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• Industry voice: IT lessons from iCloud: the increasing need for file-centric security
• Review: Updated: Alienware Alpha
• TechRadar Deals: Valentine's Day Gift Ideas: the ultimate guide
• Updated: Nexus 6 release date: where can I get it?
• The Galaxy XCover 3 looks like Samsung's next super rugged phone
• ARM announces new ARM Cortex-A72 processor
• OnePlus One Android Lollipop update teased in official video
• Industry voice: SAP and the cloud: how will this strategy work out?
• Updated: OxygenOS leak reveals a clean, colourful OS for the OnePlus 2
• Review: UPDATED: Nexus 9
• Industry voice: How to build threat intelligence for your business by creating a honeynet
• Razer hones its Blade gaming laptop with Nvidia Maxwell graphics
• In Depth: Intel processors: everything you need to know
• Lumia 2520 heir could sport Snapdragon 805, 2K display
• PS4 and Xbox One rumoured to get 4K-friendly refresh later this year
• Download of the day: Evernote
• Interview: How Intel is bringing adaptive learning to the classroom
• Industry voice: The emerging market smartphone war: who will be the ultimate winner?
• Blip: We need to talk about HTC's rap video
• In Depth: The best smartphones 2015: Samsung Galaxy S6, iPhone 6S and more

Industry voice: IT lessons from iCloud: the increasing need for file-centric security Posted: 04 Feb 2015 12:48 AM PST I don't need to tell you about the Apple iCloud hack which happened late last year, of course – plenty enough has been said about that since it occurred. However, I do want to tell you what your organisation should take away from this infamous incident: it is critical to think about the security of your information at the file-level, rather than the device-level. Data-centric protection is critically important, particularly in business, and particularly for files, whether they are selfies or strategy PowerPoints. With the relentless growth of Dropbox and iCloud, the walls around the typical organisation have disappeared. The only solution is to build new walls around the data itself. Zero control For a long time, information security groups like the Jericho Forum have worked to help organisations understand that their firewalls were no longer protecting their data in any meaningful way. As the iCloud attacks made abundantly clear, files are now moving between clouds and devices in both automated and manual ways, most of which involve exactly zero choke points for IT to control that data flow. In last year's iCloud attack, for instance, the prevailing theory is that celebrities' iCloud accounts were compromised via what amounted to elaborate social engineering, and the backups of their personal photos were synced not to their own devices, but to devices belonging to the attackers. This type of compromise is exceedingly difficult to defend against. An IT organisation considering the security of the files that nearly all its users work with will find few good options. Using mobile device management software to turn off iCloud may be an option, but that will push users (who are, after all, chiefly interested in getting their work done) into the arms of free or freemium file sync and share services. Ignorant bliss The simple truth is that many businesses suffer from a false sense of security when it comes to popular box storage services. Right now employees are using these services to access sensitive company data without really being aware of the vulnerabilities inherent in these freemium services. The content stored in them is only as secure as the people accessing it, with access controls disappearing the moment a user syncs files to an unmanaged device or opens a file in a third-party app. Additionally, these services create a lot of confusion around who owns what, especially when an employee leaves. File sync and share technologies have evolved significantly as enterprises have begun using them en masse. The critical feature to ensure is that they can be safely used by organisations with sensitive data to protect. Keeping files encrypted until an authorised user authenticates to work with them, enabling organisations to control functions like sharing and printing, as well as establishing an audit trail of actions taken with the files on any authenticated device are critical considerations. Additionally, these technologies (also known as information rights management, or IRM) enable organisations to revoke access to the sensitive files whenever they choose, leaving attackers, former employees, or disgruntled insiders in possession of a lump of encrypted data and not the corporate crown jewels, regardless of where the file has been copied, synced or sent. Security and usability Critically, though, IRM cannot be a hindrance to users if this is all to work as designed – there are simply too many workarounds in every app store. IRM must work across all devices (and the web), and technologies that use it must meet the twin challenges of making files both secure and usable everywhere they need to go in the course of a business workflow. That means the following must be possible: Enabling work wherever you are and with whomever you are working Using any device suitable or available to read, or annotate a document Sharing work-in-progress with a few, and publishing authoritative content to the many Protecting intellectual property and sensitive information (whether at rest or in transit) on-premises, in the cloud, or on a device Satisfying the different needs of the casual user and the power user Being as useful on a mobile device as on a traditional computer Working with line-of-business and collaboration systems that the business already owns, as well as those that it is thinking of getting Business efficacy, regulatory compliance, information security, and employee productivity are all affected by the way employees create, edit, process, and share documents, so the selection of enterprise file sync and share products is very much on the critical path of IT-related business investments. Let's face it: one of the key challenges facing CIOs and IT managers today is managing BYOD and how they try to regain control of enterprise content without impacting on productivity and creating mass user disenchantment. The basics Considering how digitally advanced we have become, we are still remarkably naïve about basic internet security. The most common techniques used by hackers have been the same for years: social engineering, phishing attacks, remote access tools (RATs), and password recovery and reset prompts. While these aren't overly sophisticated methods, users fall victim to them time and again. Enterprises need to make secure mobile and online practices a priority. They also need to consider a more file-centric security approach – especially if content is going to be accessed by employees from personal mobile devices or shared with external business partners. Phishing attacks may be more sophisticated – poorly written emails from foreign princes giving away their fortunes are increasingly rare – but these attempts are still fairly obvious if you know what to watch for. Therefore frequent security training should also be a requirement to ensure employees know how to identify and avoid these ploys. While most enterprises aren't concerned that their own privacy will become fodder for public consumption in the way that celebrities' selfies did, the iCloud affair should still serve as a cautionary tale about consumer-based cloud services that every enterprise employee and employer should consider. Ryan Kalember is Chief Product Officer at WatchDox

Review: Updated: Alienware Alpha Posted: 03 Feb 2015 02:52 PM PST Introduction and design With or without Valve, the Steam Machines are coming. And with the Alienware Alpha, Dell is one of the first – and arguably the strongest – of the hopeful PC-based game consoles to grace us with its glow … literally. The final Alienware Alpha, which first debuted during CES 2014, turned out to differ somewhat from the Alienware's vision. Rather than run with SteamOS, Valve's forever-in-beta operating system, Dell packed the Alpha with Windows 8.1. And in lieu of Valve's long-awaited Steam Controller, every Alpha box comes packing an Xbox 360 controller for Windows with a wireless receiver. Finally, because Alienware beat Valve to the living room, the company had no choice but to develop an intermediary user interface (UI), so that users could play with the Alpha directly out of the box. The result is a product just short of Alienware's grand vision, but nevertheless a stylish, strong and bold device that perhaps is onto something. But should the Alienware Alpha's $549 (£449, AU$699) price tag scare away the company's target console gamer, PC gamer hopeful audience? A limited-time, US-only $499 starting price (as of this writing) aside, the Alpha has set the bar for Steam Machines to come. However, the "Alpha" moniker will start to seem a tad ironic once we dig deeper into how this machine works. Design Since it's big debut at last year's CES, not much has changed about the Alienware Alpha's design language. The diminutive box still sports the same iconic, glowing alien head logo on its face, not to mention the 180-degree slice through its left corner, revealing a triangular LED. This time, however, the illuminated Valve logo is now replaced with a void wrapped in a triangle of light. Of course, these lights can shine in a variety of colors, chosen through Alienware's custom UI – but more on that later. Just like before, the front of the box allows room for two USB 2.0 ports, with the rest of the inputs and outputs found in the back. Wrapped in glossy black plastic on its sides and a matte plastic on its top, the Alpha screams style, but also smarts. Three of four of the box's sides feature ventilation for air to either enter or exit, so the machine doesn't get distractingly loud while playing games, nor does it get too hot at all. I'll be frank: the Alpha is the not only the sharpest-looking Steam Machine yet, it's on par with the Xbox One and PS4 in terms of design. Hell, only a PC could match (or surpass) the leading consoles in power and manage to be a fraction of their size. Plus, the entire top lid is removable, revealing a host of upgradeable parts. And Alienware encourages you to dive in and upgrade components as you see fit – just don't touch the graphics chip. That's an Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M that's been modified by the Green Team and Alienware to run Nvidia's latest Maxwell chip architecture and at a higher, undisclosed clock speed (higher frequency speed means faster graphics processing), and it is the only component you cannot replace in this machine. Sure, that's technically an 'interface' The custom UI that Alienware cooked up in lieu of an official SteamOS release sure gets the job done … but that's about it. Upon booting up the Alpha, you're met with a red screen with a few static, extraterrestrial-like scrawlings on it. Short after, four upright, opaque red rectangles appear with some basic options: Launch Steam, Settings, Help and Power. Accessible using the controller's direction pad, the option presents the obvious app, in Valve's Big Picture Mode, that started this whole new set of shenanigans. The Settings option offers a number of parameters to tweak from video output settings to available networks and the system's HDMI passthrough capability. Meanwhile, Help simply shows off all of the controller button combinations to quickly access various nooks and crannies of the UI, and Power lists all of the obvious options in addition to restarting the console in desktop mode (i.e. Windows) – but not without a mouse and keyboard, first. Functionally speaking, Alienware's UI checks all of the boxes – it provides access to all of the settings that would be relevant to your out-of-the-box gaming experience. However, with static, boring imagery and zero animation or music (only a goofy clicking sound plays as you move about the menus), this UI does nothing to invite the player. It's clear that this interface was not the intended end result, but an interim solution to keep players out of the desktop once Alienware knew that Valve was not going public with SteamOS in 2014. Regardless, the UI could do more to get players excited to, well, play. But perhaps most importantly, the Alienware UI does a fine job of keeping out any app or service other than Steam. Want to play Titanfall? Then you'll have to hook up that mouse and keyboard, restart the console in desktop mode, and boot up the game like you would on any old PC. The sooner that Alienware brings EA's Origin and Ubisoft's UPlay game services into its custom UI, the better. Now, how about what Alienware managed to cram inside this thing? Specifications and value Being such a small device tailored for living room PC gaming, the Alienware Alpha doesn't have many direct competitors at the moment, save for the Maingear Spark (and other boutique PC builders' takes on that design). And by "small", I mean tiny – smaller than both the Xbox One and PS4. The Alpha measures about 7.9 x 7.9 x 2.2 inches (W x D x H) and weighs approximately 4.4 pounds. By comparison, the Maingear Spark occupies way less space at 5 x 4.5 x 2.25 inches, and hits the scale at just one pound. But as you know, size isn't everything in electronics. The Alpha might be beat by some competitors in terms of dimensions, but how Alienware made use of its chosen figures is what sets this device apart. Judging from the specs below, Alienware managed to cram quite a bit of hardware in this tiny package. Here's the configured Alpha unit that Alienware sent to TechRadar for review: Spec sheet Processor: 2.9GHz Intel Core i3-4130T (dual-core, 3MB cache) Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M (custom, 2GB GDDR5) Memory: 4GB DDR3 (1600Mhz) Storage: 500GB SATA (6Gb/s) Connectivity: Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3160 1x1; Bluetooth 4.0 Operating system: Microsoft Windows 8.1 (64‐bit) Ports: 2x USB 2.0 (front), 2x USB 3.0 (back), RJ45, HDMI-Out 1.4a, HDMI-In, optical audio out (Toslink) Warranty: 1-year Alienware Limited Hardware; 10-14 day mail-in repair after remote diagnosis This might not seem like much, but when you consider the included wireless Xbox 360 controller (for Windows) on top of what's inside for $549 to start, this starts to look like an OK deal. What you see here is the absolute minimum configuration, with the highest-end model coming in at a dense $849 (£699, AU$1,299). That configuration nets you an Intel Core i7 chip, double the RAM, a 2TB spinning drive and 2x2 dual band Wi-Fi. In case you haven't already noticed, Alienware's customized GTX 860M is the only graphics option available across all Alpha models. In the nascent world of Steam Machines, only one GPU option isn't news, but nevertheless makes opting for a beefier version much less appealing. All said, opening up the Alpha does not void your warranty – Alienware practically encourages it – so you could easily pick up the base model and upgrade as you see fit. (Just don't touch the GPU – that stays.) In comparison, the Spark's starting configuration comes in much, much higher at $749 (about £495, AU$972) to start. (Though, you can nab one for $599 to start for a limited time, as of this writing.) That nets you a quad-core AMD A8-5557M APU with embedded Radeon graphics, a matching Radeon R9 M275X with 2GB of GDDR5 memory (also the only available option), plus the same amount of RAM and storage. However, the Spark chassis does offer room for both an HDD and a solid-state drive. But here's the kicker: Maingear does not include an operating system in the base price. Want Windows 8.1? That'll be 120 bucks, please. So, the Alienware wins major points in the value department. Let's see how it did doing what it does best: playing games. Performance The Alienware Alpha is squarely aimed right at the leading game consoles, Xbox One and PS4, checking off boxes like "native 1080p support," "4K video support" and upgradability. But since the three are entirely different platforms, direct performance comparisons are impossible. Comparing the Alpha against competing gaming PCs is also difficult, given its customized mobile GPU and the lack of directly similar systems. At any rate, here's how Alienware's first crack at the living room fared in our suite of tests: Benchmarks 3DMark: Ice Storm: 85,121; Cloud Gate: 9,678; Fire Strike: 3,524 Cinebench CPU: 263 points; Graphics: 74 fps PCMark 8 Home: 2,935 points Bioshock Infinite (1080p, Ultra): 44 fps; (1080p, Low): 99 fps Metro: Last Light (1080p, Ultra): 16 fps; (1080p, Low): 48 fps Right off the bat, we're looking at numbers vastly better than what the Maingear Spark managed to produce. The most notable of which is 3DMark's Fire Strike, which the Spark reported a score of 2,301 points – not exactly competitive. That said, gaming laptops, like the Asus GL551 with an 860M packing 2GB of video memory, scored results within 100 points of the Alpha on most of our tests. While I'm not comparing these machines directly, the similarity in scores – despite Alienware's modifications on that same GPU – is striking. At any rate, the Alienware Alpha is prepared to play most PC games at 1080p and decent graphical settings (save for Metro: Last Light, of course). Using Fraps, I managed to play Middle Earth: Shadows of Mordor at 1080p and high settings to excellent effect, with a silky frame rate of 43 frames per second and plenty of detail. Inversely, games like Titanfall didn't perform as well, despite its age and keen tuning for a range of GPUs. Notched at high settings and FHD, Fraps reported a 26 fps frame rate. That doesn't quite make the playable threshold on paper, but knocking things down to medium leveled that out a bit and brought it to 28 fps, which actually felt much better. The thing is that this is a mobile GPU pushing these games, and the power gap is still there between the 800M series of mobile chips and Nvidia's desktop counterparts, regardless of Alienware's modifications. (Now, if Alienware were to update the Alpha with something from the new 900M series, we might not even be having this little aside.) Not quite like the rest Even the GTX 750 Ti inside my own gaming PC can register better Titanfall numbers than that – at least 10 more frames per second. That said, Titanfall might not be optimized for the specific drivers issued for this modified GPU. Nope, you cannot update the Alpha's GPU drivers through Nvidia's GeForce experience. However, Alienware works with its partners to deliver updates to the system through its custom UI. (The system was lasted updated on its Nov. 6 launch, so it better not be long before another refresh – kidding … kind of.) So, the Alpha is definitely in need of some firmware updates, not to mention more work with developers to help optimize their games for Alienware and Nvidia's modified GPU. In the meantime, there are plenty of games to enjoy, many of which are (semi-)exclusive to PC, like TowerFall Ascension and Rogue Legacy. Build or buy? The PC is slowly reacquiring its sphere of influence by targeting the living room directly, and the Alienware Alpha is the vessel. Though Alpha is but a ship among many, to sound over dramatic, and approaches the enemy from a different angle. Alienware is clearly playing to the sensibilities of the console gamer. It's true that you could open the Alpha up, never connect a keyboard and mouse to it, and treat it like a game console. Though, I wouldn't recommend it, since this is a Windows machine and all, and requires updates and security scans, unlike most console or mobile operating systems. Still, the Alpha represents the sense of simplicity and focus of a game console, while offering those players a tease at what's possible. Not fast enough? Try swapping in more RAM – easy enough. Still want more power? Then throw in a new CPU (but better break out the manual first). Soon, you'll have a budding PC builder, thanks to a machine that's a little more inviting than the rest. Verdict So, buy the Alienware Alpha if you or yours have never purchased a gaming PC before. It will ease you into what's possible in PC gaming and lure you into getting more involved. I doubt it will be long before Alpha owners start expressing interest in building gaming PCs, or at least upgrading the systems they just picked up. That said, how is Alpha as a product right now? That's a tougher question to answer, because by the numbers, you will always easily build a PC for not much more and eke better performance out of it. Of course, it wouldn't be nearly as compact, stylish or come with the support and convenience that a company like Alienware provides, all things that the major vendors manage far better than DIY PCs. We liked As much as I hate to say it, whether you should buy this gorgeous little box depends on the type of gamer you are. Think what you will, but the Alpha serves a very specific demographic extremely well, and was designed for that purpose from the start. Alienware understands what Steam Machines are about, and the Alpha is proof. From its design to the way in which it creates a console-like experience (without Valve's help), the Alpha pushes the concept harder than anyone yet. Like I said, a kid could open up the Alpha, connect it to the TV and sync the included Xbox 360 controller. Almost immediately, he or she would be logged into your Steam account without ever setting foot into Windows. It's pretty brilliant, really. We disliked Sure, it's software is rough around the edges and not that flashy – it gets you into Big Picture Mode and handles the major factors: Internet, updates and installations. Design is a big deal these days, and it's tough to look past the shoddiness of the software or its lack of features. Major UI updates are needed and are hopefully on the horizon. However, there are other problems that are tougher to fix, like the awkward way in which you must access Origin and Uplay, both increasingly unavoidable services. So, let's hope someone on either end of that problem has picked up the phone. Final verdict Not quite a desktop gaming PC and not quite a console, the Alienware Alpha bravely straddles a strange, tense middle ground in the gaming world. And in doing so, the company may well have built something with the potential to subvert some of the console gaming crowd over to the side of gaming righteousness. Even a few months out, it's tough to predict not only how well the Alienware Alpha will do – it's priced OK for a set-it-and-forget-it, Steam-based gaming console. (Especially right now at $499, as of this writing – US only, sorry.) But don't mistake: building your own gaming PC, especially something aimed directly at edging out the consoles, will always be more cost effective. If you haven't bought an Alpha yet, it might be worth waiting out for a hopeful GTX 900M series model – though that certainly won't go for 500 smackers. But ultimately, the Alienware Alpha is a kick-ass way to ease yourself (or a loved one) into PC gaming.

