Blizzard announces Hearthstone expansion

Blizzard has announced the first expansion pack for its virtual trading card game Hearthstone at BlizzCon 2014 in Anaheim, California.The new Gnomes Vs Goblins expansion pack will be released next month and will include 120 "explosive" new cards for players to use in games against each other. BlizzCon attendess, however, will be able to play the new expansion this weekend as it's being demoed on the...
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Sony PS4 Remote Play now available on Xperia Z2 range

Sony has lived up to its promise to roll out the PS4 Remote Play feature for some of its older Xperia mobile devices. The company has released software update for the Xperia Z2 smartphone and Xperia Z2 Tablet, which enables PS4 owners to stream games directly from their console to the mobile device.The tool relies on the PS4 and smartphone/tablet being on the same Wi-Fi network and works by pairing...
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Free Microsoft Office soars to summit of App Store charts

iOS users have reacted to Microsoft’s decision to make its Office apps completely free to use by sending Word straight to the top of the App Store charts. The ascent comes just 24 hours after the software giant announced Word, Excel and PowerPoint would be unlocked for all, without the need for an Office 365 subscription.Word now sits at the very top of the Free apps charts, while Excel is sitting...
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Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5: What's different?

How does the new Nexus compare to the LG Nexus?Google has finally revealed the UK pricing for its new flagship smartphone, the Nexus 6. With the 32GB model costing £160 more than the equivalent Nexus 5, is it a worthwhile upgrade?Until we get our hands on the Nexus 6 we can’t be certain, but we can take a look at how the two phones compare on paper. Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5: DesignNexus 6: Aluminium frame,...
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Moto X now available with ‘football leather’ rear

The Moto X is now available with a ‘football leather’ back-plate, courtesy of Verizon. The pigskin handset is the latest addition to Motorola’s bespoke blower strategy, although it’s only available through Verizon’s own wireless network.The Moto X already ships in a smorgasbord of design options thanks to Motorola’s Moto Maker tool.The ‘football leather’ is another such variant, although it’ll lump...
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Samsung Galaxy S6 might land with double-edged screen

The Samsung Galaxy S6 might still be a ways off, but the rumours have already started rolling in. The latest crystal-ball gazing tips the oddball idea of the handset landing with a dual-edged screen.Tech analyst Jerry Kang reckons the Galaxy S6 will riff on the Note Edge, but reproduced the over-edge screen curving on two sides of the upcoming handset.According to Kang, the display would carry over...
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Lenovo to launch cheap Chromebooks next year, reports say

Lenovo might be gearing up to launch a range of Chromebook models, all pricing up at under £110. A new report from Digitimes reckons the Chinese tech firm will flog the low-cost notebooks in early 2015.Citing Taiwan-based supply chains, the site reckons Lenovo’s Chromebooks will run off CPUs designed by Rockchip Electronics, another China-based firm.Rockchip will also head up the supply chain integration...
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Why musicians hate Spotify: The big streaming music debate

A Swift explanationEveryone loves Spotify, right? Well, no. Anyone who's been following the news recently should know that this isn't the case. In fact, many musicians hate it.The most recent example of this antipathy towards the world's biggest music subscription service is pop starlet Taylor Swift, who's removed her entire back catalogue from Spotify. Why would she do such a thing, given Spotify's...
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Zuckerberg explains why Facebook forced Messenger app

Facebook’s founder has finally explained why the firm forces users to run a separate Messenger app. Mark Zuckerberg talked through the thought process behind Messenger during a live Q&A session yesterday, saying the app offers a ‘better experience.’“Asking everyone in our community to install a new app is a big ask,” said the CEO. “On mobile, each app can only focus on doing one thing well, we...
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Snapchat to partner with Spotify and BuzzFeed for Discover feature?

