Court orders Samsung to pay Apple $119.6m

A US court has ordered Samsung to pay Apple $119.6 million (£71m) as the latest round of patent disputes come to a head.

With a Californian jury deeming Samsung has infringed on two Apple-held patents, the Korean manufacturer has been ordered to compensate its bitter rival following the month-long legal dispute.

Although a substantial sum, the enforced fine marks less than 10 per cent of the $2.2 billion Apple was seeking, having claimed Samsung had infringed on five of its patents – including intellectual rights to the iPhone and iPad’s “slide to unlock” features.

With Samsung having attempted to counter sue Apple for its own claimed patent infringements, the same court has order Apple to pay the Galaxy S5 maker $158,000 in damages.

“Though this verdict is large by normal standards, it is hard to view this outcome as much of a victory for Apple,” Brian Love, a Santa Clara University law professor told the BBC.

He added: “This amount is less than 10 per cent of the amount Apple requested and probably doesn’t surpass by too much the amount Apple spent litigating this case.”

Apple and Samsung have been fighting patent disputes around the world for a number of years. Back in late 2012 Samsung was ordered to pay Apple almost $1 billion in damages. The company is still challenging this decision.

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John McAfee launches new secure messaging app "Chadder" to keep your chatter private

The man who founded McAfee Anti-Virus has launched a new app aimed at providing secure instant messaging that can't be read by anyone but the intended recipient.

Chadder - pronounced "chatter" - which is a joint-venture between John McAfee's company Future Tense and a startup called Etransfr, is secure enough that the company claims even it can't see the messages that you sent. Text is encrypted by the sender, and transmitted as such to the recipient, whose app will then decrypt it again.

The system works using public key cryptography, which makes it possible for the server to pass on the information, and the key, without the information that is held within being compromised. This is important, because it keeps everything secure, but because it's a public key there is no complicated exchange of security certificates. This keeps the app simple, in fact we looked at it and it's no more difficult to use than Whatsapp.

Where it scores over the likes of Whatsapp is that it is entirely secure, and while Whatsapp can claim that messages are not kept on its servers, they don't say much about how secure those messages are, and who might be able to intercept and read them. If you want to share secrets, there's no doubt that Chadder is worth a look.

John McAfee is, of course, quite famous for his various run-ins with the law, including being under suspicion of shooting his next door neighbour while living in Belize. McAfee was eventually able to return to the US, but no doubt secure communications have been on his mind ever since.

The app is already available on the Android and Windows Phone stores and an iOS version is being tested by Apple at the moment, and is expected to appear within a few weeks.



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Via: PCMag

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Apple's new Earpod headphones will monitor your heart-rate and blood pressure, a rumour suggests

A rumour on Secret.ly indicates that Apple's new headphones will be able to monitor your vital signs and will connect to your iPhone to keep track of workouts.

Apple's new Earpod headphones, a rumour suggests, will be able to keep an eye on both your heart rate and blood pressure from sensors built into the earbud itself. They will connect to your iPhone via its Lightning port, rather than the headphone jack, and will turn the iPhone into a fitness powerhouse.

According to the rumour, the headphones will be reliant on the next version of Apple's iOS, which is likely to be announced at WWDC in June, although it sounds like there's no reason they won't work on all of the iPhones and iPods that feature a Lightning port. The rumour also suggests that the Earpods will feature Apple's iBeacon, which is a Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) system that keeps track of things in close proximity to your phone.

The idea of all this might sound far-fetched, but actually similar concepts have been demonstrated by the likes of Intel before. The idea is likely to be that Apple wants to fill in the missing health service which is present through third-party devices like wearable tech, but hasn't been included in Apple's core OS yet.

It's also another potential development in the ongoing Nike saga, where it was rumoured the iWatch would be the replacement for Nike's smartwatch. Perhaps this ties into that rumour too, giving Apple access to Nike's customer base, while keeping all of the tech in-house.

Of course the biggest downside is that these headphones will likely cost a bit more to buy, and you'll need to use them instead of your favourite sports headphones. Still, Apple's new earbuds are firm favourites with most people who use them, so it will probably not be a huge problem.

Read more: iPhone 6 release date, news, rumours, specs and price

Via: Stuff

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More iPhone 6 pictures leak to show off revised skinny design

Yet another batch of claimed iPhone 6 pictures have leaked, showing off the next-gen smartphone’s heavily remodelled form factor.

With the iPhone 6 widely expected to come in for something of a design refresh later this year, new shots claiming to be of the iPhone 5S follow-on have again pointed to a slimmer, more rounded finish.

With Apple’s next Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 rival having been the subject of multiple leaks in recent weeks, the latest shots back up reports the iPhone 6 will drop a few millimetres in thickness while adding a larger display.

Having surfaced via Chinese website Baidu we must suggest these shots be taken with a sizeable pinch of salt. What’s more, with the phone lacking any Apple branding, the device could be nothing more than a mock-up based on passed rumours.

Scepticism and realism aside, the claimed iPhone 6 pictures show a brushed metal handset with a fingerprint sensor incorporating TouchID home button taking pride of place on the front panel.

With past iPhone 6 rumours suggesting the handset will line up at just 6mm thick, the leaked device looks only marginally thicker than the integrated Lightning port connector.

Although not shown in the latest leaks, further iPhone 6 rumours have hinted the phone will land running new iOS 8 software alongside a 4.7-inch Quantum Dot display.

While Apple has yet to offer any official insight into its next phone, it is widely believed the iPhone 6 will enter the realms of reality this September alongside the heavily rumoured iWatch.

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Nintendo tipped to launch new hardware at E3

Several separate leaks suggest Nintendo is gearing up to launch brand new hardware at E3 2014 in June.

Potentially the follow-on to the struggling Nintendo Wii U or successful Nintendo 3DS handheld, Nintendo apparently has some big hardware news for us next month.

Citing multiple sources, IGN believes Nintendo will “absolutely” reveal new hardware at the LA-based gaming conference, although doesn’t “know what that means” in terms of what hardware form that will take.

“They’re absolutely going to show new hardware this year,” said IGN’s Peer Schneider, during a podcast. “There’s no doubt in my mind because I’ve heard it from multiple people now. I’ve heard it from someone who used to be at Nintendo, I’ve heard it from somebody on the third-party front.”