TechRadar Deals: Valentine's Day Gift Ideas: the ultimate guide Posted: 03 Feb 2015 01:09 PM PST Valentine's Day Gift Ideas Valentine's Day sneaks up on us every year, but don't worry - we've got a whole raft of Valentine's Day gift ideas and deals to help you find the perfect present for your perfect person. As we all know by now, Valentine's Day was invented by the Flemish in 1872 as a way of marketing Belgian chocolate. In the local dialect, it means "national eat chocolate day" but has in more modern times been appropriated by companies like Clinton cards as a vehicle for selling folded cardboard to the helplessly lovestruck. This year, TechRadar is an official media partner to Saint Valentine himself and we understand that buying Valentine's day gifts can actually be pretty difficult! So we've created the ultimate Valentine's Day gift ideas hub. From cards to gadgets, chocolates, flowers, jewellery, weekend breaks and more - it's all available online! Valentine's Day: quick links John Lewis: Valentine's Day Deals Amazon: Valentine's Day Deals Very: Valentine's Day Deals Interflora: Valentine's Day Surprises Hotel Chocolat: Valentine's Day Gifts Valentine's Day Ideas Below you'll find separate sections on where to order specific product types online, but first here's a rundown of some item suggestions to kick us off... John Lewis: Valentine's Day cards John Lewis: Valentine's Day flowers and plants John Lewis: Gift good and lots of yummy treats | Boxes of chocolates John Lewis: Champagne gifts Very's gifts for Her: Save up to 50% on gifts for your special lady Very's gifts for Him: Save up to 50% on gifts for your special man London theatre tickets: Buy your loved one two tickets to see a show! There's some great deals online Activities and experiences: Buy a track day, go rock climbing, fly a plane! Great deals on Amazon 50% off experience days: Very has a good deal on some great days out | Adventure days | Driving Days | Flying and Adrenaline | Food and drink Health and beauty: Buy a spa day, a make-over, yoga lessons, massages, and all sorts of other pampering! Champagne: The world's most romantic drink! The best deals are online Perfume and fragrance: Amazon has up to 60% off for Valentine's Day Lingerie and underwear: Buy something sexy for after dinner Valentine's Day Deals Foot massager: HoMedics FM-TS9-GB Deluxe Shiatsu Foot Massager - £48.42 Foot spa: Beurer FB20 Footspa with Pedicure - £25.99 Hair straighteners: ghd V Gold Classic Styler - Now just £105 Rollers: Remington AS7055 Big Style Roller Set - Reduced to £30 Fancy bedroom lighting: Philips hue Personal Wireless Lighting Starter Kit - £179.95 Games console: Nintendo 3DS Coral Pink - Now only £79 Handy gadget: Wacom Bamboo Solo Stylus - Pink - £6.39 Sleep smarter: Withings Aura Smart Sleep System - £249.95 Digital Radio: Pure Evoke Mio Orla Kiely DAB/FM Radio (Buttercup) - £133.47 Chocolate: Valentines Day Goody Bag - Super yummy for £18 Chocolate: Continental Tasting Heart - Chocolate love for £25 Camera: Nikon Coolpix L29 ( 16.44 MP,5 x Optical Zoom,2.7 -inch LCD ) - £39.99 Camera: Sony Cybershot W830 20.1MP Compact Digital Camera - Now just £69.99 iPod: Apple iPod nano 16GB, 7th Generation - Purple - £104 iPod: Apple iPod shuffle 2GB - Pink - £36.99 Headphones: Beats by Dr. Dre urBeats In-Ear Headphones - Monochromatic - £74.99 Headphones: Beats by Dr. Dre Solo2 On-Ear Headphones - Pink - £149 Personalised Phone Cases: ASDA Photo Personalised Phone Cases: Photobox Personalised Phone Cases: Vista Print Valentine's Day Cards LoveRadar says: Clearly a Valentine's Day card is the bare minimum for anyone in a relationship who still wants to be in it on the 15th February. And it's even more fun to send a card to someone you're not in a relationship with - you know, that person you've fancied for ages. And while you could look to the highstreet to supply your card, there are actually some pretty great online options too. Online you get more selection and total control over appearance, images and words. Moonpig: Buy cards, flowers and gifts Not On The Highstreet: Buy your cards and a whole range of gifts Scribbler: Specialises in online card creation and delivery Flowers for Valentine's Day LoveRadar says: Probably one for guys to buy rather than the ladies, this one. And you might think it's cheesy as all hell to send flowers on Valentine's Day, but the ladies love a beautiful bouquet and for good reason - it really shows how special you think she is to buy her flowers. But don't be lazy and pick some up from the petrol station on the way home! Plan ahead, order online and get them delivered to her as a special surprise! Flying Flowers: Flowers for all occasions with plenty of delivery options Amazon: Yep, you can even buy flowers on Amazon and there's some great deals too Interflora: Possibly the best known flower brand, get any flower any time! Serenata Flowers: All sorts of flowers and bouquets Holidays for Valentine's Day LoveRadar says: OK, so not all of us can afford to buy a holiday for Valentine's Day. But if you CAN afford it, there is surely no better gift. And the great thing is that the internet makes finding the right choice - whether it's a quick city break or a trip to a tropical paradise - extremely easy. And there are always some interesting last minute deals to be had. Thomas Cook: Find a cheap holiday for you and your loved one Lastminute.com: Great for finding a last minute surprise weekend away Chocolates for Valentine's Day LoveRadar says: Everyone loves chocolates. Whoever you're buying for this year, you could do a lot worse than a really nice box of chocolates. And we don't mean a tin of Quality Street - proper, quality, delicious, amazing chocolates. There are plenty of brands that you can buy from online as well - here are the four key chocolate shops to order from: Amazon: Not the most obvious chocolate retailer, but there are some brilliant deals on all sorts of top brands Thorntons: The highstreet chocolate chain has a lot of options for online chocolate purchasing Hotel Chocolat: Everyone loves Hotel Chocolat! Cadbury: Britain's favourite chocolate brand has an online store too Green & Black's: Organic Valentine's Day chocolate is the best Valentine's Day chocolate Jewellery for Valentine's Day LoveRadar says: Jewellery is super hard to buy for someone else, or it is for some people anyway. Others find it very easy, and to make things even easier - you can buy online! Amazon actually has a great jewellery section on its website, and there are plenty of other buying options as well. So whether you're looking for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, bangles, rings or whatever - consider the internet your buying companion: Amazon: Amazon is actually a great place to search and find jewellery The Jewel Hut: Lots of great options for Valentine's Day Goldsmiths: One of the biest known highstreet brands also has a website Restaurants for Valentine's Day LoveRadar says: If you work long hours and don't get out much, it can be hard to work out where to take your loved one for that special Valentine's Meal you promised you'd book. Luckily there are some online services that make such things very easy indeed, and you don't have to be living in a big city to do it, either... Amazon: Use Amazon Local to find a great deal on a meal for you and your special one BookATable.co.uk: Lots of good deals at lots of great UK restaurants Lastminute.com: Yep, this site even does table bookings Single? Online Dating! LoveRadar says: If you're single and resenting all the happy people who're planning a fun Valentine's Day treat, it could be the perfect time to get on the internet dating. Everyone's doing it these days! Match.com: The world's number one dating website eHarmony: Another popular option - it's now free to communicate with your matches Plenty of Fish: Plenty of Fish is 100% free and very popular with the under-40s OK Cupid: Another free option for online dating in the UK Tinder: For Android | For iPhone - finding a date is as easy as swiping a screen, and it's free

