IT-Code-News: IT News Head Lines (Techradar) 18/08/2015

IBM debuts LinuxONE mainframe for all enterprises

IBM has announced a new Linux-only mainframe aimed at both ends of the enterprise market and committed to bringing even more to the open source community.
The new mainframe is led by two servers called LinuxONE that are billed as the "world's most advanced Linux system" and possess the fastest processor in the industry in order to handle the new application economy and hybrid cloud era.
LinuxONE Emperor, at the top of the range, is based on IBM z13 and can scale up to a whopping 8,000 virtual machines or thousands of containers whilst at the same time offering the security and advanced encryption features needed by enterprises both now and in the future. LinuxONE Rockhopper, on the other hand, is an entry level offering geared towards clients that want the speed, security and availability benefits of the mainframe but in a smaller package.
Just as exciting as the two new servers is the unprecedented access it is giving the developer community to its technology. As part of the Linux Foundation's 'Open Mainframe Project' it has contributed some 500,000 lines of code including code related to IT predictive analytics that are on the look out for unusual system behaviour to stop issues becoming failures.

Virtualisation doesn't miss out

The access to technology doesn't end there. The LinuxONE Developer Cloud has also been created to act as a virtual R&D engine for creating, testing and piloting of emerging applications such as links to engagement systems, mobile apps and hybrid cloud apps.
In addition to all this, it has enabled LinuxONE to be provisioned as a virtual machine using the open standards-based KVM hypervisors and for any business that likes the sound of what IBM is doing will be happy to know both LinuxONE systems are available from today.

Sony turns to the Dark Side with Darth Vader edition PS4

There's been an abundance of Star Wars announcements out of Disney's D23 expo this past weekend, but only one on the gaming side of things – Sony is bringing out a Darth Vader-themed PS4 console in time for the release of the hugely anticipated game, Star Wars: Battlefront.
The 1TB console features a fully-customised chassis emblazoned with Darth Vader's visage and the Star Wars logo, as well as a uniquely styled DualShock 4 controller that features a red directional pad, grey thumbsticks and a mix of grey and red face buttons and red and blue shoulder buttons.
The Darth Vader PS4 will come in two bundle variations – one comes with a copy of the Star Wars: Battlefront game, while the other, which is exclusive to Walmart customers in the United States, comes with the Saga Starter Pack edition of Disney Infinity 3.0.
Perhaps the most exciting aspect of this console announcement, is that each bundle will come with a voucher to download a set of Star Wars Classics – Super Star Wars, Star Wars: Racer Revenge, Jedi Starfighter, and Star Wars Bounty Hunter, all reworked to play on PlayStation 4.
The Darth Vader edition PS4 will be available on November 17 in the U.S. and November 19 in Australia and the U.K.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRYsWfVJido&feature=youtu.be

Star Wars: Battlefront release date, news and trailers

Aussie banks don't want to share their profits with Apple Pay

When Apple Pay launched last year, it was widely expected that an Australian launch would follow quickly, thanks to the prevalence of NFC-enabled payment options in retailers around the country.
But fast forward to today and Apple Pay is nowhere to be seen, despite our advanced payments infrastructure. It turns out that like so many things, the sticking point isn't about tech, but about money.
A new report in the AFR claims that Australia's big four banks are resisting the launch of Apple Pay in Australia due to an inability to agree to how much the Cupertino firm would make from each iTransaction.

Crunching the numbers

According to the AFR report, Apple currently earns about 15 cents for every $100 spent in the US, and that's a rate it wants to maintain here in Australia.
The issue is that the US banks generally make about $1 of profit for every $100 spent, so sharing 15 cents isn't that big a deal. In Australia, banks only make about 50c per $100, so giving up 30 per cent of their profit to Apple is a sticking point.
What makes things even more problematic is the fact that the Reserve Bank in Australia wants to drive down that 50 cents per $100 down to about 30 cents, which would further erode their profits.

iHope

It's not all bad news though. The recent launch of Apple Pay in the UK reportedly saw British financial institutions drive down the arrangement with Apple to a few pence per £100, so there's precedent for Apple to negotiate.
Out of Australia's banks, the AFR claims that NAB appears to be closest to signing a deal with Apple, although there's a good chance a smaller bank will sign off first and use the ability to pay with an iPhone 6 or Apple Watch as a marketing play.

Want to know what you're missing? Read our Apple Pay review

Unofficial renderings show what to expect from the new Nexus 6

At this stage it's probably easier to list what we don't know about the new Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 devices. Another detailed rendering job by uSwitch and @OnLeaks provides us with a very good look at the larger flagship.
This is on the back of a Nexus 5 gallery released by the same team on Friday. Again, the renderings are based on blueprints given to manufacturers interested in making accessories for the phone.
Huawei Nexus 6 rendering

These pictures use some guesswork when it comes to the colour, so the finished Nexus 6 may not look so light and white, and while the images depict a 5.7-inch handset there are rumours that a 5.5-inch version is in the pipeline as well.