The makers of popular messaging app Snapchat are reportedly in negotiations with a host of top media companies in order to procure top web content for its rumoured Discover section. Digiday sources claim the company is talking turkey with the likes of Spotify, Comedy Central, BuzzFeed, ESPN, Vevo, National Geographic and others.The report features a purported mock up of the feature, which would see...
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Google Drive for iOS now supports Touch ID

Touch ID is now open to third party developersGoogle has updated its Google Drive cloud storage app for iOS devices, allowing iPhone and iPad owners to protect their files with the Touch ID fingerprint scanner. Once enabled, the update will require Drive patrons to use the sensor built into the iOS home button in order to unlock access to photos, documents and other items shared in the cloud.Google...
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Nexus 6 UK price revealed

Google has finally announced the UK price tag for the eagerly-anticipated Nexus 6 smartphone. The 32GB version of the giant Motorola-manufactured handset will cost £499, while the 64GB iteration will be £549.The devices, available in Midnight Blue and Cloud White, are listed as ‘coming soon’ on the Google Play Store, with an official UK release date yet to be revealed. Pre-orders are also yet to open.As...
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Moto 360 smartwatch gets new fitness features and metal bands

Motorola has announced some new features for its Android Wear Moto 360 smartphone, which boosts its functionality as a fitness tracker.The new Moto Body features enables owners of the bulky, first-gen Motorola smartwatch to track their steps, distance, heart rate and estimated calorie burn.Moto’s update also includes a “My Design” watch face option, which, as the name suggests, will facilitate the...
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Amazon announces voice-controlled Echo speaker

Amazon Echo moves voice assistants from mobile devices to a dedicated speakerAmazon has announced a brand new piece of hardware, which aims to replicate the functionality of voice-controlled personal assistants like Siri and Google Now, in the form of a small, standalone speaker. The Amazon Echo, which costs $199 (around £125), is an interesting home-centric, cylindrical speaker which allows users...
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Best Coffee Machines: The best espresso and coffee pod machines

Whether you have a religious devotion to quality, authentic coffee or simply want great-tasting coffee quickly and easily, there's no shortage of coffee machines to suit your needs. Our best coffee machine round-up picks out some of the the best espresso machines, best pod coffee machines and best bean-to-cup coffee machines around.Coffee machines fall into a few broad categories, though there's plenty...
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LG: Android Wear adding iOS support would be great for us

Google is hoping to make Android Wear devices compatible with iOS, and now LG has suggested such a move would be a boost for the wider wearable space. Although it is considered unlikely Google and Apple will be able to reach an agreement to make cross-platform support a reality – especially given the upcoming Apple Watch release – LG is keeping its metaphorical fingers crossed and looking at the...
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Microsoft Office now free on iOS, Android tablets soon to follow

Microsoft has just changed its strategy for the Office suite, now offering the services across iPad, iPhone, and Android completely free of charge. From today, you will no longer need to shell out for a subscription to fiddle around with your word documents or store them in Microsoft’s cloud ether.The announcement also revealed that Office would indeed be extending to iPhone, with upgrades also due...
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Stuck for storage? How about a 1000TB DVD for your movie collection

Scientists over at Australia’s Swinburne University of Technology have managed to produce a DVD that can store 1000TB of data. The media-hoarding disc should be good for somewhere around 40,000 high-definition movies, trumping current DVD fare that holds a comparatively paltry 4.7GB.Dr Zongsong Gan and his team even won a Victoria Fellowship for their work on the super-saver disc.With current technology,...
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Amazon Kindle eReader Gadget Review

Amazon Kindle eReader: First ImpressionsWith the Kindle Voyage covering the top-end and the Kindle Paperwhite now Amazon’s mid-range ereader, the basic Kindle is the entry-level option minus the frills. You don’t get the built-in light or sharper display, but you do now get a touchscreen, access to the core Kindle features and new, more portable design.It has the same footprint as the Voyage, but...
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Zepp Multi-Sport sensor hits the UK to perfect your golf swing

