: 'You're not going to see us in low-cost smartphones' May 5th 2014, 19:00, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
It comes as no surprise that AMD's attention is on the premium side of the tech spectrum, but Senior Vice President Lisa Su put to bed any inkling AMD may expand into lower-end hardware, particularly in mobile. "If you look at the entire ARM market segment, you're probably not going to see us in low-cost smartphones," Su said in answer to an audience question during an ARM-heavy San Francisco press conference. "Actually, I think you can say you're not going to see us in low-cost smartphones because that isn't our DNA," she clarified. "You're not going to see us in $2 micro-controllers because that's not in our DNA. We chose an inflection point to really jump into ARM." The press event contained a number of ARM server-side announcements. Su prefaced these comments by noting AMD likes how broad the ARM ecosystem is "in terms of volume and dynamics it drives, adding the company is "very, very specific about where we are going to differentiate." ARM in armAMD used the press conference to outline its future roadmap, and the future is decidedly ARM. More to the point, it's decidedly 64-bit ARM with APUs and SoCs intended for the server and data center space. Su continued: "There's a reason we started with 64-bit. There's a reason we started with [Cortex] A57 and then going to K12. We are catching the point where we believe [there's an] intersection of the ARM ecosystem with higher-performance applications with graphics, with total compute, with our system-on-chip methodology ... that's really where we're going to differentiate. "Those higher performance, power efficient, more complex SoCs that have typically been of the x86 variety, we really intend to bring some of those to the ARM ecosystem," she concluded. Simon Segars, CEO of ARM, said that as the smartphone market continues to grow, manufacturers will need data stored in the places AMD is targeting. The newly minted ARM architecture licensee, he said, is "enabling choice [and] enabling innovation through the entire supply chain." Just don't look for that innovation to hit the lower-end of the mobile market.        | | TechRadar's ultimate Mother's Day gift guide 2014 May 5th 2014, 18:30, by Nick Pino 
Ah early May, we meet again. It's time for sunny skies, warm weather, and…wait, Mother's Day is Sunday?! Not again. If you're flipping out over the lack of time to get mom the gift she'll really want: don't worry. We here at TechRadar are gift-giving experts and have a few ideas to totally crush that macaroni art project you gave her 10 years ago. From the tech-savvy kind of mammas to the "honey, how do I get to Google?" We've got you covered. We've got our first five gift ideas listed below, but more will be coming every day up until the big day on Sunday. Be sure to check back daily to see what the next gift is! Give her the gift of Hemmingway…or any writer reallyThe Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is the all-around, cost-effective, PDF-reading champ. At $99 (about £59.28 or $107 AU) the Paperwhite has tons of reading options from the tie-in Kindle Store to a neat vocabulary builder. She'll never go without a book in her hand...and something new to lecture you about on her weekly phone call. 
Here's an excerpt from our review: The 6th generation Kindle Paperwhite is the best Kindle yet, it's the most cost effective ereader on the market at £109 (in this spec range) and it easily beats the Kobo Aura on performance and design. Amazon has managed to create a fast e-ink tablet with inventive reading apps. For the mother in motionThey say "40 is the new 20," and regardless if that makes sense to any millennial, moms all over the country are ready to take fitness plans into their own hands. And there's no better way to help her with her 2014 fitness goals than the Fitbit One. With built-in sleep tracking and what is essentially a supped up pedometer, she'll be able to count her carbs, track her crunches, and make sure she's getting the best sleep possible. $89 (about £53 or $95 AUS) is a cheap price to make sure mom makes it to 100, right? Because in like, a decade, 100 will be the new 40. 