Updated: Nexus 6 release date: where can I get it? Posted: 03 Feb 2015 12:22 PM PST Update 2/3/2015: Ever the late bloomer, Verizon has only now begun teasing that its Nexus 6 will arrive "soon." Check below for the full update. Update 12/8/2014: US Cellular has announced the details of its Nexus 6 release date, and we've updated the information below yet again. Update 11/20/14: Sprint has permanently reduced the price of its Nexus 6 by a full $50, so we've updated the information below to reflect that. Update 11/14/14: Go check your order status if you bought the Nexus 6 through Google Play, because the phones are beginning to ship out to users, reports Android Police. Interestingly these orders are shipping straight from China to customers without stopping in the US first, but it's unclear whether that will affect shipping times. Update 11/11/14: Shortly after announcing it would sell the Nexus 6 on November 12, T-Mobile changed its plans - scroll down for the full scoop. Google and Motorola's Nexus 6 is the latest and greatest flagship smartphone to carry the esteemed Nexus branding, and as such it's in very high demand. Google itself began selling the Nexus 6 with Android 5.0 Lollipop long before any carriers got to offer it, but that's slowly changing. Announcements from US carriers are finally beginning to trickle in, and we'll collect them here as they do. So where can you get the Nexus 6? Keep reading to find out. Google Play Unsurprisingly Google Play was the first source to offer the Nexus 6 for sale. It has been hard to snag one through Google's own storefront, but at this time the search giant has promised to release another shipment online every Wednesday, so at least there's some consistency. Google Play lists the Nexus 6 starting at $650 for the 32GB version, so if you want to get a financed version cheaper on-contract or spread out your payments over several months you're going to want to scroll down and check out what the carriers have to offer. AT&T AT&T was one of the first US carriers to announce its Nexus 6 release date, after Google itself. The blue carrier will begin offering the Google flagship for pre-order on Wednesday, November 12, online and in stores, though it's unclear when it's shipping out. The Nexus 6 on AT&T will cost $249.99 on a two-year contract, $682.99 with no contract or $22.77, $28.46 or $34.15 with AT&T Next 12-month, 18-month or 14-month plans, respectively. In addition opening a new AT&T Next line and buying a Nexus 6 can save you $50 on a Moto 360 smartwatch, Moto Hint Bluetooth earbud or Moto Sliver II6 headset, and new customers who switch from other carriers and buy a Nexus 6 will get a $150 bill credit too. Sprint Sprint was also quick to announce its plans for the Nexus 6, with the news that it will carry the handset online and in stores beginning Friday, November 14. The carrier focused on its Easy Pay plans for its initial announcement, sharing that it will sell the Nexus 6 for 24 monthly payments of $29, totaling $696, not including tax and wireless service. But then, in a surprise twist, Sprint permanently lowered its Nexus 6 price by $50. That means Easy Pay customers will shell out $27 per month instead of $29, contract customers will pay $249 with a two-year agreement, and those who'd rather just pay upfront will owe $648. T-Mobile T-Mobile at first got in early to announce it would begin selling the Nexus 6 on November 12, but the "un-carrier" shortly later - the same day, in fact - changed its plan. "To give @TMobile customers the best experience possible, we're moving our #Nexus6 launch out one week to 11/19," the pink carrier said on Twitter. Other than that unfortunate delay it seems the same price of $27.08 per month over 24 months, totaling $649.92, still applies. US Cellular US Cellular began selling the Nexus 6 in various configurations beginning December 8. The fifth-biggest US carrier is selling the Nexus 6 in blue or white and at 32GB or 64GB starting at $200 with a two-year contract. Oddly US Cellular is the only carrier currently offering the Nexus 6 in both color options. Verizon TechRadar confirmed with Verizon that it will carry the Nexus 6, but it was several months before we heard any more details about its plans. As of February 3, Verizon's official site says that the Nexus 6 is "coming soon" (as pointed out by Droid Life). That's all we have for now, but Verizon is sure to announce more details about its Nexus 6 release soon - and when it does, we'll update you right here! Samsung Galaxy S6 could arrive with even faster 4G

The Galaxy XCover 3 looks like Samsung's next super rugged phone Posted: 03 Feb 2015 11:51 AM PST Samsung has recently taken to releasing "ruggedized" versions of its flagship phones, like the Galaxy S5 Active. But don't forget that the Korean company also has a seldom-mentioned line of smartphones entirely dedicated to surviving rock climbs and mud puddles: the XCover series, the latest of which has apparently leaked. The Moto 360 is an impressive smartwatch These photos allegedly show the Samsung Galaxy XCover 3, a phone that hasn't been announced by Samsung but could very well be in development at the same time as the Galaxy S6, knowing how many balls the company likes to juggle. Lots of balls Samsung's last XCover phone, the Galaxy XCover 2, was released way back in early 2013, so if the XCover 3 (model number SM-G388F) is legit you can expect it to be a massive upgrade over its predecessor. Then again if you've been using the durable XCover 2 since then your phone is probably still in great shape. Various sources on the XCover 3's specs claim it will sport a 4.8-inch 800 x 400 display (much larger than the XCover 2's), a Marvell Armada PXA1908 chipset and quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU, 1GB of memory, and 8GB of storage. The LG G4 is right around the corner

ARM announces new ARM Cortex-A72 processor Posted: 03 Feb 2015 11:35 AM PST ARM is announcing its next generation ARM Cortex-A72 processor based on the 64-bit ARM v8-A design. ARM claims that the new chip delivers as much as 50 times the performance gain compared to processors from just five years ago, or 3.5 times the performance gain of the ARM Cortex-A15 processor. The new ARM Cortex-A72 is also 75 percent more energy efficient and is slated to launch late 2015 or early 2016. Nandan Nayampally, ARM's VP of marketing in the CPU Group, says that the A72 chip design has been released to licensees, so that it will be up to the licensees when they will manufacture the chips for use in mobile devices. Ten licensees have committed to creating chips based on the Cortex-A72 architecture, including HiSilicon, MediaTek, and Rockchip. Though ARM executives are designing the new ARM Cortex-A72 for mobile phones, the performance improvements, thinness of design, and battery efficiency will make the chip suitable for use in other form factors as well, including tablets and laptops. Performance The ARM Cortex-A72 utilizes a TSMC's 16nm FinFET processor and is scalable to higher frequencies for a variety of different form factor designs. The chip boasts a new CoreLink CCI-500 interconnect that delivers up to a 30% increase in processor memory performance compared to the older CoreLink CCI-400. As a result, users will get a more responsive UI, better multitasking performance, and an improved video experience. The Mali T880 graphics processor on the Cortex-A72 delivers 80% better performance compared to the older Mali T760 GPU while being 40% more energy efficient. ARM is claiming that the combination of the Cortex-A72 with the Mali T880 delivers a console-class gaming experience on mobile. With the ARM Cortex-A72, ARM executives are saying that your mobile phone could "become the only compute device you carry," as it is suitable for content production and creation. ARM CMO and EVP of marketing Ian Drew says that the Cortex-A72 will be capable of "creating new content that businesses will use." As an example, Drew points out that mobile phones powered by ARM architecture will not only be able to capture images, but can also process those images and send the renderings wirelessly to a 3D printer. Additionally, the A72 could be used as part of ARM's premium mobile suite for even greater battery gains by pairing with a Cortex A53 processor in the big.LITTLE architecture design. With the big.LITTLE design, the processor will gain an additional 40-60% reduction in energy consumption on top of the 75% energy efficiency that the A72 already delivers compared to the last generation of mobile processors. Applications ARM is targeting a variety of different uses for its chip. As the mobile phone increasingly becomes the sole computing devices that many consumers rely on, phones utilizing the Cortex-A72 chipset will be used for 4K video capture, console-class gaming, fluid handling of productivity suites, and natural language processing natively on a phone. ARM to open Taiwan design center to focus on IoT and wearables.

OnePlus One Android Lollipop update teased in official video Posted: 03 Feb 2015 11:18 AM PST The OnePlus One was one of TechRadar's favorite Android phones of 2014, and it's scheduled to be upgraded to Android 5.0 Lollipop this month. Its creators have promised a stable build of Lollipop for the One will arrive in February, and to kick off the month they've released a teaser video showing the update in action. This is what's happening at GDC 2015 Unfortunately a good chunk of the video is spent demonstrating Android Lollipop's Flappy Bird easter egg, something that's already been well documented. For the full OnePlus One Lollipop experience we'll have to wait until later this month, but at least it's "almost here," as the video's description reveals. YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYsC7SSXXxk Google's Nexus 5 at an unbeatable price

Industry voice: SAP and the cloud: how will this strategy work out? Posted: 03 Feb 2015 09:25 AM PST 'One team, one dream' was the new SAP mantra that emerged from the company's Global Field Kick-Off Meeting of 2014, which represents SAP's aspirations for simplification and market success. The company is aiming to have one go-to-market approach, one solution for a given business problem, one customer offering, and one support model. Let's look at how this translates into SAP's cloud strategy. Four pillars Currently the SAP cloud strategy is designed on four key pillars: 1. Best-of-breed solutions in key functional areas, such as HR and procurement, and innovative new solutions in social selling and service for sales, marketing, service and finance. 2. Transformational integration, delivering deep and seamless process integration through three main methods: open APIs (application programming interfaces), hundreds of predefined and packaged business process integration adapters called iFlows, and the HANA cloud platform. 3. Flexibility: so that customers can use best-of-breed public cloud apps, moving their existing SAP-licensed apps to the HANA enterprise cloud that is fully managed by SAP, or using managed service options, where SAP can extend companies' existing on-premise SAP investments with the cloud. 4. Unified cloud platform: a single platform and the foundation to all SAP offerings, where the company is accelerating its plans to move the entire SAP cloud portfolio to the HANA cloud platform. Business growth Going for cloud is certainly a sensible move for SAP, and its business in cloud solutions showed rapid growth in 2013. SAP's annual cloud revenue run rate now exceeds €1 billion (around £760 million, $1.15 billion), and its total cloud portfolio applications now have more than 35 million subscriptions, with the company expecting total revenue from its cloud business of €3.0 to €3.5 billion (around £2.65 billion, $4 billion) by 2017. However, lots of challenges and questions remain unanswered. Best-of-breed solutions mean not only excellent functionality, but also high levels of security. Are vendors trustworthy enough for customers to hand over their crown jewels? In today's business environment where the moral limits of markets have been questioned, it's difficult to say that for sure. Transformational integration is strongly desirable, but the fast innovation pace in cloud makes it more likely that SAP will continue buying small companies to fill in the emergent gaps. We have already seen this with SuccessFactors (cloud-based human capital management), Ariba (cloud-based business commerce network) and Fieldglass (cloud technology in contingent workforce management). Analysts believe these takeovers will continue, as probably this is the only way for the technology giant to become a cloud enterprise. However, will SAP be able to seamlessly integrate all of these newly acquired technologies? Then, can a company really be flexible if it depends on a single cloud player? Given the current consolidation of markets, especially in the IT industry, it is not unlikely that a few years from now there will only be three or four major cloud players. As well as reducing choice for customers, the impact if one of them were successfully targeted by a cyber-terrorist attack could be massive. Revenue models Another important point to consider is that the revenue model changes when the business model is changed from on-premise to the cloud. This puts short-term pressure on the margin for SAP. So far the major revenue stream for SAP has been maintenance, not software licensing. In the cloud, the revenue pattern is completely different from that of on-premise software, as there is no maintenance fee and no upfront license fee – and it takes a few years for the cloud subscription fee to catch up financially with the traditional license fee plus 20% maintenance. Revenue recognition also starts later in a cloud contract – typically around three months after contract closing when the customer has gone live with using the cloud service. Furthermore, the switching barriers in the cloud are lower; the costs associated with changing a supplier are less than with traditional software. This means that SAP will fundamentally have to change its business and sales model. It's still unclear how investors will react to such a shift. According to Luka Mucic, CFO at SAP, predictability and transparency are the key factors that make the cloud business attractive to both customers and investors. However, in order to achieve high growth and renewal rates, customer satisfaction will be essential. Also, it will take time. How long – we still don't know. Shifting to cloud The SAP HANA cloud platform as well as the HANA enterprise cloud are impressive technologies. It is incredible how HANA can process hundreds of terabytes or even petabytes in such a short time. More interesting, however, is how these enormous amounts of generated data are being transferred from the customer's on-premise landscape to the cloud in a reasonable timeline. The hardware offerings that are a key element of the SAP HANA package are anything but cheap. While the market is trying to put pressure on hardware prices and even promote an 'open source' model, SAP is still relying on highly specialised and expensive partner offerings. SAP has not always succeeded with new ventures. For example, SAP Business ByDesign (its solution for smaller companies) took seven years of development and the investment of €3.0 billion (around £2.3 billion, $3.4 billion), but has struggled to win sufficient customers and revenue. We all hope that SAP has learnt from its mistakes, and that the cloud has not obscured the company's planning horizon. Alan Hunt is Business Development Director and board member at RED, the global SAP services provider