Supporting this fresh rumour is a separately “third-party publishing” sourced report from VideoGamer that the upcoming hardware announcement could link to leaked tech specs from earlier this year.

These leaked specs were supposedly linked to two brand new Nintendo consoles named the Fusion DS and Fusion Terminal, potentially the Wii U and 3DS successors.

Apparently, these new consoles will offer playable games at E3 this year, but of course Nintendo has declined to comment on “rumour and speculation”.

Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata claimed the company’s next consoles will take a leaf out of Apple’s iOS book, by making them share a unified development platform.

"Currently, we can only provide two form factors because if we had three or four different architectures, we would face serious shortages of software on every platform", said Iwata. “Apple is able to release smart devices with various form factors one after another because there is one way of programming adopted by all platforms. Apple has a common platform called iOS.”

He also noted the same properties are found with Google’s Android OS.

"The point is, Nintendo platforms should be like those two examples."

Read more: Nintendo 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL

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iPhone 6 release date, news, rumours, specs and price

The iPhone 6 release date might not be due until later this year but a raft of iPhone 6 leaks have all surfaced in recent weeks pointing to the phone featuring a super skinny design.

Although the iPhone 5S remains one of the most popular handsets on the market, going head-to-head with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8, attention has already firmly turned to the upcoming iPhone 6 release date and the possibility of an all new Apple smartphone direction.

While numerous reports have suggested the iPhone 6 will feature a refreshed, larger form factor and screen to better rival its main Android rivals, latest leaks have suggested that the phone could benefit from a super slim profile similar to the iPod touch.

What's more, having shaken things up last year with the colourful, plastic bodied iPhone 5C, recent iPhone 6 rumours have claimed the next Apple handset could share the limelight with the company's first phablet offering, a handset which would look to rival the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Helping ensure you are kept up to date on all the latest iPhone 6 news and rumours, including details on the eagerly awaited iPhone 6 release date, we will continue to update this page leading up to the iPhone 6 launch, so bookmark it now.

iPhone 6 Release Date

Although an exact iPhone 6 release date is currently unknown, it has been suggested by reported Chinese insiders that the phone will be unveiled as part of Apple's annual WWDC conference in June. While early iPhone's were unveiled around this time of year, based on Apple’s past habits, we can take a pretty good stab in the dark and say that these claims are rubbish.

What is far more likely is that the iPhone 6 release date will be held in either late September or the opening days of October - a launch which will follow an unveiling less than two weeks earlier.

With the iPhone 4S having marked the company’s first move to a late summer unveiling, the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S have all made their first appearances around the same time of year.

Adding further backing to an autumn release, KGI Research analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has reported that the iPhone 6 will touch down with a new 4.7-inch screen during the very latter period of Q3 - so late September. It has been suggested that the iPhone 6 will land as a busy second half of the year for the Cupertino-based giant, a period which will also see new iPads, MacBooks and the much mooted Apple iWatch land.

Separate reports out of Japan and Taiwan have both suggested that the iPhone 6 will enter full production in July in order to meet launch demands. One thing you can bet on is that the iPhone 6 will not be hit by the same level of stock shortages as the iPhone 5S, a device which faced 6-8 week shipping delays on day one.

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iPhone 6 News

With iPhone 6 rumours having long focussed on the size of the handset's screen, attention has now turned to the phone's thickness with latest iPhone 6 leaks all pointing to a super slim device skinnier than even the 6.18mm thick Huawei Ascend P6.

While we in the TrustedReviews offices aren't sold on the idea of excessively skinny handsets, alleged iPhone 6 renders reportedly sent to case manufacturers have claimed the iPhone 6 will be just 6mm thick, 1.6mm slimmer than the 5S.

Bringing this remodelled form factor to life, an iPhone 6 mock-up has been created based on the leaked renders, offering a video-based insight into exactly how the next-gen Apple handset might look.

According to separate reports the S5 rival will be not only super slim but the proud host of a curved display and body.

As unlikely as we find it, reports out of Japan have cited "reliable information" in claiming that a curved display with rounded edges is on the cards.

We do, however, believe the claims of a super slim could come to fruition as the skinny iPhone leaks continue to flow. Joining the renders and schematics, a claimed iPhone 6 case has leaked online, again suggesting the next-gen handset will be considerably thinner than its predecessor. The teased peripheral itself is slimmer than an iPhone 5S meaning the 6 will be heavily cut down in size. What's more, it has shown off the much mooted increase in screen size.

Another of the most common iPhone 6 rumours to do the rounds in recent weeks is that the handset will feature a larger screen than past Apple handsets. With the likes of the LG G2 having already pushed flagship Android phone displays to 5.2-inches, Apple is likely to make another jump in size, having moved from 3.5-inches to 4-inches with the iPhone 5. At present, it is believed the iPhone 6 will host a 4.7-inch display - similar to the original HTC One - with an Apple phablet to follow with a 5.5-inch panel.

“The electronics giant has begun evaluating a plan to offer iPhones with screens ranging from 4.7 inches to as high as 6 inches,” mooted “people familiar with the matter” have been quoted as stating in recent reports.

With dozens of leaks all pointing towards the iPhone 6 featuring a larger screen, notorious Apple tipster Brian White has added that an iPhone 6 screen size “could approach 5-inches.”

Topeka Capital analyst White added: “The next iPhone will offer customers more choice in terms of screen size. The Company has never offered multiple screen sizes for a single model, we believe this is about to change with the next iPhone offering different screen sizes that we believe will allow Apple to better bifurcate the market and expand its reach.”

Seeing a larger iPhone 6 screen all but confirmed, even component suppliers have been getting in on the premature unveiling act, teasing an increase in smartphone size. Speaking with Asian media, an unnamed Foxconn executive reportedly revealed that “Apple has been particularly interested in recent tests for a 4.8-inch screen.”

With latest reports suggesting the iPhone 6 will line up with a 4.7-inch display, it is believed that the handset will still be smaller than many of its leading Android-based competitors, instead lining up similar in size to the Motorola Moto X.

Although it has been suggested that the iPhone 6 will gain its larger display as part of a total redesign, leaked images of the phone's front panel have hinted that Apple will retain a similar aesthetic for its next flagship phone.