Here's an excerpt from our review: "The Fitbit One is without a doubt one of the most versatile and useful fitness gadgets on the market. It's also fairly expensive. The truth is that there's nothing about the information from the Fitbit One that will make you lose weight. It's no magic bullet to weight loss. What it will do is hold you accountable. Every day you will know exactly how much you did or didn't do; whether you achieved your goals or failed miserably." It's picture perfect, really!Avoid the Ashton Kutcher gimmick and pick mom up a Canon PowerShot SX280 HS. With awesome automatic settings to quickly capture the warmest of familial moments to deeper controls for the aspiring Avedon in your family, the PowerShot's got everything mom needs in a point-and-shoot package. Sure, top-tier smartphones and tablets can take decent pics and make phone calls, but do you really want to be the one with a mum taking embarrassing shots with an iPad? I didn't think so. Plus, at just $179.99 (about £107 or $194 AUS) at Best Buy this week you can use the $100 you save on something nice for you. 
Here's an excerpt from our review: What we have here is an excellent and well performing compact camera that offers lots of flexibility both to beginner users and those looking for something a little more advanced. It would also be a good camera for anybody looking to learn a little more about photography, since you could start on the fully automatic settings and work your way through the manual options. Mad Max ain't got nothing on herIs mom behind the wheel more than she'd like? For the road warrior matron in your life try the TomTom Start 50. Reasonably priced at $99, the Start 50 has the maps she'll need coupled with the usability that will keep you off the phone playing tech support. This recommendation comes with a caveat: The Start 50 only works with American maps. For our friends across the pond, check out the TomTom Start 60. It's got everything that's great about the Start 50, plus you know, maps for Europe and the UK. She's got game…or she will after you buy her oneDid you come out of the womb, controller in hand? Was mom the reason you knew the names of Solid Snake, Sonic, and Mega Man before you knew the names of the presidents? She deserves a Wii U. While the Xbox One and PS4 are taking up most of the advertising bandwidth these days, Nintendo's Wii U has actually got some serious gaming chops and is worthy of mom's precious down time. With single-player games like Scribblenauts Unlimited and Pikmin 3 she'll be able to get lost in her own world, and with multiplayer titles like Super Mario 3D Land, Rayman Legends, and upcoming Mario Kart 8, you'll be able to join in the fun too. 
Here's an excerpt from our review: For Nintendo fans looking to finally enter the HD era, the Wii U may seem like a beacon of light in an endless downpour – and if you're coming from the Wii, it will be quite impressive, indeed. Not only are the publisher's own properties sleeker than ever before, but third-parties can finally deliver the great games they've been making for other systems in recent years. Need more inspiration? Check out last year's gift guide!        | | Free from smartphones, Nokia turns its sights on smart car tech May 5th 2014, 18:12, by JR Bookwalter 
Google and billionaire Elon Musk are racing to make self-driving automobiles a reality, but Nokia plans to merge their way onto this crowded highway by tossing a chunk of dough into a fund to help make cars smarter. Bloomberg BusinessWeek today reported that Nokia Oyj, newly freed from the shackles of its legendary smartphone business, plans to invest $100 million (about £59.3M, AU$107.8M) into "intelligent car technologies" as an extension of the company's existing digital map business. While rivals Google and Tesla focus their attention on self-driving cars, Nokia's venture capital firm Nokia Growth Partners plans to steer its focus onto the automobile as the next big software platform, similar to how apps and services brought a huge boost to mobile devices. Nokia's investment is a drop in the bucket for Finland's onetime smartphone giant, having cashed a $7.5 billion (about £4.45B, AU$8B) check last month from Microsoft to shed its Devices & Services division. Paving the road"We're seeing innovation that's happening across the auto ecosystem through the combination of mobility and the Internet," Nokia partner Paul Asel said Monday during the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing. Since 2007, Nokia has invested $8.1 billion to acquire map providers Navteq Corp. and Earthmine Inc., whose technology now powers four out of five car navigation systems; Nokia also provides HERE Maps data to former partner Microsoft as well as Amazon and Yahoo. Legacy automakers like General Motors and Toyota are also exploring ways to introduce automated emergency call services and other smart dashboard technology, but Asel feels upstarts like BMW, Google and Tesla could "adopt services faster than the established ones to gain a foothold." Fueled by billionaire Elon Musk, Tesla has already aggressively led the way with automobiles that include built-in internet access, roadside assistance and a service to help locate stolen vehicles. - Get another glimpse into the future with our Google Glass review!
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