Updated: OxygenOS leak reveals a clean, colourful OS for the OnePlus 2 Posted: 03 Feb 2015 09:15 AM PST Update: OnePlus has confirmed this leak isn't its OxygenOS. Staff member Carl Pei took to the firm's forums to debunk the leak, stating: "Guys, this isn't OxygenOS. Have faith in that we understand our users better than what these leaks suggest." Original article Just a few days ago OnePlus announced its new Android-based operating system, OxygenOS, which is set to replace CyanogenMod in the company's upcoming phones, including the OnePlus 2. Now we've caught our first glimpse at what the ROM may look like, as GizmoChina has received alleged images of OxygenOS in action. Assuming the pictures are legitimate it seems that OxygenOS will have a clean look with a flat design. Going by one of the screens, which is likely the app drawer, apps appear to be sorted into categories with different colour splashes highlighting the divides. Simply the best? The other images seem to show various lock screens, each with a different colourful abstract background and a simplistic weather display, showing just the temperature. Although OnePlus is seemingly going for a minimalist design here it seems likely that the weather icon would be a bit more informative than that, which suggests this isn't a final version of the software, so even assuming the images are real it could well change before launch. So far it certainly looks stylish, but fans of CyanogenMod may not appreciate the change and with just the app drawer and lock screen on display there's still a lot left to see. In announcing the ROM it was revealed that the OxygenOS name was suggested by a OnePlus forum member and chosen because "as an element, Oxygen is the epitome of simplicity, yet it's also extraordinarily powerful." With these images we've seen the simplicity, now we just need to see the power. The OnePlus 2 could surprise people.