Surfacing courtesy of iPhone.fr, the teased image (above) has hinted that Apple will retain iPhone look, simply expanding the screen area on the phone's body.

iPhone 6 Rumours

Size isn't the only change expected for the iPhone 6's screen. Building on the manufacturer's past Retina offerings, it has been suggested that the 6 will make use of new, Quantum Dot display technologies.

Before you start scratching your head in confusion, Quantum Dot screens improve colour reproduction in the Retina display by emitting the light through a thin film of quantum dots. The technology also allows a wider gamut of colours to be shown more accurately.

Despite grabbing headlines, the technology isn't new. Quantum Dot displays have already featured on the Amazon Kindle Fire HDX tablet line.

Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased the company's plans to introduce improved displays to its mobile products, a remit sure to include the iPhone 6.

“We want to give our customers what’s right in all respects – not just the size but in the resolution, in the clarity, in the contrast, in the reliability”, Cook said during an interview earlier this year. “There are many different parameters to measure a display and we care about all [of] those, because we know that’s the window to the software.”

As part of the handset's refresh, a number of small design changes are expected, with those claiming insider knowledge suggesting Apple could relocate the phone's power button for the first time since the original iPhone was introduced.

“Our understanding is that [the] iPhone 6’s power button might be moved from the top to the side,” analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated. “We think this change is meant to facilitate one-hand operation and might indicate new application that require more frequent use of the power button.”

Despite the iPhone 6 being set to be one of Apple's biggest launches of 2014, the next-gen smartphone might have to share the stage. With Apple having repeated teased and hinted a wearable gadget potentially being in the works at its Cupertino HQ, it has been suggested that the iPhone 6 release date could be held in conjunction with an Apple iWatch launch.

Tipped to boast a 1.3-inch touchscreen, the Apple iWatch will reportedly feature a curved screen manufactured by LG and launch as a companion to the iPhone 6.

Although iWatch reports have circled for some time, the iPhone 6 rumour which continues to generate the most talking points is the potential move to a larger display. With insiders and component suppliers chattering about a bigger display, analysts have got in on the act too, with Topeka Capital analyst Brian White also pointing at a 4.8-inch form factor.

One iPhone 6 rumour which seems to be stretching the realms of possibility, is collection of iPhone 6 concept images which have shown the phone with a curved, wraparound display. While these images have grabbed the attentions of many, even the concept’s designer has questioned its likelihood.

“Such a design may appear on the iPhone 6 or 7, or maybe never,” designer Nikolay Lamm said. “It’s a cool design, but one which is unlikely to give Apple a sustainable competitive advantage.”

Further iPhone 6 rumours have seen a proposed move to a Sapphire glass display reportedly set to the manufacturer back a staggering £350 million. While the move would help improve screen clarity and toughness, if the Samsung Galaxy S5 is on the receiving of its 2K display improvement, this upgrade might not be enough for Apple to compete with its Korean rival.

iPhone 6 Specs

The iPhone 6 specs sheet is set to have a few surprises in store following the incremental updates from the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 5S.

With the Touch ID fingerprint sensor having made an appearance aboard the iPhone 5S, it is expected that the biometric security measure will become something of a standard on flagship models, and make another stop within the iPhone 6’s home button. On this front, with the Samsung Galaxy S5's own fingerprint sensor being made compatible with Paypal payments, you can guarantee Apple will be working on further partnerships and tie ins of its own.

Further iPhone 6 specs will likely see the increased screen and completely overhauled design partnered with an even speedier 64-bit processor and revised camera. Although the recently confirmed Qualcomm Snapdragon 805, Snapdragon 808 and Snapdragon 810 chipsets are to power the next wave of Android powerhouses, Apple is likely to continue to shun the leading mobile CPU provider in favour of its own chip sets.

Although the iPhone 6 camera looks set to retain the same 8-megapixel sensor as its predecessor, recent reports have suggested that integrated snapper will be improved by a move to improved glass optics to boost image quality and clarity.

Further and more precise iPhone 6 specs are still unclear.

What is clear, however, is that the iPhone 6 will become one of - if not the - first device to run iOS 8 direct from the box. An evolution more than a revolution of its mobile operating system, iOS 8 is set to have a strong, fitness based focus. Leading this new direction will be the heavily leaks Healthbook application, an aggregator of a variety of dedicated fitness and wellbeing applications and services that can be tied in to a selection of third party peripherals.

Further features set to be introduced to the iPhone 6 through iOS 8 include enhanced CarPlay features, vast Siri improvements and major Apple Maps updates.

As has become customary, the iPhone 6 is expected to be made available in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage forms, although a new 128GB handset is also believed to be on the cards.

iPhone 6 Price

Although Apple isn’t short of a few bob, the iPhone 6 price, like that of its predecessor is sure to hit you where it hurts, the wallet.

The iPhone 5S price was increased over its predecessor, and with the iPhone 6 expected to get a bump in screen size and an all new design, you can expect and even lofty rise in costs next time around. We will bring you further details on the iPhone 6 price as and when we get them.

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LG G Watch release date, price, specs and features round-up

Everything we know about the LG G Watch

The LG G Watch has been officially unveiled but there is still much we don’t know about the device, including the exact LG G Watch release date is and how much it will cost.

Confirmed back in March as the first wearable to run the new Android Wear OS, the LG G Watch is set to go head-to-head with the likes of the Samsung Gear 2 and Motorola Moto 360 in the growing smartwatch space.

Despite announcing the timepiece will touch down in Q2 of this year, a timeframe which runs until the end of June, LG has remained coy on exact G Watch specs and details. Despite the manufacturer keeping schtum, a number of G Watch specs and features have surfaced.

Here’s everything you need to know about the LG G Watch, including details on the G Watch price and launch. We will continue to update this post as new details emerge so bookmark it now to keep up-to-date.

LG G Watch Release Date

A precise LG G Watch release date is unkown, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have a pretty good idea as to when the smartwatch will hit retailers.

LG has been quite open in confirming the G Watch release date will be held during the year’s second quarter, although a more accurate arrival time has been hard to come by.