The wearables market has a new sporting superstar as the Zepp Multi-Sport sensor hits the UK with detailed swing tracking in tow. Having been available in the US for a little over a year, the Zepp sensor is an ideal training tool for any budding golfer or wannabe tennis star. Capable of capturing 1,000 data points per second, the device syncs with your smartphone or tablet to offer a detailed breakdown...
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WhatsApp update lets you see when your messages are read

WhatsApp will now reveal when your e-pals have read your messages. The sought-after feature has finally landed on the cross-platform messenger, although it’s not actually part of a downloadable update.Instead it appears the WhatsApp team have pushed the new feature over the air, meaning you won’t need to do anything at all to access read receipts.Read receipts are definitely not a new concept – iPhone...
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Samsung UHD Video Pack Review

What is the Samsung UHD Video Pack?The UHD Video Pack is a 500GB hard drive containing – whoop! – genuine Hollywood movies in 4K. It’s available free with the majority of Samsung’s UHD TVs if you buy before 14 December 2014, and it can also connect to some of Samsung’s 2013 models.With native 4K content still in desperately short supply at the time of writing, the UHD Video Pack is a significant moment...
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LG G3 Lollipop update could land this month

An LG G3 Lollipop update is on the way, and now the Korean manufacturer has suggested its flagship phone could be bumped to Android 5.0 as early as this month. With LG having previously promised an LG G3 Lollipop update before the year’s end, the company has now hinted the software patch could be rolled out within a matter of weeks.Although failing to offer a precise launch date for the LG G3 Lollipop...
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Battlefield 4 can run on iOS thanks to Apple Metal

The team behind the Frostbite game engine is testing Battlefield 4 out on iOS, and it’s been surprisingly successful so far. EA made the announcement via the Frostbite blog, outlining the impressive feat of pushing a visually demanding game onto a mobile device.Kristoffer Benjaminsson, Product Owner Mobile at Frostbite Stockholm, said: “Whatever you can do on console should be doable on mobile as...
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Apple devices targeted by hackers in China

A malicious software campaign called WireLurker is infecting Apple devices in China. According to researchers from a security company called Palo Alto Networks, the campaign is specifically targeting Mac OS users in the eastern nation.The Silicon Valley-based security firm says over 400 Mac OS X apps have been infected, although only if downloaded through the Maiyadi App Store.Maiyadi is a third-party...
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EE TV streaming set top box now available in UK

EE TV is now available to buy in the UK, marking the firm’s first foray into in-house set top box devices. The box was announced last month, and offers up Freeview, On Demand, and Catch Up services across multiple platforms in your home.That latter tidbit on info is the most important – up to four devices in a household can stream different programs via EE TV.Pippa Dunn, Chief Marketing Officer at...
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Smart Thermostats in the UK: Nest and its rivals compared

As the temperature drops, here's the smart way to keep things heatedIn 2014 smart thermostats have flooded the global market as the drive for ‘ecotech’ rapidly gains momentum. In the UK a number brands have launched their first smart thermostats and all claim to give us greater insight into our energy use, offer remote control of heating and make the promise to save us money. We've already seen Tado...
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Samsung Galaxy Note 5 may have 6-inch 4K display

Galaxy Note 4 with a mere 2K displaySamsung could fit its next phablet, the Galaxy Note 5, with a pixel-packed 4K display, if reports are to be believed. The dust has barely settled on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4's launch - and a fine phone it is too - but the internet is already looking to the next big thing.According to Phonearena, the next big thing from Samsung will sport a stunning display. The...
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Koss SP540 Headphone Review

What is the Koss SP540?Koss has long had one of the most popular sets of portable headphones on the market in the shape of the Koss Porta Pro. With the SP540, though, it's stepping things up a gear, adding a luxurious build, over-ear comfort and a tough carry case to create one of the most travel-friendly sets of full-size headphones.Koss SP540 – Design and FeaturesFirst things first, the SP540 certainly...
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