Review: UPDATED: Nexus 9 Posted: 03 Feb 2015 09:00 AM PST Introduction and design Update: The Nexus 9 is now available on contracts in the UK from O2 and Android 5.1 could be coming to it soon. Google's Nexus 9 has been designed by HTC to be the Goldilocks of pure Android tablets and, for the most part, it succeeds at being "just right" next to anything but an iPad. It's not as big as the seriously outdated Samsung-made Nexus 10 and not as small as the ASUS-crafted Nexus 7. It's the silver bullet tablet entry that costs a little more of your hard-earned gold. There's a specs bump behind the 8.9-inch display to help justify the price of $399 (£319, about AU$460) for the space-limited Wi-Fi-only 16GB model. A few post-holiday discounts have it for $350 or £287, but I still prescribe the $479 (£399, about AU$552) for the 32GB Wi-Fi-only option that's harder to find on sale. Then there's the $599 (£459, around AU$777) 32GB LTE model. In the UK mobile network O2 has started to offer the Nexus 9 with a range of contracts. The lowest price per month gives you a Nexus 9 for just £39.99 upfront, and then £25 a month for two years with a 500MB 4G data allowance. You can also get the Nexus 9 for no upfront cost. The cheapest contract with no upfront cost is £29 a month for two years, and gives you 1GB of 4G data each month. When it comes to the new specs, I'm talking about the latest Nvidia 64-bit processor, a decent 2GB of RAM, dual front-facing speakers and a decent battery to keep it all up and running for a little over nine hours. Even with those internal specs, Nexus 9 has a hard time measuring up to the iPad Air 2 in almost every category. Its own Android competition includes the Samsung Tab S, which flanks Google's 9-inch option with 10.5- and 8.4-inch sizes, and the sleek Sony Z3 Tablet Compact. What Nexus 9 has going for it more than hardware is the fact that it's the biggest and so far one of the few ways to drive into the Android 5.0 Lollipop update along with the Nexus 6. That makes it a sweet enough Google tablet in more ways than one and enough to be among the best tablets for 2014. Design It's about time HTC engineered a Nexus tablet or any modern-day tablet for that matter. After all, the crafty designers at the company brought us the polished-looking HTC One M8. No surprise, the Nexus 9 includes a metallic frame around the perimeter of this larger device. It's nice as long as you don't expect that all-metal design to continue around back. This year's tablet sticks with a soft, rubberized back cover – the same one that's adorned by the smaller Nexus 7. It's not an all-metal HTC One M8 equivalent, but it is easier to grip. And grip matters here. The Nexus 9 weighs in at a 0.94 pound (425g), which isn't heavy, but a tablet with an 8.9-inch display should theoretically be a lot lighter than the 9.7-inch iPad. Yet Apple's device weighs almost as much: 0.96 pound (437g). It does suck up fingerprint grease like nothing else, and accidentally lay it on some cooking fat in the kitchen and that sheen might never come off. The weight and size gap between it and the 0.64 lbs (290g) Nexus 7 is also fairly pronounced. Nexus 9 measures out to be 8.99 in. (228mm) tall, 6.05 in. (154mm) wide, with a 0.31 in. (7.95mm) depth, which is thicker than both the new iPad and Nexus 7. I would have liked to see better buttons on the Nexus 9 rim. Having tested the Nexus 6 and the new Moto X before that, I've come to appreciate the power button accented with ridges that don't feel so cheap. That was a smart Motorola design choice that helped me differentiate between the tiny volume rocker and even tinier power button in the dark. Thankfully, it's not always imperative to find that itty-bitty power button when the tablet is lying flat on a desk. A new "double tap to wake" feature conveniently wakes the Nexus 9 screen. HTC One M8 has the same knock-twice-to-wake perk, but it's even more useful on this larger, weightier device. No more awkwardly clutching the rim to press the tiny power button. Nexus 9's trio of colors include a premium-looking off-white called lunar white, the tan-colored sand and a fingerprint-attracting matte black, dubbed indigo black. All look and feel resilient enough to adventurously go without a cover. The only thing I feel as though I need to protect against is lodging dust in the speakers slots. There are two dust-collecting traps at the top and bottom of the tablet that also happen to contain powerful front-facing speakers. The speakers slots don't have me worried, though. It's the lack of a micro SD card slot that is the biggest design omission. There's no expandable storage whatsoever, meaning the 16GB model is going to be a tough sell if you use even a little bit of non-streaming multimedia. I've actually come to expect this on many Android tablets (although usually the mid-range ones), so once again, the extra cost of the 32GB model is the only way to safeguard yourself from larger apps or big HD movie libraries. Key features Display Nexus 9 is a new 8.9-inch display size for Google's Nexus range. It's a few tenths of an inch smaller than the iPad Air 2, but happens to be the same resolution as Apple's 9.7-inch tablet. In fact, it's Google's QXGA-level slate that actually has a few more pixels per inch packed into its 2048 x 1536 IPS LCD screen. That's why it's surprising that there's no comparison: the new iPad has a richer display in a side-by-side test. Apple's thinner, gap-free screen improves everything for better results. The Nexus 9 is, frankly, uninspiring. The display quality watching HD movies isn't impressive and nothing gave me that 'wow' factor like the first time I saw a QHD screen on a phone. It's high res, but the color reproduction and contrast ratios were distinctly average. I also found minor, but noticeable backlight bleeding around the bezel, which made the Nexus 9 picture quality less uniform when watching full-screen videos - or as full-screen as videos could get. Nexus 9 has a 4:3 aspect ratio that makes it more useful for productivity. The video-friendly 16:9 Nexus 7 now seems very narrow, but it's a better fit for movie watching. With more height in landscape mode, it's a two-handed device with additional headroom to read text. That's great for surfing the web or editing a document. The screen size makes sense for work, even if the technology behind it doesn't shine as much. Android Lollipop Google went from incremental updates like Android 4.4 KitKat to the full Android 5.0 with Lollipop, and the new operating system is pre-installed on the Nexus 9. This was the first device on which you could play with all of its new features, though it's starting to trickle out to other devices now. The changes from KitKat to Lollipop are realized immediately. The new unified look, "Material Design," is bright and colourful within Google's operating system as well as its own apps. It's almost a complete overhaul like we saw when Apple moved from iOS 6 to iOS 7. Added conveniences like lockscreen notifications and priority mode are welcomed answers to existing Apple features, and I couldn't be happier. Something that iOS devices don't have is the double tap to wake the screen idea that's borrowed from HTC's flagship smartphone. If you want to find out more about this new interface, which is now up to Android 5.0.1 and some users have even received Android 5.0.2, squashing bugs in the process, check out our in-depth dive into the new platform. But don't get too attached, because it may be updated to Android 5.1 by the end of February. Android 5.0 Lollipop review: a much-needed reboot BoomSound speakers Even though the all-metal design wasn't carried over from the HTC One M8, at least the powerful BoomSound speakers point the audio in the right direction and sound just as good as on the phone. Unlike the Nexus 7 and iPad Air 2, these speakers aren't facing the back or at the bottom of the tablet. YouTube videos at least sound better than they look on the 4:3 Nexus 9 display. This makes audio from movies, games and music clearer on this tablet than anything else I've tested. For once, I wasn't reaching for my Astro A38 Bluetooth headphones right away. Magnetic keyboard attachment This Keyboard Folio accessory wasn't available for me to test with the Nexus 9 review unit and the Google Play Store only recently put it up for sale, so you couldn't try it either, at least up until a few days ago. However, it's a sold-separately productivity perk that may factor into your tablet-buying decision. The keyboard case folds at two angles and never needs to be plugged into the USB port. It connects wirelessly through Bluetooth and uses NFC to easily pair up. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the mechanical keys, which have 1.4mm of travel and include a Google search key - no surprise there. Now that it's out, I'll test out hundreds of keystrokes for a future update to determine whether or not this business-focused add-on mounts a real challenge to the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 keyboard attachment. Or if it's better than the run-of-the-mill cheap alternatives sold on Amazon. Google's version is $129 (£110, about AU$151), which means its targeted at serious on-the-go typers. Interface and performance Nexus 9 marks everyone's first lick at Android 5.0 Lollipop, and this year's software update stands to be more exciting than the hardware specs bump. That's because the new operating system fixes a handful of the problems I've had with prior Android versions, and it sports a cleaner look – just enough to stay fresh next to Apple's iOS 8 update. The problem-fixing won't stop here, either. Nexus 9's best feature is bound to get even better, as the latest firmware Android 5.0.1 transitions to Android 5.1 in early 2015. Interface Google's "Material Design" dials things back for a flatter, geometry-focused interface, one that pops off the screen with a more colourful palette. It's bold and refreshing. Android Lollipop features have you do more tapping too. In addition to the aforementioned "double tap to wake," its new "tap and go" concept makes it easy to set up or restore a new device from an older one. Back-to-back, two devices transfer all data through NFC and take Android Beam to the next level. Manually waking the screen isn't even necessary on this tablet. Lockscreen notifications show up by default and briefly brighten the display. Don't worry: Just in case you like to pretend people are peeking into your life via glimpses at your tablet, these automatic alerts can be blocked on a per-app basis. A similar option comes to the all-new, system-wide Priority Mode that acts as Google's more advanced Do Not Disturb feature. It can silence the tablet indefinitely or in intervals that range from 15 minutes to 8 hours. Certain apps can be set to function in this night-time-friendly mode, which makes paying for inferior third-party apps irrelevant. Quick settings are easier to access through an all-in-one menu within this pure Android version of Google's operating system. Swiping down on the Nexus 9 screen just once will display notifications. Swiping down again or swiping down with two fingers initially reveals quick setting controls. This menu within a menu is a much better way of organizing everything compared to prior Android tablet setups. Before, the notifications menu appeared when swiping down on the left side of the tablet and quick settings showed up when swiping down the right side. This was hit or miss when holding a tablet – especially the narrow Nexus 7 in portrait mode. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and airplane mode are joined by new switches including flashlight, display slider and Google Chromecast cast screen. Sadly, the quick settings can't be changed or moved. Likewise, the battery percentage is hidden in this second menu. There's no way to make it appear in the first swipe-down menu or, better yet, system tray next to the vague battery drain icon. Performance HTC outfitted this year's Nexus tablet with an all-new heart that's care of Nvidia's K1 Tegra processor, a switch from the typical Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset that I'm used to finding behind tablet displays. The good news is that it's still a 64-bit system on a chip. Coupling the Tegra K1 with the new Android Lollipop that takes advantage of such 64-bit architecture makes the new Google tablet a good bet for the future. The two together will result in more powerful and useful apps going forward. Sure enough, Nexus 9 benchmarks indicate that behind the unexceptional display is a more than powerful chipset, as shown by its GeekBench 3 results. Tests indicated that the tablet averaged a 3326 multi-core score next to the iPad Air 2's 4500 multi-core score. As a dual-core processor, the Tegra K1's single-core GeekBench 3 score actually surpassed that of the new iPad. The Nexus 9 averaged a 1939 single-core score, while one core of iPad's three-core processor averaged an 1815 score in similar tests. But as future-proofed as the Nexus 9 CPU may be, there's only 2GB of RAM backing it up. It won't really be able to fully take advantage of the 64-bit ability, but will have some slight performance enhancements. It's actually only a dual-core CPU, but don't let that put you off as the overall benchmarking numbers for this tablet have remained impressive. I do have to note that I ran into a few performance hiccups with our review unit including unregistered touch abnormalities and slowdown when there were only a few tasks going at once. Google has promised that it fixed these Nexus 9 problems in a last-second firmware update that made it to the end-consumers device. Media The Nexus 9, despite my screen quality criticisms, plays movies just fine. In fact, the Play Movies app is already sporting the new Material Design. It provides simple movie recommendations and seamlessly links right to the Play Store's Movies & TV section. The red-and-white colour scheme pops nicely and matches the unified look of other Android Lollipop apps. Streaming Django Unchained, currently the most popular selection on Netflix, proved that the Nexus 9 has more than adequate brightness levels and a solid contrast ratio. However, the 2.35:1 aspect ratio in which this movie was shot doesn't convert well to the 4:3 display. Like on the similarly shaped iPad, app developers are making the best of it. For example, on Netflix, the movie title, Chromecast cast button and volume controls appear along the top to take up that large black void. Scrubbing through the timeline and the 30 second rewind button line the bottom. Don't worry, all of the controls fade away if the screen isn't touched for five seconds. Games are a mixed bag. Some stretch to meet the new full-screen standard and it shows. Other games have been made with the new aspect ratio. The more that Nexus 9 finds its way into mobile gamers' hands, the more that game apps are likely to adapt to the 4:3 high-resolution screen size. It's just now becoming prevalent among tablets. Google Music goes all-orange, but features a similar unified design that can be seen on the app and all-you-can-eat music streaming website. Fun categories like "Boosting Your Energy" and "Having Fun at Work" line the top of the main page, and recent activity and recommendations take into account your past listening habits. Movies, music and games sound better than they look thanks to the BoomSound speakers. That was a major problem I had with the Nexus 7 and similar tablets that placed the speakers in the wrong direction - usually at the bottom of the device. You won't have to plug in external speakers in a normal movie-watching environment. Reading through longer text via the Play Newsstand app receives the biggest positive change on the Nexus 9. That 4:3 aspect ratio allows for more reading and less scrolling. Plus, there's the ability to translate periodicals instantly, something that I find interesting in the Chrome browser and expect to make use of in Newsstand. Battery life, camera and essentials The Nexus 9's battery life actually bests that of the iPad Air 2, giving Google's tablet a rare win in the annual Android vs iPad slate comparison. Its 6,700 mAh battery is rated up to 9.5 hours of Wi-Fi browsing and movie playback. The iPad Air is supposed to get 10 hours when performing the same exact tasks and teardowns have revealed that Apple squeezed in a 7,340 mAh battery. At full brightness, our Nexus 9 battery tests concluded that a 90-minute Full HD video took the battery life down to 82% from its original 100% charge. That's a small 18% drop-off that the iPad Air 2 just didn't match. Apple's device went down 21% (to 79%) while running the same 90-minute video. In other real-world testing, the Nexus 9 lasted a day and a half before I needed to recharge it. Battery life is less of an issue on a tablet than a smartphone, and the Nexus 9 is no slouch. I was able to get stream a full HD-quality movie during a 90-minute flight, surf the internet and play a game on a 45-minute train commute and edit documents during a 20-minute Uber ride. Planes, trains and automobiles - and I still had close to 50% battery life at full brightness. Gaming obviously depleted the battery faster than the typical browsing and movie watching, so, while traveling, I retired from Real Racing 3 more quickly than I would have normally. Juicing the Nexus 9 took a little under five hours. That's about how long it takes to recharge a fully depleted iPad. But while the Nvidia processor was great for 3D gaming, it doesn't feature Qualcomm's Quickcharge 2.0 technology used by HTC's own HTC One M8. Motorola's Turbo Charger powers up the Nexus 6 and Moto X with anywhere from six to eight hours of battery life in just 15 minutes. And it's not just Android smartphones that are benefitting from this Snapdragon-enabled technology. Sony's Xperia Z2 Tablet and Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact use it to their advantage too. Camera Maybe this is a good thing, but the Nexus 9 doesn't have a great camera embedded in its tablet frame. There's less of a chance you'll be tempted – for whatever reason – to snap photos with its 8.9-inch viewfinder. The rear-facing 8 megapixel with a f/2.4 aperture produced darker-than-normal photos with an average 1.25MB file size and 3264 x 2448 resolution. The single LED flash doesn't do much unless the subject is close. The Nexus 7 actually snapped brighter, clearer and faster photos in mild low light without a flash, though it revealed more than the acceptable amount of noise. It's hard to tell which tablet I wanted to walk around town with taking test photos with less - the Nexus 9 or the Nexus 7. And this is from someone who routinely wears Google Glass. At least with the iPad Air 2 and its so-called "focus pixels," the shots are better, compensating for the ridiculous-looking viewfinder. The front-facing camera also shot darker, but the photos were less soft on this 1.6-megapixel camera that has a f/2.4 aperture. It's good enough for video conferencing when the image quality isn't all too important. Nexus 9's rear-facing camera can take 1080p video, but it's, again, a job best left up to your smartphone. Messaging Google's messaging options can be effective, but are all over the place. The email app still exists but directs you to the close it in favor of the superior Gmail app. This original app can't be deleted. Okay... Gmail, is of course wonderful compared to the default email apps by Samsung and LG. In addition to allowing users to access multiple Gmail addresses, it goes as far as supporting rival email services like Outlook and Yahoo. That's confidence. Then there's Hangouts. It's still here and works relatively well by integrating your existing Gmail contacts into the fold. But the annoyance of having friends who have personal and work accounts often leads to missed messages outside of the 9 to 5 work day and the inverse. There's also an issue of sending either a Hangout or an SMS on a phone, but only being able to send and receive Hangouts on a computer or a tablet like the Nexus 9. Apple's iMessages syncs across all devices and it always tries sending an internet message first, then resorts to a carrier-sent text message if all else fails. With Hangouts, it's either a Hangout or an SMS on a phone, and SMS is missing from Google's cross-platform messaging ecosystem. The Nexus 6 doesn't do much to fix this. It adds another app called "Messaging" to further confuse the situation. The Nexus 9 sport a new default keyboard theme that coincides with Material Design. Both its light and dark color variants are borderless, which can be a bit jarring at first. Then you realize that this is a Google keyboard that often knows what you want to type or what you meant to type. No matter how it looks, it's a lot smarter than the redesigned iOS 8 QuickType keyboard. Internet The extra Nexus screen space makes surfing the web a breeze and visiting TechRadar.com loaded up nice and quickly. Like in the Newsstand app, there's more reading to be done and less scrolling compared to the narrower Nexus 7. I didn't find myself constantly needing to use the 10-point multitouch display to zoom into every web page in order to read the text. Chrome has always been fast and full of options. The most recent update features faster browsing with support for preloading pages in the background. Android Lollipop includes a new guest mode and the ability to pin apps, which further secures the browsing history of your main account. Chrome for Android has the cross-app Material Design look, though it's less relevant because of its rather muted state. The bold colors are saved for websites, which completely makes sense. Camera samples The following are Nexus 9 photos samples vs Nexus 7 2013 photo samples: The competition Nexus 9 comes in at a good price, but there are slightly more expensive tablets to take notice of before dropping your $399 (£319, about AU$450). Apple, Samsung, Asus, Sony and even Microsoft have challengers large and small. It's really about which features you can't live without and how much you're willing to spend to get them. iPad Air 2 You can't have a modern-day tablet comparison without immediately bringing up the iPad. Apple's newest slate is the iPad Air 2 and it's the 9.7-inch version of what the Nexus 9 so desperately wants to be. It has a nicer-looking laminated screen, sleeker design and better tablet app ecosystem. It is a little more expensive than the Nexus 9 and it doesn't include BoomSound speakers. Audio is still projected from the bottom of the new iPad, while Google's tablet has the speakers front and center on either side of the screen. iPad Air 2 review Samsung Galaxy Tab S As much as Apple's gap-free screen design makes the iPad Air 2 a lightweight leader among tablets, the almost-as-thin Samsung Galaxy Tab S has a slightly better-looking display. It also fared better in sunlight. That's because Samsung's two S tablets have a Super AMOLED screen. Its 10.5-inch edition is sharper, brighter and bigger than the Nexus 9. The 8.4-inch edition is sharper and brighter with a similar size and the exact same price as Google's tablet. Of course, Samsung Galaxy Tab S comes with Android 4.4 KitKat pre-installed, giving the Nexus 9 the edge in software - for now anyway. Samsung Galaxy Tab S review Google Nexus 7 Google is discontinuing its Nexus 7 tablet with the advent of the Nexus 9. It appears as if 9 ate 7 instead of 7 ate 9. That's a shame because the 7-inch slate is a great little device at an affordable price. It had been the cheapest introduction to Google's pure Android ecosystem. Nexus 7 features a classic 16:9 aspect ratio that's ideal for widescreen movies. The obvious downside to that is it isn't great for browsing the internet or reading text in general. Because it was sold as a Google Nexus device, it's first in line for the post-Android 5.0 Lollipop launch. Google Nexus 7 review Sony Xperia Z3 Compact Tablet Sony makes an excellent tablet that fits in between the Nexus 7 and Nexus 9. At 8 inches, it's small, light and durable. It's both dust and waterproof with an IP67/68 rating. It has a better camera (unimportant), and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.5 GHz Quad-core processor and 3GB of RAM (important). What it's missing is Android 5.0 Lollipop. Like all other tablets at the moment, it's still packing Android 4.4 KitKat. Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact review Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Microsoft tries to market its Surface Pro 3 as a MacBook Air competitor, but it's still very much a tablet. That makes it ripe for a Google Nexus 9 comparison. The newest Surface Pro comes with a fully functional keyboard, multi-position kickstand, and uses a pen. This 12-inch super-tablet runs Windows, Office and desktop apps. Nexus 9 with its own keyboard case seems as if it's posing as a productivity tablet, but costs a lot less. Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review Verdict What was great about the Nexus 7 is that it was an easy entry into the Android ecosystem. It was an affordable first tablet that you could buy when picking up the inexpensive Chromecast. There wasn't too much thought too it. That's not the Nexus 9, however. It's a serious tablet with significant internal specs boot and an equally serious price tag. It's $399 (£319, about AU$450) for 16GB version that I don't recommend. It's comes down to whether there's enough here for you to look beyond its flaws. We liked If you were to adhere to "it's what's on the inside that counts," the Nexus 9 would be better off. It has Nvidia's 64-bit processor, HTC's BoomSound speakers and an impressive battery. Google and HTC clearly designed this tablet for productivity more than widescreen movie watching. The 8.9-inch display's 4:3 aspect ratio really does make surfing the web and editing documents easier. Its new operating system is just as efficient. Android 5.0 Lollipop is the ultimate perk of owning this brand tablet, though the update will come out for other devices – eventually. Features like lockscreen notifications, priority mode and knock-to-wake make it the best Android version yet. We disliked It's hard to not like a pure Nexus device, but it's the outside of the Nexus 9 that has the most trouble. Its 2K resolution screen doesn't look as nice as the iPad Air 2 display you can get for a little more money. Google has issued a patch to correct some of the performance problems I experienced with the tablet. However, backlight bleeding and a mediocre design that doesn't live up to the standard that HTC is known to deliver on its own products are unfixable flaws. The camera, as expected, is terrible. And the price - it's hard to know whether to lambast this tablet, as it is cheaper than the competition in some cases. But previous Nexus models have always been vastly cheaper than the rivals, so it's a shame to see the same thing not happening here. Final verdict Google's Nexus 9 tablet has display size and price that's indicative of everything you need to know about how it stacks up against the iPad Air 2. It's just a little less. The smaller 8.9-inch screen is good enough until you sit it next to a richer-looking, laminated 9.7-inch iPad display. The LCD backlight bleeding doesn't help either. Among Androids, its 4:3 aspect ratio makes it a great two-handed upgrade over the narrower and slower Nexus 7. But it's not as thin and nowhere near as sub-pencil-thin as Apple's "laser-cut" iPad. More design cues have been taken from the ASUS-made Nexus 7 than HTC's own all-metal HTC One M8. The soft rubberized back is easy to grip, yet doesn't feel as premium. That's a problem because this Android tablet costs much more than last year's model. It starts at $399 (£319, about AU$450) for the 16GB version, and that space fills up rather quickly. Android 5.0 Lollipop gives Google's slate a software facelift, even if the hardware construction isn't exceptional. Material Design sets the right tone and lockscreen notifications and priority mode add overdue functionality. Nexus 9 is a few tenths of an inch shy of matching the iPad Air 2, which wouldn't be so bad if the display and design didn't come up short as well. If you're looking for a naked Android tablet, the Nexus 9 performs well and comes with some really premium touches to make it one of the best around. However, it's not the winner in any category at this point, so it will be interesting to see how Google uses this base model to improve the entire tablet ecosystem.