"You can expect it in quarter two of this year, so very, very quickly," James Marshall, LG’s European Director of Mobile Communications said while speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews recently.

Despite LG failing to narrow down the Q2 launch window, several sources have claimed that the LG G Watch release date is set for late June.

Indeed, the G Watch release date could be confirmed later this month. LG has revealed that it will host a ‘G’ branded press conference on May 27, an event which will likely see the G Watch presented in more detail.

Despite marking the manufacturer’s return to the smartwatch race after a five year absence, the LG G Watch release date looks set to share the limelight – and the launch stage – with the company’s latest flagship smartphone, the LG G3. It has been suggested that the two products will hit shop shelves on the same day, with bundle packages potentially being offered.

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LG G Watch Price

LG has yet to announce an official LG G Watch price, but much speculation – and a fair few leaks – give us some inkling.

With the rival Samsung Gear 2 setting wannabe owners back a lofty £250, LG has suggested that the LG G Watch will be considerably cheaper.

According to leaks out of France, the G Watch price will be set below the €200 (£164) mark on the continent.

"LG France confirms that the G Watch shows available in our region in the month of June, and costs only 199 €," Les Numeriques reported.

What’s more, LG officials have offered more precise LG G Watch price details for the UK.

Speaking at a recent product showcase, the Korean manufacturer is said to have confirmed the LG G Watch price will be sub-£180 when launched on British shores. Finalised pricing is expected during the May 27 event.

LG G Watch Specs

Again, LG has yet to detail the G Watch’s full specs sheet, instead preferring to tease certain elements of the watch and let further details trickle out.

Unlike the Motorola Moto 360 – currently the only other Android Wear smartwatch confirmed for launch – the LG G Watch will feature a square display. While LG has yet to reveal the exact size or quality of this wrist-based panel, reports claim a 1.65-inch screen.

Although unconfirmed, if accurate this would see the LG G Watch line up almost identical in size to the 1.63-inch Samsung Gear 2 Neo.

Size aside, what is official is that the LG G Watch screen will be an always on affair. While we are not sure how damaging this will be to the watch’s battery life, LG best have something clever up its sleave to avoid nightly trips to the charger. On the plus-side, an always-on display will help better bridge the gap between standard and smart watches.

Sadly, as revealed in the images of the device, the LG G Watch will not support standard microUSB recharging. The watch has been shown featuring a propriety five point charging mount, a feature that is to require the need of not just a special cable, but a full charging dock.

The LG G Watch will be available in two colours – black and white, with the white strapped option featuring a gold frame to the body. Both will be IP67 water and dust resistant, handy for those trips to the beach and for use during sporting activities.

While you might not get away with swimming in the G Watch, there will be no need to worry about splashes and spillages.

Importantly, LG has avoided falling into the same pitfall as Samsung when it comes to the watch’s connectivity and compatibilities options.

Capitalising on the Gear 2’s faults, much in the same vein as the Sony SmartWatch 2, the G Watch will be compatible with a "wide range of Android smartphones," not just LG’s own offerings. A full list of compatible devices has yet to be announced.

LG G Watch Features

For those who remember the ambitious LG Watch Phone of 2009, the LG G Watch is set to mark a considerable step forward. According to the manufacturer, the G Watch will be "an entirely new beast" to its past wearables efforts, a statement backed up by the LG G Watch features list.

Leading this list is the Android Wear OS at the device’s heart. Marking a new breed of smartwatches, the LG G Watch is the first device to run the wearable-centric extension of Google’s Android software.

According to Google, Android Wear is about "glanceable, actionable" information, with a simple, touch and voice command based interface.

The Android Wear base will see the smartphone connected G Watch relay messaging and notification alerts direct to your wrist. With the LG G Watch packing an integrated microphone and speaker, the watch will also let you control the device simply by saying ‘Ok, Google’ followed by your desired command.

Bringing everything from mapping and weather details direct to your wrist, the LG G Watch will also include a range of inbuilt sensors, such as a gyroscope and accelerometer to better track location-based details. What’s more, this collection of sensors will allow for fitness tracking features when paired with apps.

We fully expect LG to confirm all the final LG G Watch details by May 27 so stay tuned to TrustedReviews for all the latest on one of the most exciting wearables of the year.

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Apple, Facebook and Google will let you know of their secret data seizures

Apple, Facebook and Google, among other major tech companies, have agreed users have the right to know when their information is being seized by the government.

The big names in tech have stated they will start to inform you when your information is on the list for government seizure, defying investigators’ wishes.

People’s Internet data gets included with criminal investigations every year, but now some of those could be given the opportunity to fight that in court to prevent personal information disclosures.

However, prosecutors suggest that if tech companies do tip off their users, criminals may be given the time they need to destroy evidence before investigators can get their hands on it.

“These risks of endangering life, risking destruction of evidence, or allowing suspects to flee or intimidate witnesses are not merely hypothetical, but unfortunately routine,” said Pete Carr, US Justice Department spokesperson.

This latest announcement is part of the technology industry’s wish to get as far away from the NSA Edward Snowden exposed scandal as possible.

Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Apple are all expected to update their privacy policies to include routine notications of data seizures, unless specifically prohibited by legal authorities.

“It serves to chill the unbridled, cost-free collection of data and I think that’s a good thing,” said Albert Gidari Jr, a partner at Perkin Coie, representative of multiple technology companies, talking to the Washington Post.

Twitter already notifies its users when investigators collect data and was one of the first companies to do so. Now it seems the major tech companies are ready to follow suite.

“Post-Snowden, there is a greater desire to compete on privacy. Companies have had notice policies and cared about these issues for years. It’s only now that it’s being discussed at the CEO level,” said Marc Zwillinger, founder of Washington-based law firm ZwillGen, who look after several tech companies.

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EE Kestrel 4G smartphone available now for £99 PAYG

EE has announced the EE Kestrel 4G smartphone is available to buy now online and in store.

The budget 4G smartphone is just £99 on a Pay As You Go contract or can be purchased on EE 4G Pay Monthly tariffs from £13.99, with no upfront handset cost.

To celebrate the launch, if you buy the EE Kestrel and top up £10 on your PAYG tariff, EE will give you a whopping 10GB of data for free.