Industry voice: How to build threat intelligence for your business by creating a honeynet Posted: 03 Feb 2015 08:32 AM PST Last autumn, the scandal surrounding the resignation of Tory MP, Brooks Newmark, caused controversy over the use of social media to ensnare. The unfortunate Mr Newmark, who thought he was conversing with a 21-year-old called Sophie over Twitter, was in fact sharing lewd images with a male Sunday Mirror reporter. Was he a victim of entrapment or a guy caught acting duplicitously? The jury is still out on that one. But one thing is certain: social media is now being used in a myriad of different ways. Take, for instance, information security. Many businesses monitor network activity and scan email for malicious attachments. But attacks continue to slip through the net, with phishing emails being one of the most common methods of attack. Phishing scams lure users to click on a suspicious link or open an obscurely named file sent in an email. The user does what the attacker was hoping, opens the email or clicks on the link, and the kill chain starts, establishing a backdoor into the company network. Voila, the attacker now has access to the internal network and can begin to escalate access privileges to get to really sensitive data. Reverse psychology But what happens when you reverse the psychology of this attack? Now, the email account has been deliberately created and set up on your domain solely for the purpose of monitoring attackers. The email 'user' is a bogus entity and you know that any communication sent to that email address should be regarded as either junk mail or a malicious attack. Instead of being compromised, you have now captured a malware sample and can immediately start looking for other instances of similar content sent to others in your business. Your incident detection and response stance improves enormously. By using bogus email accounts, it's possible to create a source of DIY threat intelligence which is able to monitor for suspect emails in real time. But we need to give the email user a convincing identity that will appeal to the hacker. The majority of targeted attacks start with a spear phishing attack. Such attacks contain a varying quality of research and profiling, employed by the attacker to find suitable candidates to target within the organisation. Facebook, Google, LinkedIn and other media are trawled for information and maybe even a little social engineering is employed, with the attacker snooping or even phoning the receptionist to determine which employees are worth targeting. (It's for this reason that you should instruct administrative staff never to divulge names or contact details). By manually seeding social networks with regularly updated profiles, it's possible to give our bogus staff members real identities. This technique allows us to create what is known in security circles as a 'honeynet'. The idea is based upon a concept first devised by Clifford Stoll in the early 1980s and documented in 'The Cuckoo's Egg'. Stoll was the first person to entrap and to document hacking, which led to the conviction of hacker Markus Hess, a KGB spy who was stealing US military intelligence. How the security threat landscape is shaping up for 2015 Juicy bait When creating a honeynet, think about content that would be attractive to the attacker. What do you do? What intellectual property do you have? What about unreleased business performance data? Customer databases? Credit card data? Make those fake roles relevant to the content. New starters are perfect cannon fodder for a spear phishing campaign as they aren't familiar with internal processes, probably haven't had security inductions yet and feel nervous about speaking up or getting fired in the event of doing something silly on their desktop. Staff with access to other resources, possibly with raised privileges, but who may not be suspicious or aware of attacks, also make ideal bogus identities. The more genuine connections they have, the more plausible they are as real people. Hence, the more likely they are to be the recipients of targeted malware and the more useful the threat intelligence we receive. Maintaining several distinct social media profiles and making them seem real can be taxing. Twitter bots would be the ideal route to populate their Twitter profiles with content that appears fresh, but it's always a risk: if it's too automated, it becomes obvious that the profile is fake. So that's where an interesting paper that popped up last year can help. The authors of an algorithm called Bot or Not? have released a tool that attempts to determine whether a Twitter handle is genuine. By using the tool to work out if the bot content we are using to populate a profile is detectable or not, we can determine if it passes for a bona fide employee. Public service Using this honeynet, it then becomes possible to check for any similar patterns on mail logs. It is even possible to reverse engineer the malware, and find out where the connection goes back to. Obtain a sample and destination IP address and upload it on to a site such as VirusTotal or similar and you might just save someone else from being compromised too. So is social media ensnarement ethical? I think that depends upon the motive and what the facade is intending to prove. If the honeynet prevents an attack on the business, makes public a possible exploit, and deters hackers, it seems both ethical and advisable to me. And I'm pretty sure Clifford Stoll would approve. Ken Munro is a Senior Partner at Pen Test Partners LLP

Razer hones its Blade gaming laptop with Nvidia Maxwell graphics Posted: 03 Feb 2015 08:20 AM PST Just when you thought there couldn't be anymore gaming laptops, Razer has announced a new version of its extremely thin and light 14-inch Blade. For the 2015 model, Razer has given its mobile gaming rig the Nvidia Maxwell bump with a GeForce GTX 970M graphics card with 3GB of video RAM. With the new GPU in tow, the company promises the new rig will achieve increased performance, advanced graphics technologies and improved power management. The underlying CPU is also a new 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-4720HQ, which should make this rig a smidge faster than the 2.2GHz Core i7 chip found in last year's model. The new Blade also comes with 16GB of RAM standard, doubling the amount of memory that came in the outgoing rig. Same great formula Aside from these three key components being upgraded, this new Blade closely follows the winning formula we loved about the 2014 model. It has the same 3200 x 1800 resolution indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) IPS touchscreen display. Similarly, the laptop still comes wrapped in an incredibly thin 0.7-inch precision-cut CNC aluminum chassis. Starting right now, the QHD edition of the Razer Blade is available online on Razer's online store for $2,199 (about £1464, AU$2821). For users that don't quite need anything beyond a HD screen, there's also a 1080p model available for $1,999 (about £1329, AU$2562) as well. The new cutting edge gaming laptop will also be available at brick-and-mortar and online Microsoft Stores beginning on February 16. Looking for something a little more portable? There may well be a Retina MacBook Air soon.

In Depth: Intel processors: everything you need to know Posted: 03 Feb 2015 07:43 AM PST Introduction and Core processors Not so long ago, processors were judged largely by raw clock speed alone, a measure of how many calculations the chip is capable of performing in the space of a second. As megahertz (MHz) speeds have given way to today's faster gigahertz (GHz) processors, however, there's more to consider than just how speedy a slab of silicon can be at doing math. These days, it's all about cores, which have allowed chipmakers like Intel to boost speed by splitting tasks across a number of processors living on the same die. Coupled with software designed to take advantage of multiple cores, such processors can wind up tackling intensive work faster than ever before. However, shopping for a new processor isn't quite as simple as picking the one with the fastest processor speed and the most cores, but we're here to help outline the subtle (and not-so subtle) differences before purchasing your next PC. Let's start with a bit of backstory on what Intel has to offer - but if you're just curious which processors are the fastest currently available, jump straight to the wrap-up to find out. Intel inside For the purposes of our discussion, we'll focus strictly on central processing units (CPUs) manufactured by Intel, who is considered the market leader powering the majority of Windows and Mac OS X-based systems available. (Competitor AMD typically costs less, and is therefore more commonly found on budget-priced Windows boxes.) Intel also makes processors dedicated to servers and embedded devices, as well as an increasing number of mobile devices. While these chipsets are classified in many of the same product families - familiar names like Xeon, Atom and Core i3, i5 or i7 - our focus will mostly be on the traditional desktop and notebook CPUs the company is best known for. Core i3, i5 and i7 The most popular Intel processors would be the Core "i" series, now in its fifth desktop generation with the current Broadwell code name. A successor to the Core 2 processor introduced in 2006, the "i" series is broken into three categories that could be generally classified as "good, better and best." Despite their names, Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 do not signify how many processing cores each has - rather, they are simply designations that classify how many stars Intel would assign to a given chip, based upon expected performance. (Intel abandoned the previous star rating system in favor of this numeric designation.) One of the easiest ways to categorize Intel Core processors is to look at how Apple has implemented them into its line of popular notebooks. Core i7 processors are used to power the high-end 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, while Core i5 processors are used in a variety of speeds for the less expensive 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, as well as the 11-inch and 13-inch MacBook Air models. Apple doesn't currently utilize the lower-end Core i3 processor in its notebook or desktop lineup, but plenty of Windows OEMs certainly do - if you happen to see an advertisement for a system with a price that appears too good to be true, there's a good chance it may powered by something from the Core i3 family. What's in a core? At the higher end, Core i7 was actually introduced first in 2008, with clock rates of 1.6GHz at the lower end of the spectrum, currently up to as fast as 4.4GHz. The i7 category actually breaks down into two camps: Processors that consume a more modest amount of power (45 to 130 watts) with quad cores, and those intended for desktop systems (with power consumption between 130 and 150 watts) that add hexa-core and octa-core options (more on that in a moment). The next step down is Core i5, the popular midrange processor lineup Intel first introduced in 2009. With clock speeds ranging from 1.06GHz to 3.6GHz, Core i5 chips are available in dual-core and quad-core configurations with surprisingly efficient power consumption (17 to 95 watts). Last but not least, Core i3 is somewhat of the new kid on the motherboard, introduced in 2010 as a cost-effective, dual-core option capable of between 2.4GHz and 3.7GHz. While the Core i3 may fall short in raw power, it more than makes up for that in low power consumption (between 35 and 73 watts), but generally speaking, this series will be found in budget-priced systems. Pentium: gone but not forgotten The Core lineup certainly wasn't Intel's first rodeo - far from it! The company introduced the Pentium line way back in 1993 with a meager clock rate starting at 60MHz (yes, megahertz!) and not a second core in sight until 2005, when the Pentium D/Extreme Edition (EE) served up a dual-core CPU capable of running multi-threaded applications. A year later, the first-generation Intel Core processor would be introduced, and the writing was on the wall for the Pentium lineup, which was finally phased out in 2009. Intel Core and Core 2 CPUs became a big step toward the current Core i3/i5/i7 lineup. Along the way, Intel introduced a dizzying variety of Pentium-class chips, including the MMX (1996-1999), Pentium Pro (1995-1998), Pentium II (1997-1999), Pentium III (1999-2003), Pentium 4 (2000-2008) and the Pentium M (2005-2008). The rest of the family Celeron, Atom and Xeon With all this talk about Pentium and Core processors, it's almost easy to overlook three other members of the Intel processor family. Two of them are aimed at less-expensive devices, while the third can be found in some of the most powerful desktops and workstations around. The elder member of the group is the relatively low-powered Intel Celeron, which first debuted in 1998 and eventually wound up getting a fairly bad reputation during the ill-fated "netbook" era. With clock speeds ranging from 266MHz all the way up to 3.6GHz, this single- and dual-core performer is amazingly still a member of the Intel production line, although it has largely been supplanted by the Core i3 series. More focused on energy savings than raw power, the Intel Atom line has found a home in recent years within network-attached storage (NAS) boxes as well as mobile devices, robotics and health care equipment. First introduced in 2008, the Atom line has covered the gamut of clock speeds, from 800MHz up to 2.13GHz. That leaves only the "big daddy" of Intel's processor lineup, the Xeon. Since 1998, the Xeon has been at the core of top-of-the-line PCs such as the Mac Pro, starting out with clock speeds in the 400MHz range and most recently maxing out at 4.4GHz, available in single, dual, quad, hexa and octa-core configurations. Cores to the max By now you might be wondering what all the fuss is over multiple cores. As their names might indicate, dual-core means two cores, quad-core means four, hexa-core means six and octa-core delivers a whopping eight cores for the maximum processing power around. Quad-core is increasingly becoming the norm across the board, while hexa-core and octa-core processors are reserved for the most expensive desktop systems. Generally speaking, the more cores your CPU has, the better the performance it will be capable of - although software and even the type of internal storage can have a big impact as well. (After all, solid-state flash storage is faster than traditional hard drives.) Ultimately, the number of cores will depend upon what you need to do with the system in question. Casual web browsing, email and basic productivity tasks will all perform respectably on Core i3 or even older Core 2 Duo processors, while Core i5 should be considered the absolute minimum for more artistic endeavors such as Adobe Photoshop or 3D modeling software. Hardcore gamers probably have the most to gain from Core i7 processors, although computing tasks like video encoding or editing and music creation will certainly benefit as well. More than just cores There are also other considerations when comparing processors. For many chips, Intel uses hyper threading (HT) technology that allows the processor to perform two instructions (or threads) at the same time. The result is performance that approaches that of two separate processor working in tandem. Core i7 processors all support hyper threading with a minimum of four cores, for a combined total of eight possible threads running at the same time. Coupled with a larger cache size and typically more system RAM, and it's not hard to see why Core i7 is quite popular with power users. Other technology like Intel's Turbo Boost allows the processor to dynamically ramp the clock speed up or down when needed. Turbo Boost offers a significant advantage for Core i5 chips - which all include such technology - over Core i3 processors, which do not. The fastest processors available What's in a number? It's also worth noting that not all Intel Core processor brands are the same, even if they carry the i3, i5 or i7 modifier. There's also an alphanumeric code used to describe the processor model, and each one can tell prospective buyers something about what they can expect from it. For example, an Intel Core i7-4770K model number breaks down as such: The first number after the brand modifier indicates the generation (in this case, the number four equals fourth-generation), followed by a three-digit numeric stock keeping unit (SKU) that helps differentiate each for the retailer. The processor may include one or more product line suffixes. In the above example, the trailing "K" signifies an unlocked desktop model with a CPU capable of performing to peak potential, versus other letters like S or T, which are optimized for "lifestyle" performance or power, respectively. You may have heard Intel processors also referred to by their internal code names. Although you'll rarely see them marketed that way, code names like Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge and Haswell have become part of the tech media lexicon in recent years. The code names simply refer to a newer, higher performance version of the same processor type, rather than an entirely new CPU. See you next year Much like the notebooks, desktops and mobile devices they power, Intel releases new processors on a near-annual basis, so whatever you purchase today will no longer be cutting edge a year from now. With that wisdom in mind, a notebook or desktop powered by an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 is likely to be the best investment, unless the buyer is capable of shelling out thousands of dollars for something with Xeon inside and plans to use it for several years. Rumors have been spreading that Intel plans to expand the popular Core series with something called i9, but to date the chipmaker seems content squeezing every bit of potential out of the Core i7 series, which offers the closest thing to future-proofing we're likely to get from a CPU. One last piece of advice: No matter which computer you decide on, go with the fastest processor you can afford. After all, adding more memory or swapping in a larger SSD or hard drive is relatively easy compared to replacing the CPU, an option that really only exists for those building a system from scratch anyway. Speed trio Speed curious? Here's a look at the top three fastest Intel processors powering desktop and notebook computers, ranked according to 3DMark benchmark scores. Desktop: 1. Intel Core i7-5960X (12540) 2. Intel Core i7-4960X (12480) 3. Intel Core i7-5930K (12440) Notebook: 1. Intel Core i7-4870HQ or Intel Core i7-4860HQ (8430) 2. Intel Core i7-4940MX (7170) 3. Intel Core i7-4930MX (7070)