If you chose to buy the Kestrel on a Pay Monthly tariff, you can pay as little as £13.99 for 500MB of 4G data, 500 minutes and unlimited texts.

Bumping up to £18.99 per month, you can get 1GB of data, 1000 minutes and unlimited texts as well.

Want the perks of being able to use your minutes and texts in the EU? You’ll need to spend £21.99 per month for 2GB of data, unlimited texts and 1000 minutes.

Despite its entry-level pricing, the EE Kestrel still features a 4.5-inch qHD 960 x 540p display running on a quad-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor.

In the rear is a 5-megapixel camera, complemented by a 1-megapixel front-facing alternative for video calls and selfies, if you still do those.

8GB of internal storage is bolstered by microSD card support, plus you’ll get 4G LTE compatibility and HD Voice to improve call quality.

The EE Kestrel is just 7.85mm thick, making it just a touch fatter than the 7.6mm iPhone 5S. EE claims you’ll get 370 hours standby or 12 hours of call time with the Kestrel thanks to its 2000mAh battery as well.



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LG G3 photo leaks suggest huge display

A duo of new high-resolution LG G3 photos have emerged online, providing a good look at what the upcoming 2014 flagship will look like.

With an LG G3 launch event scheduled for later this month, it’s not surprising that some brand new images of the phone have leaked online.

From what we can see from the images, the LG G3 will feature a huge display, which would be in line with rumours of a 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440p QHD resolution screen.

The screen seems to run nearly edge-to-edge, with a slim bottom bezel thanks to on-screen navigational buttons like the LG G2.

There’s a headphone jack on the bottom of the G3 along with a micro USB port for charging and microphone.

As for the back of the device, the redesigned volume rocker, hold button, new dual LED flash and camera casing all feature. There’s also the new purported IR blaster on the left hand side of the camera module.

Plus, there’s a new hole on the bottom left hand corner of the rear panel, which we previously believed to be a new sensor when seen on leaked cases, but have since had second thoughts.

The speakers on the LG G2 were at the bottom, either side of the micro USB port, but on the LG G3 they are nowhere to be seen.

Therefore, that port on the back must be the relocated speaker, which would explain the shape and location. Although, we fear the speaker could be easily covered when you’re holding the phone, muffling and occasionally muting the noises emitted by the phone.

Other rumoured LG G3 specs include a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage.

It is also expected to pack microSD card support, but we can’t see the side of the device properly to give any weight to those rumours.

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Via: DroidLife

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Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare trailer stars Kevin Spacey

Spacey in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Activision has released the first trailer for the forthcoming Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and it stars a very familiar name.

Kevin Spacey (or at least his voice and likeness) features heavily, monologuing on the rights and wrongs of trying to force democracy on developing nations.

If that all sounds a little high-brow and not very CoD-like, don’t worry - the House of Cards actor’s rant is interspersed with footage of high-tech soldiers jumping off, blowing up, and shooting stuff. Phew, eh?

An earlier promotional documentary revealed that the focus of the game would be on private military companies (PMCs) as the next major military force, and Mr Spacey would appear to be the slightly looney head of one of those organisations.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare appears to offer a near-future setting, which will allow the introduction of various sci-fi elements like exo-suits, cloaked aircraft, and sticky gloves that will enable you to make like Spider-Man.

This will be the first Call of Duty game to be made exclusively by Sledgehammer Games, which lent a hand to series creator Infinity Ward for the development of 2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Development of the series will now be split between the above two companies and Treyarch, allowing a full three-year gestation period for each studio’s iterations.

This will also be the first Call of Duty game to be developed with the next (or should that now be current?) generation of consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One, as the lead platforms.

The trailer also provides a November 4 release date for Call of Duty: Advance Warfare.

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iOS 8 may be missing a number of features

Apple may be forced to drop a number of key new features for iOS 8, according to recent rumours.

The company’s next Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) is being held in San Francisco next month, when the new mobile OS is expected to be introduced. However, iOS 8 may have to be scaled back significantly.

That’s according to 9to5Mac’s sources, which claim that the development of OS X 10.10 is largely to blame.

It’s said that Apple’s next desktop OS will represent an end-to-end redesign, which is requiring all hands on deck to complete. To that end, Apple has redeployed many of its iOS UI resources to OS X.

It seems as if OS X is having its own iOS 7 moment, both in terms of the scale of the changes being made and the flat nature of its new UI design.

As for iOS 8, it’s claimed that a number of its new features will now skip to the next version, which instantly makes iOS 8.1 all the more interesting.

Among the new features rumoured for iOS 8 that might be for the chop (or at least the delay) are the new Healthbook application, which will apparently pull together all the health information from various apps and fitness devices.

Siri should also be getting some attention, with Shazam song recognition software set to be integrated into the personal assistant software.

New TextEdit and Preview apps are also rumoured, while iTunes Radio could get its own stand-alone application. Maps is also set to be improved with public transport directions, if reports are to be believed.

The question is, which of these will make the cut for iOS 8?

Read More: iPhone 5C review

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Microsoft releases security patch for zero-day Internet Explorer vulnerability

Despite support having recently ended, the patch also covers computers running Windows XP, including embedded versions.

The recently discovered bug could have, in theory, allowed for malicious code to be remotely-executed. It was initially thought to have affected computers running IE9 through to IE11, but the bug exists as far back as Internet Explorer 6.

The term "zero-day" refers to the amount of time between when the exploit is first discovered, and the first attack, so these type of bugs are usually patched as quickly as humanly possible. In this case, Microsoft released its updates at 10am PST today.

This bug allows for a malicious third-party to corrupt data held in memory, and then could allow them to execute code on the compromised system. From there on, the world is their oyster, so to speak. In theory, at least, the exploit would allow the hacker access to the system at the same level as the logged in user, and as most people use Windows as administrators, that's very bad.

Despite Microsoft having only just ended support for XP, the aging operating system will still get access to this patch through the Windows Update system. Microsoft says that people should still upgrade to a more modern operating system as soon as possible, but because of the proximity to the end of XP support, the firm is releasing this update. It does go on to say that reports of the possible damage are "overblown" and that there have been "very few" attacks using the vulnerability.

Perhaps most staggering of all is that XP still makes up 26 per cent of installed operating systems. Windows 8.1, in contrast, has just 5 per cent market share. That, is perhaps one of the other reasons that Microsoft has decided to patch the older operating system.

Read more: XP support ends today UK government pays for extension

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Snapchat to get video chat and instant messaging

The image-based messaging app is about to get proper instant messaging support, along with video calls while staying true to its ephemeral nature.

Snapchat has always been a different proposition to other messaging apps like Whatsapp. Communication is mostly done through images, with captions. Famously, these are all deleted when the conversation ends. This made it ideal for young people to show each other pictures of their anatomy, although it has always been possible to screenshot chats.

The firm is now adding proper, text-based instant chat in a clear attempt to go after the massive popularity of Facebook-owned Whatsapp. But to best the largely text-based service, Snapchat is also adding video chats. And in many ways, this is quite logical because video is as temporary as the image-chats the app made famous.

To start a text chat, users simply swipe right on a contact. Once you leave a chat, it goes away for good, although it is possible to save images and text by tapping the screen. Once you're in a text chat though, you can press the share video button, and keep it held until your chat has finished. You can use either the front, or rear-facing camera to do this.

While the features seem to be an attempt at bettering those from mobile phone companies - let's be honest, phones are about the internet now far more than calls and "texts" - and Whatsapp, Snapchat still doesn't have it quite right. For one thing, signing up to it is so much more frustrating that Whatsapp, which just needs a phone number. Still, it's a feature the kids are going to love, so who are we to argue?

Read more: Whatsapp voice calling coming soon?

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Sony expects Vaio sale to affect overall financial results

Sony has revised its earnings forecast for the 2014 fiscal year thanks to the sale of its Sony Vaio PC division.

Despite the 2014 fiscal year ending back on March 31 2014, Sony has issued a statement warning investors that its financial results may not quite be as high as initially expected.

Sony originally estimated it would generate an income of 80 billion yen (£462 million) during the financial year, but it has now revised that estimate down to 26 billion (£150 million).

That huge drop is a decrease of 67.5 per cent, with expected net loss to be 130 billion yen (£752 million).

“Since Sony’s announcement on February 6, 2014 that it will exit the PC business, PC sales for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014 and expected PC sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015 are underperforming the February expectation.

Consequently, Sony expects to record write-downs for excess components in inventory and accrual of expenses to compensate suppliers for unused components ordered for Sony’s spring PC lineup.”

These major losses are incurred by Sony selling off its Vaio PC business. It had to pay 30 billion yen (£173 million) in fees just to close down the division, plus it still has surplus unsold laptops and computers to its name.

Just to make it worse, Sony also expects to pay a 25 billion yen (£145 million) penalty related to its disc business, which isn’t performing as well as expected.

“Sony Corporation today announced significant new measures to address reform of its PC and TV businesses aimed at accelerating the revitalization and growth of its electronics business,” an official statement from the company stated when announcing the Vaio sale.

“Sony and Japan Industrial Partners Inc. ("JIP") today concluded a memorandum of understanding confirming the parties' intent for Sony to sell to JIP Sony's PC business currently operated under the VAIO brand.”

Read more: Best laptops 2014

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iPhone 6 mock-up gives us a real look at all the rumours

A mocked-up version of what the iPhone 6 design could look like has appeared online.

Although this claims to be a iPhone 6 dummy, we’re not sure it’s the real deal at all. Instead it’s more likely that the plastic replica has just been put together from all the leaked information and schematics we’ve seen to date.

As you can see in the video below, the dummy features the larger, alleged 4.7-inch screen size and slimline iPod Touch aping profile.

A recent purported iPhone 6 case leak suggested that the entire iPhone 6 and the rubber case would fit inside the profile of the iPhone 5S, which is a major side reduction from the already slim current models.

According to rumours, the iPhone 6 is expected to feature a body just 6mm thick, down from the 7.6mm iPhone 5S and 8.97mm iPhone 5C.

The more rounded edges are also tipped to make the cut, taking styling influences from the iPod Touch and the iPad mini along with the thinner, elongated volume buttons.

Another alleged dummy emerged earlier this week, also boasting the same features as this featured mock-up.

Both of these dummies feature the old style single flash featured in the iPhone 5 and previous models. If Apple chooses to downgrade the flash from the TrueTone dual LED option introduced with the iPhone 5S, we’d be very surprised.

Some rumours initially suggested that the iPhone 6 would come with a slightly protruding rear camera, but sources suggest that this has since been modified to create a flat rear casing for the 2014 flagship.

The iPhone 6 launch is heavily expected to occur in September, with the phone arriving alongside the iWatch and a brand new mobile OS, iOS 8.

iOS 8 itself is expected to be unveiled at WWDC in June along with the OS X Mavericks follow-on.

Apple’s upcoming mobile OS is tipped to be health-centric and feature a new HealthBook app designed to monitor your wellbeing and activity.



Read more: Best mobile phone 2014

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Official looking Amazon Phone pictures leak

New Amazon Phone pictures have leaked, with the latest shots offering an official looking insight into the eagerly awaited handset.

Having been the subject of multiple leaks and near endless rumours in recent months, the latest Amazon Phone pictures appear to show official renders of the heavily skinned Android phone.

Based on the leaked shots, the Amazon Phone will feature a largely underwhelming design, with the two-tone black candybar finish having seemingly taken design pointers from a number of rivals.

With the phone’s overall shape offering echoes to the iPhone 5S – including the base-mounted speakers – the elongated physical home button is reminiscent of the Samsung Galaxy S5. On top of this, there is a little something of both the Google Nexus 4 and BlackBerry Z10 about the sleek, minimalist design.

According to the folks over at BGR, the source of the latest leak, “multiple trusted sources have verified the authenticity of the image, which was created for internal use by graphic designers at Amazon.”

Shown running a UI similar to that found on the Amazon Kindle Fire tablet range, the Amazon Phone is believed to run Android with a heavy overlay.

Although not shown in the image, recent reports have suggested the Amazon Phone’s specs sheet will incorporate a 4.7-inch, 720p HD display, 2GB of RAM and a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor.

Helping differentiate the device from the masses, the Amazon Phone will also reportedly play host to not just one or two, but six cameras.