Lumia 2520 heir could sport Snapdragon 805, 2K display Posted: 03 Feb 2015 07:28 AM PST Details of what looks to be a mainstream Windows tablet from Qualcomm has emerged on benchmarking website GFXBench. The device runs on a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC, the same chip that powers the Galaxy Note 4 or the Google Nexus 6. The latter can be clocked at up to 2.7GHz and its Adreno 420 GPU offers DirectX 11 compatibility. The tablet, which has been presented as the successor to the (Nokia) Lumia 2520, packs 64GB of onboard storage. Compared to the former, its screen resolution is bumped from full HD to 2K (2560 x 1440 pixels) and the apparent lack of onboard cameras could suggest either that this is a development platform or that OS is not ready yet. Windows 8 vs Windows RT: what's the difference? Speaking of the OS, the Windows RT that powered the Lumia 1520 has all but reached end-of-life. Microsoft confirmed that it will not update Windows RT to full Windows 10 (as it plans to do for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1). Therefore, one should expect this particular tablet to sport the new Windows 10 for ARM tablets. The rumours come soon after the announcement by Microsoft that it was ending the production of the Surface 2 and the Lumia 2520. The latter is being cleared out with the LTE version currently on sale for as little as £260. Source: NokiaPowerUser

PS4 and Xbox One rumoured to get 4K-friendly refresh later this year Posted: 03 Feb 2015 07:22 AM PST We expect it won't be too long before the Xbox One and PS4 get their inevitable refresh, and there's a good chance it could come around the time of their two year anniversaries in November 2015. Those odds are now looking even better. Netflix exec John Hunt claims that Sony "promised" a 4K-friendly version of the PS4 that he expects to "eventually" support HDR, reports The Huffington Post. Sounds like Hunt said more than he should have. Since then, Netflix has told Forbes that it isn't in a position to speak about Sony's plans, but clarified that Hunt believes that when the PS4 and Xbox One do their (expected) two-year refresh, they'll add the component for 4K video playback. Ultra HD Edition The Xbox One at it stands includes HDMI 1.4, but that's not enough to deliver uncompromised 4K - a more difficult pill to swallow after all the fanfare about Microsoft's box being a one-stop entertainment hub. Despite Sony announcing a 4K video service for the PS4 back in 2013, the console doesn't currently support the medium either. It certainly wouldn't surprise us to see a refresh around November time. Maybe someone can slim the Xbox One down a bit too? We don't know if Microsoft has noticed but it's rather hefty. Xbox One vs PS4 - which is boss?

Download of the day: Evernote Posted: 03 Feb 2015 07:00 AM PST Evernote is much more than just a note-taking app; it will help you get organised and work on your ideas and projects wherever you find yourself. Why you need it Keeping your notes, thoughts, reminders and to-do lists together and organised can be a ticky business, especially if you want to use them across multiple devices or take them with you. If that sounds like a familiar problem to you, give Evernote a try. It helps you collect useful information in the form of 'notes', which can be text excerpts, pictures, voice memos, web pages (or web page sections) or handwritten messages. With all your notes in one place, easily editable and readily shareable, organising your tasks could not be easier. One of the best features of Evernote is that your notes will work on any device. So you could create a shopping list on your home computer before leaving the house, then edit it on your phone once you get to the store. Or if inspiration strikes when you're away from your computer, you can create a note then refine your thoughts when you get home. This functionality makes for a seamless experience where you can create and edit your notes wherever you are. The standard version of Evernote is completely free, but there are Business and Premium versions should you need more. These give you extra functionality, such as a presentation mode to convert your notes into slides, PDF editing, extended sharing features and more. Key features Works on: PC Versions: Free, Premium (£4 per month), Business (£8 per user per month) Collect your thoughts: Whether you want to store a web page, a photograph, a written note or something else, Evernote can keep it all for you Edit anywhere: Evernote's cross-functionality means you're not limited to using your notes on just one device; create a note on your computer and continue your work on your phone, should you wish Take it further: The Premium and Business versions have even more features should you want to go further with Evernote You'll also like Wunderlist TeamViewer LibreOffice OpenOffice XMind

Interview: How Intel is bringing adaptive learning to the classroom Posted: 03 Feb 2015 06:55 AM PST In the Kno Intel acquired California-based education-focused started startup Kno in November 2013. Since then, the company has developed the multi-device platform of the same name in a bid to improve teacher performance, foster student engagement and drive learning success in the classroom. John Galvin, vice president and general manager at Intel Education, says that the philosophy of the team spearheading Kno harks back to Intel founders Gordon Moore and Robert Noyce, who placed education high on the company's agenda from the start. Intel is now using Kno to faciliate adaptive learning in the classoom, using analytics to measure student performance and engagement in a way that allows them to select topics that they are interested in. It has also launched the Intel Education Access Point, an enterprise-grade router designed to provide connectivity to student and teacher devices both inside the clasroom and out thanks to 3G support. TechRadar Pro spoke to Galvin at the BETT 2015 expo to find out more. TechRadar Pro: Why is education a big deal for Intel? John Galvin: The team we have working on education goes back to our founders -- Gordon Moore and Rober Noyce -- who felt that education was important. Part of what we do as a manufacturer is crazy hard so it's in our best interest to teach people science and math and critical thinking skills. It's also become as much a social endeavour for us, investing in our communities that we go into. Over the past ten years as a company Intel has invested about a billion dollars in education. That's not just pure dollars - that's putting time, equipment and going in working and training teachers. That's really how do you transform education. Three years ago I looked at what we were doing and what was happening in education, and felt it was time for us to make a big change. Education was starting to go through a transformation. It wasn't just about bringing computers and technology into classrooms, it was also how they were being used. Teachers were essentially incorporating computers into a full day's lesson plan and encouraging students to go out and search for information rather than what had been happening before that, which was put your tablet or notebook away -- the "lids down" story. TRP: Tell us about Intel's education team and how it's encouraging the use of tech in the classroom. JG: We formed an entirely new team which is the only vertically integrated team at Intel. We work on multiple verticals at Intel but that's typically from a sales focus and how we deliver products as part of a solution. We take much more of a holistic solution approach that's end-to-end. We design devices for use within a classroom that are ruggedised, water resistant, dust resistant and can stand up to student use every day over the course of a few years. We work on applications to be able to make that into an education experience -- so scientific applications, reading, writing and arithmetic. About a year ago we acquired a company called Kno, which allows us to deliver a digital curriculum. We also work with the publishers to be able to deliver the content in a very meaningful way. Teachers can control the content going out to devices and have the ability to take a flat PDF and work with the publisher to make it a very rich and engaging application. Kno also has an analytics platform so we can capture about two-hundred data points about the student, how they can engage with the data, and then map that to their assessment results. It means that the teacher can essentially get a real-time dashboard about how students are performing and do essentially real-time remediation that's required, or advance students based on what they're fascinated with, so it's a very different approach for us. The final aspect is how we prepare the teachers for technology coming into the classrooms. As a company we've trained over 14 billion teachers around the world, and we continue to train and engage with them and help them develop their digital lesson plans. TRP: Is Kno platform cloud-based? JG: It can be, but that's not how we use it because a lot of schools that we work with don't have great connectivity. Even in the UK, when you get to a classroom, there's not necessarily connectivity there for 30 or more students to access content and have a good experience. We support cloud and advise schools on how to implement a cloud architecture, and we work very closely with Google on Chromebooks and are a big supporter of them. We developed a Chromebook ourselves that Lenovo is taking to market. Most of the applications are designed to be able to work in an environment where there's either low or no connectivity. That's one of the three areas we're really focused on. We recently announced the Intel Education Content Access Point, and it's really three devices in one. This was based on an ideation session we did around a year-and-a-half to two years ago now, where we recognised that in emerging markets there's really no connectivity, but in mature markets it's low connectivity. Although there are lots of access points that are being used in education, often schools won't put in an enterprise access point, they'll put in consumer access points that can't withstand all of those students trying to get information at the same time. So we designed an access point that will handle fifty or more students, and there's also storage in the device. If a teacher has set up their curriculum where they're going to tell their students to go after a piece of content, they don't have to go out to the internet. They can just go out to this device. It's going to look and feel to them like they're going to go out to the internet to get it, but in fact they're just getting it off a local device. It has 3G integrated, so when we're going into this no-connectivity markets, teachers can use 3G to download the content into the device, and it has six hours of battery life. TRP: Was the plan to always push it into developed markets? JG: When we developed it, we saw it predominantly going into emerging markets, but as we pilot it and talk to teachers, we found that mature markets want the device too. I've been talking to a teacher who has been talking about her science classes and school district, and more and more are doing studies outdoors, so they're taking their science classes outside. She said that she took the access point with her and students could access everything they needed for a true outdoor classroom. Adapting to learn TRP: How are you building out your adaptive learning platform? JG: Another focus area for us with Kno is the analytics engine, which allows us to build out a model where we're not just capturing behavioural data, as we can do that today -- we're also integrating assessment within the platform in real-time allowing us to essentially build a true understanding of the student and how they engage with the material. That means a student can get instant feedback. TRP: How does that change the way students are taught? JG: We all have things we're fascinated by, and the way a lot of courses are created today, you don't get to pursue your fascination -- you have to move with the class at that pace. We think there's a model where if students can pursue the things they're fascinated by, they're going to excel and do better. TRP: That's what happens at A-level education in the UK -- you pick several topics and study them. Does this apply to lower age groups? JG: Yes -- we are talking younger students and in real-time. So it's not necessarily picking a course to study. For example, I could be studying cellular structure and think it's really cool and want to learn more about it. How do I go down a path where I can get more information on it, where I can essentially turn the camera on my device into a microscope and start capturing things in real-time? We think that there's a benefit to being able to create an environment where students are able to pursue what they're interested in and are getting real-time feedback on things they may not be able to demonstrate real-time comprehension on. You can then get a view of that information in a different way. That's activating it for the student but also providing tools for teachers and younger students, while providing tools for parents so they can work with their children and help coach and bring them along. TRP: What other companies are you competing with in the adaptive learning space? JG: We have looked across the ecosystem and of the players who want to work in the adaptive learning space, nobody has completely put together a roadmap today that demonstrated they are able to do it. We know from putting our own roadmap together that's not something we can do on our own. We have to work across the ecosystem to do that, working on standards, so it doesn't matter which publisher is involved -- the student should have the same experience across all of their material. It's also about working with software vendors. The adaptive learning model isn't just about interacting with the content, it's also about what you're doing when you're going out and Googling the information. What are you Googling, and how does it relate to what you're studying at the time? It's an area that we're pretty excited about. We've been working with academics in the US who have done some amazing work in this area. Now the ability to take what they've been doing in their labs and bringing it into a product is pretty exciting to them. We're working with a couple of universities -- the University of Washington has done some amazing things around adaptive learning on mathematics specifically. We've also been running pilots in the Nordics in the state of Minnesota and Washington. We're now talking about taking them to countries where we've done some really big installations. I think we're going to have some incredibly interesting results that we'll be able to scale around the world -- and we're just getting started. TRP: Devices in general but specifically Windows 8 tablets have been falling in price in the consumer space. How is this changing the way technology is used in the classroom? JG: That's impacting education for sure. The prices are coming down which is a good thing for students because budgets within schools aren't growing, so as price points come down it means more students can get devices, and what we envision as a one-to-one learning model with every student having their own computing device becomes more possible. But there is a threshold -- we've seen examples around the world where schools have bought incredibly low-cost devices and it's just not made for a good experience. The devices didn't hold up as they were designed more for light consumer use rather than being used all day within the classroom. That's why when we design devices and work with our customers on designs, they're rugged designs. They can withstand the seventy-centimetre drop test, you can pour a glass of water on them. They hold up much better than an average consumer device. We're big proponents of let's bring the price down so more students can get them, but let's not propose that devices are so low it won't be a good experience. TRP: What are some of the biggest challenges for Intel when it comes to succeeding in the UK education market? JG: I think one of the challenges in the UK is the way that it's structured -- it's a very decentralised market which means that we need to influence school-by-school in terms of what they're going to purchase. We partner quite a bit withb multinationals and are starting to work more with distributors and key education resellers so that we can really get the scale and share our solution story at a school level. Globally, we're trying to talk to teachers more and influence them in regards to other solutions that we offer. I think if we're successful doing that, then it solves a big problem in the UK as we're able to get to teachers who influence the purchasing decisions in their schools.