As well as the standard rear and forward-facing snappers, the Amazon handset is said to feature four smaller camera modules, one in each of the phone’s front four corners.

The purpose of this is to offer a new, innovative interface with 3D effects with can track the position of the user’s head.

Although there is no word on an exact Amazon Phone release date, it has been claimed the handset will land in a little over a month.

There is currently no word on pricing or availability although, based on Amazon’s past product offerings, we can expect the phone to be exclusive to the US at launch.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S6 release date

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Acer Iconia Tab 7 Tablet Review

Giant Phones are Back

You can think of the Acer Iconia Tab 7 as a giant phone or a smaller tablet. Yep it's one of those tricky devices that bridges the gap between the two types of gadget.

At around £150, the Tab 7 works much better when thought of as a cheapy 3G Android tablet. It's not a patch on the Nexus 7 in some respects, but it's worth a closer look if 3G is a must. Here are our first impressions following it's launch.

ROUND-UP: Best Android Tablets

Acer Iconia Tab 7: Design and Features

The Tab 7 looks, feels and is eerily similar to the Asus Fonepad, another mid-identity-crisis phone/tablet. Its back is mostly aluminium, giving it a bit of a nicer feel than some plastic tablets.

It's also pretty slim and light at 8.9mm thick and 298g in weight. This makes it fairly easy to heft with one hand. I still wouldn't want to take calls on something this big, but it's a good size for things like watching videos and browsing the web while still being super-portable.

That is the joy of any good 7-inch tablet, and the Tab 7 does have a few benefits over the Nexus 7 aside from its metal finish. There's a removable plastic flap on the back that hides a memory card slot, making adding to the 8/16GB of memory cheap and easy.

It's not a bad-looking tablet, either. There's just one serious design quibble – the camera housing sticks out from the Tab 7's back by what feels like about six inches. It means the tablet doesn't sit on its back completely flat, and it is likely to become a scratch-magnet.

Acer Iconia Tab 7: Screen and Specs

Perhaps one of the hardest-to-swallow compromises of the Iconia Tab 7 is its screen. It is an IPS-type display, offering reasonable viewing angles – albeit with serious loss of brightness at an angle – but the resolution and general image quality aren't a patch on the Nexus 7's.

It's a 1,280 x 800 pixel screen, which isn't quite enough to offer the pin-sharp look we've become a little too used to in tablets. The Tab 7 screen isn't exactly blocky, but the difference between this and a 1080p 7-inch display are immediately obvious.

A quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek MT8382 processor runs the show here. It's not hugely powerful and I did notice an unfortunate bit of lag in general navigation through the Android software, but having a lower-end CPU shouldn't really stop you from doing anything. Games just might not look quite as good as they might do on another, probably more expensive, tablet.

Battery life is a bit more of a serious concern. Acer says the Iconia Tab 7 will only last for six hours off a charge, which isn't much at all for a tablet. Fingers crossed Acer is being very conservative with this figure and it will prove longer lasting in our tests.

Given the various ways the Tab 7 clips bits off to keep the price low, it's perhaps a bit surprising that the tablet has two cameras. There's a VGA one on the front for video calls, and a 5-megapixel camera on the back. Neither is exactly a show-stopper, but the rear camera is significantly better than the sensor of the new Iconia One 7.

First Impressions

The Acer Iconia Tab 7 is shown up by the Nexus 7 in a number of respects, and it's very similar to the Asus Fonepad , which has been around for a while. However, this is still cheap for a 3G tablet so is worth considering.

Next, read our Acer Iconia One 7 Hands On Review

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Toshiba SB3950E1 Audio Review

What is the Toshiba SB3950E1?

The SB3950E1 is Toshiba’s latest entry-level soundbar, tasked with the job of improving weedy TV sound without costing you the earth. The sub-£100 price tag is reflected in the bare bones feature list, but anyone seeking a no-frills plug-and-play audio upgrade for their TV might be tempted.

It’s one of three new soundbars from Toshiba – the step-up SB3950M1 is a more powerful version, throwing in Bluetooth and extra sound modes, while the Mini Sound Bar II comes with an external wireless subwoofer and Absolute 3D Sound processing.

Toshiba SB3950E1 – Design and Connections

Build quality is pretty good for such an affordable soundbar. The main body is fashioned from matt black plastic, with an attractive cloth grille covering the drivers. It’s light, but far from flimsy.

Everything is built into a single speaker bar, which can be mounted on the wall or placed on a flat surface in front of your TV. For wall mounting, you get a pair of metal brackets in the box, and with a depth of just 57mm it won’t stick out very far from the wall.

Viewed from the front, the look is pleasingly minimal – the only visible detail is a discreet LED display showing the selected input, which automatically dims after a few seconds. This clear, easy-to-read display removes all the guesswork when tweaking sound modes or adjusting the volume.

On top is a row of small buttons, allowing you to toggle through inputs or turn the surround mode on and off (more on that later). The power button is surrounded by a silver ring, which is a minor detail but adds a welcome flicker of glamour to an otherwise unremarkable design.

Connections are as basic as it gets, with one optical digital input and one 3.5mm minijack input, both of which face sideways in the recess on the back. This makes setup nice and simple – a single optical cable connects the TV and soundbar, with the 3.5mm jack for those whose TV lacks an optical output. Anyone hoping to run Blu-ray players or games consoles directly through the soundbar via HDMI will need to step up to the SB3950M1.

Toshiba SB3950E1 – Features

Toshiba has stripped out all the frills, leaving Dolby Digital/DTS two-channel decoding and DTS TruSurround as the only features of note. There’s no Bluetooth, no HDMIs and no built-in subwoofer, but remember this is all reflected in the low price.

Toshiba says DTS TruSurround processing ‘extracts and places audio cues for ultra-realistic and immersive virtual surround sound, whilst post-processing and psychoacoustic techniques make for bass and audio enhancement’. Sounds great, but we always take these claims with a pinch of salt.

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Google Glass costs under £50 to make, sells for $1,500

Google Glass costs less than £50 in parts to make, a teardown of the techy eyewear’s components has revealed.

However, despite this budget building cost, Google’s futuristic glasses retail in the US for a staggering $1,500 (£887), a mark-up of almost 1,800 per cent.