Industry voice: The emerging market smartphone war: who will be the ultimate winner? Posted: 03 Feb 2015 06:00 AM PST The biggest growth in smartphone penetration is in emerging markets, as recent earnings announcements attest. Apple has seen major success in China of late, the world's biggest and fastest growing smartphone market. Through Cupertino's partnership with a local, and incidentally the world's largest, mobile operator, it was able to make actual steps towards global dominance, seeing the world as round instead of flat and taking into account the emerging markets, as well as the West. Now other handset manufacturers need to start following suit by partnering with local operators, as a middle-of-the-road strategy is no longer effective. We have seen this with the former king of the emerging markets, Samsung, with its strategy of providing a range of devices at different price points in these regions failing to deliver a good return on investment. Local competition Local competitors like Xiaomi and Micromax (in China and India respectively) that didn't pose a threat in the early days are now the dark horses that are biting at the bit more eagerly than their veteran counterparts. For a start, they have three key ingredients: they have localised content, affordable devices and a loyal customer base. Our study, The Next Mobile Frontier, that we conducted with Ovum last year showed that 76% of smartphone buyers in China, India, Vietnam, Nigeria and Brazil consider whether content is familiar and easy to understand when buying a device. Also, 78% consider whether it is in a language they understand and 74% look for a payment method that is accessible. As well as providing a range of affordable devices, this helps to highlight why Xiaomi has done so well – through its localised MIUI software features and services. We know that Apple is high on people's wish-lists around the world and the iPhone 6 certainly hasn't done it any harm in that respect. In our study, Apple was crowned most coveted mobile brand in Brazil, Nigeria, India, Vietnam and China. Mobile users in these regions put Apple at the top spot with almost a third (32%) wanting to buy a device from the brand. Samsung was still very much in the running though, coming a very close second with 29% of the vote. Brand aspiration is clearly a deal maker for many smartphone buyers. 70% of consumers polled also stated that global brands offer the best content in the market, tending to keep users up-to-date with the latest developments. Samsung squeeze Samsung, it would seem, is occupying an increasingly squeezed middle ground – it's being priced out of the market at the lower end and looked over in favour of Apple devices where affordability isn't an issue, and the company will have to fight it out with the rest of the competition. Holding onto that second place is going to be tough in 2015, especially with last year's release of budget devices operating on the Android One platform from Google. One strategy that Samsung could adopt is making more culturally relevant and desired mobile content. We know that Google Play is currently the most-used app store and Samsung could capitalise on this by creating not only popular entertainment apps but apps that are wanted in emerging markets, such as apps based around health and education. Mobile content and applications we have worked on which have been very successful include health alerts in Nigeria and English lessons in Brazil. Understanding your audience is key and Google is really taking that next step by thinking about how feature phone users all over the world can update their device in order to affordably and reliably access the internet. Apple Pay And of course we can't forget the influence of Apple Pay – in the short-term, this could revolutionise the mobile payments scene in the West, but if Apple puts the right framework in place, the system could overcome a large barrier for smartphone users in emerging markets. Many smartphone users can't currently pay for mobile content because they don't have a credit card. In our study, we found that the preferred way to purchase mobile content for nearly half of Nigerian consumers was through their mobile operator by pay as you go. If Apple extends the technology not only to credit card companies but also to mobile operators, it could crack the code of mobile payments on a global scale. At any rate, it will certainly be very interesting to see the positions of global players and local competitors in the year ahead, to see who is paying attention to these very important audiences in the smartphone market. Marco Veremis is CEO and founder of Upstream

Blip: We need to talk about HTC's rap video Posted: 03 Feb 2015 05:24 AM PST HTC has made a rap video. Don't ask us why, don't ask us who thought it was a good idea. It's called 'Hold the Crown' and features the lines "We own the universe, your galaxy is overrated" and "Word to Peter Chou". We tried to put our feelings into words but those words don't exist. So we'll let the commenters do the talking for us: YouTube : www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvjDtaCkacQ Then you can watch this and cringe for eternity. More blips! Break down some funky beats in the blips. Six million years of evolution have brought us to the Super Gorone Desk Someone has invented the belfie stick - has science gone too far? Fetch! Dog runs with help of 3D-printed prosthetics

In Depth: The best smartphones 2015: Samsung Galaxy S6, iPhone 6S and more Posted: 03 Feb 2015 04:48 AM PST 10 phones we're looking forward to in 2015 Mobile phone line-ups are a little like Hollywood movie franchises, and by now we have a pretty good idea of what we should be expecting to see over the next 12 months: all the big players will be producing sequels to their blockbusters of 2014 and we can look forward to better photos, faster performance and lighter handsets across the board. What's the top choice right now? The current best smartphones - 2015 edition With the HTC One M8, the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus, the Nexus 6, the Galaxy S5 and many others we've been spoiled over the last year, but there's always room for improvement: QHD displays, DSLR-quality cameras, high-end audio, 4K video and the Snapdragon 810 should make 2015 a year to remember for smartphone buyers. 1. HTC One M9 Predicted release date: March 1 We like the sound of a rumoured partnership between Bose and HTC to bring even better audio to the HTC One M9 than the M8 had, as well as the obligatory upgrades to processing power, memory and display resolution (up to 2560 x 1440 pixels no less). Android phones are still looking for the magic formula as far as high-quality camera optics are concerned, but HTC is a good a bet as anyone to get it right. Hopefully the M9 will build on the progress made with the M8 and finally give the iPhone something to think about in the photography department. We should find out soon as HTC is holding a press event on March 1. 2. Samsung Galaxy S6 Predicted release date: March 1 Both the high specs of the Galaxy S5 and the premium style of the Alpha point to where Samsung is going to be heading with the Galaxy S6: its most powerful, best-looking phone yet, (with an all-new look if Project Zero is anything to go by) and that's worth getting excited about. We're hoping for a thin, curved, all-metal chassis, a resolution boost for the screen and perhaps the overlapping display trick we saw with the Galaxy Note Edge. A 64-bit CPU and Android Lollipop should both make their way into Samsung's next flagship phone too. Like HTC, Samsung is holding a press event on March 1, so stay tuned. 3. iPhone 6S/7 Predicted release date: September 2015 You can usually set your watch by Apple's annual iPhone refresh, and 2015 should be no different with the release of the iPhone 6S/7, though there is some talk that it could be here as soon as spring. Whenever it arrives we hope Apple ditches the 'S' naming system and introduces super-strong sapphire glass as well as applying the usual specs bump. The refreshed 2014 design is unlikely to change significantly in 2015, but there are early rumours of a major camera upgrade in the pipeline that will bring DSLR-like quality to the iPhone's snaps — if they're true, we're looking forward to seeing it in practice. 4. LG G4 Predicted release date: May 2015 The LG G3 impressed us a great deal but we still want more from the LG G4. The rumoured reduction in screen size to 5.3 inches would make handling it a touch easier and we might even see the bendable technology that LG has used on the LG G Flex 2. The 20.7MP camera upgrade we've heard rumours about would be most welcome and we want to see an improvement in the chassis design too: how about a metal casing, LG? And better battery performance while you're at it. While nothing is set in stone our best guess for a release date is May, given LG's past form. 5. Sony Xperia Z4 Predicted release date: March 2015 There's a lot riding on the Xperia Z4 for Sony, which we're likely to see at MWC at the beginning of March, though there's a chance that we won't see it until the summer. A super-fast processor and a camera upgrade are the order of the day but Sony needs to create a big splash if it's to make a dent in terms of market sales. Of course we'd like to see the 4K video recording feature actually work this time around, while a QHD display is the logical next step up for the screen. The hardware design is due a refresh, too: would smaller bezels, a more svelte form and rounded corners be too much to ask? 6. Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Predicted release date: October 2015 Will the Note 5 be Samsung's first device to sport a 4K UHD display? We wouldn't complain at a 2160 x 3840 pixel resolution or a 746ppi density rating, even if we have to wait until October to get our hands on it. With the line between phones and phablets becoming more and more blurred, the Galaxy Note 5 will need to do something special to stand out. Be prepared for a 6-inch display and an even better version of the S Pen stylus. 7. The new Nexus Predicted release date: October 2015 Where does Google take the Nexus smartphone next (if indeed it takes it anywhere at all)? It can't use the Nexus 7 name for one thing, and it needs to overcome the supply problems that have dogged the Nexus 6. Lollipop is a mobile OS that looks good and works well so its successor should also hit the mark, and as for the hardware we'd like to see something that can be used easily in one hand — and how about a fingerprint scanner too? If past releases are anything to go by you should keep an eye out for it in October. 8. Microsoft Lumia 1030 Predicted release date: September 2015 We've been waiting for a successor to the Lumia 1020 since 2013 and in that time Microsoft has taken over the reins from Nokia. A leaked image we saw earlier this month suggests the wait might finally be over sometime this year- but not until the second half, at least. If the rumoured Lumia 1030 is actually a real device then the star of the show is likely to be its 50MP camera. A snapper of that quality with the Lumia technology behind it might even be worth switching to Windows Phone for, especially since that itself is undergoing some major changes as it becomes Windows 10. 9. Moto X+2 Predicted release date: September 2015 We've only quite recently been treated to a revamped Moto X (originally known as the X+1) so the next version is still some way off. It's a great handset though, and this year's model stands a good chance of stealing some of the Nexus market. What we really want to see is more of the same from Motorola: clever features like Active Display, competitive pricing, a stand-out screen and some internal improvements would be just the job, with more customisation options as well. 10. OnePlus 2 Predicted release date: July - September 2015 We don't know much about the OnePlus 2 but the signs are that it will retain the same low price level as its predecessor, which instantly puts it high on our watch list — a more straightforward buying procedure would be a big improvement, of course. The OnePlus One delivered high-end specs at a budget price and we'd expect that formula to continue with the 2015 model. One upgrade we can predict is the arrival of Android 5.0 Lollipop to the OnePlus line-up, albeit with a new OxygenOS ROM, which should make it more appealing than ever. We might have a while to wait for it though, as the release has been pushed back to the third quarter, so expect it sometime between July and September.

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