While this of course does not take into account development costs, manufacturing fees and marketing budgets, there still seems to be something of a sizeable discrepancy.

Currently one of the most talked about devices in all of tech land, Google Glass’ component costs have been discovered by TechInsights who, having purchased a Google Glass headset during the recent one day consumer sale in the States, gave it a comprehensive teardown.

What was found will be surprising to many. Despite pushing the boundaries of wearable technology, the range of Google Glass components have a retail cost of just $79.78 (£47.21).

The most expensive Glass component is the Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 processor at the princely sum of $13.96 (£8.27).

Despite having offered Glass to the general public for one day earlier this month, Google has long stated that when given a widespread release, the eyewear will be considerably cheaper than the $1,500 development units.

With Google Glass’ internals costing under £50 in total, we would like to see the device cost no more than £200 in the UK – although we feel this might be hugely optimistic.



Read More: Google Nexus 5 review

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Firefox 29: What’s new and should you try it?

Firefox 29: What’s New and should you try it?

Mozilla has just released Firefox 29, which ushers in a radical redesign of its interface as well as a number of under the bonnet changes that Mozilla hopes will make the browser simpler yet more customisable. We take a closer look at what's new and whether it's worth trying out.

New Australis Design

The most obvious change to the latest release of Firefox is its revamped design. Codenamed Australis, this new look has three main changes from previous versions of Firefox.

Gone is the orange menu in the top left to be replaced by a three-bar button menu on the right. Meanwhile tabs now have rounded edges and non-active tabs are made more translucent so they disappear into the background

Firefox 29

Firefox 28

Google Chrome

Firefox 29 showing multiple tabs

There’s no getting passed it, the whole look is now very much akin to Google Chrome, which you can either see as a good or a bad thing. In defence of the new look, Mozilla’s VP of Firefox, Jonathan Nightingale, said "Google didn’t invent simplicity… We do lots of things differently." Seems a fair argument to us, even if we're not sure about the harder-to-see tabs.

Firefox designs staples that do remain are the presence of separate boxes for URLs and search – all the other major browsers have now combined these. Likewise, core navigation buttons like Back, Forward and Refresh remain in their tried and trusted positions – long-term Firefox users shouldn’t be too thrown.



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A new menu

As well as moving the main menu, Mozilla has also completely revamped it. Tap the new menu button and, instead of a list of word-heavy menu items with hover-activated sub menus, you get a clean and clear grid of commonly used items with big icons above them.

The default selection are all items you could otherwise find in the main menu of the old system, but here they’re much more prominent. Crucially they’re also much more touchscreen friendly, making Firefox 29 the most touchscreen friendly Windows browser around. Even Cut, Copy, Paste and Zoom have been given nice big prominent buttons on the menu.

More customisable

Another key feature of the new menu system is its customisability. Although Firefox always had a fairly powerful set of customisation tools for tweaking the layout of features on its toolbars, Firefox 29 now brings this to the menu too.

Tap the customisation button and you can start dragging and dropping tools to and from the menu as well as the toolbars. Don’t Print much? Drag it out of the main menu. Often find yourself emailing links? Drag it into the main toolbar.

The new menu system is also compatible with other add-ons, allowing you to add buttons for your favourites right on the toolbar while putting your less used ones in the menu. The likes of Pinterest, Send to Kindle, AdBlock, FireShot and more are fully compatible.

If there’s a downside to all this it’s that if a tool isn’t in the menu you can’t access it without going into the customisation screen and dragging the button into view. Instead, you’ll either have to find the keyboard shortcut or tap Alt to bring up the old school menu.

Easy access Bookmarks

One simple little tweak to Firefox 29 is the streamlined bookmarking tool. Tap the new star button and a page is instantly bookmarked, and there’s even a little animation to show where the bookmark has gone: into the bookmarks button next door.

It’s a small change but one that will doubtless make bookmarking pages a much speedier process for many users.

New syncing system

The final major addition to Firefox 29 is its new syncing system for matching up settings and bookmarks between machines.

While Firefox has had a system in place for a while it has always been rather clunky, requiring random codes instead of a username and password.

Now Mozilla has Firefox Accounts, which uses a more conventional email and password user account combination.

Data is synced via Mozilla’s cloud systems and Mozilla has plans to use the service for other parts of the application too.

Firefox Accounts is also coming to Firefox on Android, making for even easier cross-platform syncing.

More speed!

Mozilla claims this is the fastest version of Firefox yet, with graphs to prove it, and so far it does indeed feel very nippy. Whether its tendency to clog up and crash over time has been fixed is another matter, but so far it’s doing well.

Should you give Firefox 29 a try?

All told, we think Firefox 29 is a marked improvement over previous versions. The interface is definitely cleaner and more tablet friendly, it's easier to customise and it seems nippier too. The only thing we're not sure about is the new tab style, but we can live with it. What's for certain, if you haven't tried Firefox in a little while it's definitely worth giving this latest version a go.

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Galaxy S5 Mini teased by Samsung Finland

The Finnish arm of Samsung has inadvertently teased the upcoming announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini by publishing a support page for the device.

Although Samsung has yet to officially acknowledge the existence of such a handset, the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini has been the subject of multiple leaks in recent weeks.

With the S5 Mini having been repeatedly teased under the guise of the Samsung SM-G800F (the flagship S5 is the SM-G900F), the handset has now popped up on one of Samsung’s own website.

Although the product support page features no images or confirmed specs for the phone, its existence suggests that Samsung is gearing up for a potentially imminent launch.

Earlier this week official Samsung documents made reference to the S5 Mini alongside the phone’s upcoming water resistant capabilities.

Teased by Samsung New Zealand, the warranty document revealed that the S5 Mini will be IP67 certified, meaning it can survive being submerged in 1 metre of water for up to 30 minutes.

Recent Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini rumours have claimed that the phone will build on its water and dust resistant abilities with a 4.5-inch, 720p HD Super AMOLED display, a Snapdragon CPU and 1.5GB of RAM.

Further features on the S5 Mini specs sheet are said to include an 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera, secondary, 2-megapixel snapper and 16GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD.

Read More: Samsung Galaxy S6 release date

Via: SamMobile

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