Leak easy

As with the Nexus 5, the Nexus 6 sports a fingerprint sensor around the back, USB Type-C connectivity and dual speakers around the front. The case is said to be an all-metal affair but that's yet to be confirmed.
A couple of weeks ago we got another good look at the Huawei-made phone, again from @OnLeaks aka Steve Hemmerstoffer. Based on the speculation so far, we're expecting a 21MP camera, wireless charging, and a QHD (1440 x 2560 pixel) screen.
The Nexus 6 should be the bigger and more expensive of the two phones released by Google and its partners in October or November, and they should drop at the same time as Android M.

Huawei's Nexus will come with an Android app store for China

10 best tech gadgets to make your camping trip tech-tacular

Top 10 Tech Gadgets to Take With You

People who picnic, camp or glamp tend to fall into two categories – happy-go-lucky souls who buy dubious tech during Little Chef stopovers, and those who plan their tech needs like the SAS. As far as we're concerned, to fail to plan is to plan to fail, so check out our five essential pieces of kit so you're not caught short while 'enjoying yourself.'

Mother, I'm so, so cold...

If you're camping in Blighty, you need to assume a weather spectrum that takes in near-arctic conditions.
The Redwood Portable Gas Heater runs off gas canisters, keeping it nice and simple. Its pleasing, retro look will actively attract marshmallows and chestnuts for toasting.
Redwood Camping Gas Heater

The current price tag, around £40/$60 USD/AUS$82, seems fair exchange for the shivers.

Give me my blanket

We love this LED picnic blanket, which was pimped from various odds and sods available from any DIY store. It makes us feel like we could al-fresco dine without falling into a rocky crevice and having a '127 hours' experience.
DIY camping blanket

Pimp a few and they'll be ideal for spelling out 'help' on the ground if you get into trouble.

Chow down

Can we marry this? Would that be wrong? Not only does the Bio Lite Camp Stove look like it's waiting for a go no-go for take-off, but it will also charge smartphones, headlamps and LED lights, thus bordering on genius.
It burns only wood, so fuel is free if you're foraging, and 46g of wood will boil about a litre of water.
Camping Stove

It's got quite a price tag of £125/$130.95 (around AUS$177.94) which is a little bit of a drag, but if a thing's worth doing it's worth doing well.

Sang froid

No one wants hot sandwiches, ever, unless they're properly toasted, which is completely different. The Dometic CDF-11 Smallest Portable Fridge Freezer plugs into a 12V car socket offering a cooling range of +10C to -18C and a 10.5L capacity.
Its optimised absorption technology also means quiet operation, which will be a welcome change from at least one member of your camping group.

This one wields a heftier RRP at around £330/$515/AUS$699, but buy it for the excursion and you're also sorted for the zombie apocalypse.

Last resting place

Make no mistake, if you're roughing it in the outback, or as close as you can get to Area 51, soon you'll yearn for a congenial platform upon which to rest.
Besides, you could get sand or snakes in your tech by sitting on the ground. Cue this little beaut – the Intex Inflatable Corner Sofa.
Camping Inflatable Sofa

Fast-up tech means you won't double the size of your inflating limb, while a handy corner design means a friend can even chill with you.
Find it online for around £77/$120/AUS$177 and kick back in style.

I can see you

Tech and bodies of water rarely mix, the exception being Seawolf class hunter-killer submarines. Indeed, one of the key lessons of any survival outdoors movie is that you have to be able to navigate rivers without losing your kit.
Think about it – last thing you want is any real-life repeat of Deliverance. So, we'd reach for an MPOWERD Inflatable Solar Lantern.
Lightweight, waterproof, shatterproof and rechargeable, it has three settings including a high viz emergency 'flasher'. Giggle. Which is obviously also ideal for tent raves.
LED Camping Lantern

Priced at around the £10/$15/AUS$20 mark, we reckon it's a steal.

Water...water...

Given that the average human will start to die after three days without water, it makes sense to ensure you're sip-tastic for the duration of your camping jaunt.
Just saying, people. So, grab your Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System, fill each bag from the dirty puddle on the ground and squeeze clean water out through the clever filter device. Now that's tech that could save your life.
Camping Water Filtration

Amounts range from a 16-ounze to a 64-ounze pouch, and you can easily find them online.

Can you smell my armpits?

If you have to ask, the answer is probably 'yes'. To avoid being zipped out of your tent by angry people covering their noses, smart campers will pack the NEMO Helio Pressure Shower, which uses solar power to give you a warm, high- pressured dose of happiness.
Not only that, but lovely tech means it can sit on the ground and still deliver the pressure you'll need to clean your gear, wash dishes or de-scum fellow campers.
Camping Shower

We think the price of around £65/$100/AUS$135 is a fair one for this practical luxury.

Master and commander

Sailing and camping are great shipmates – but we all know people who should never be trusted with a map, let alone a marine chart. It's all good, because Garmin has made quatix - a GPS-enabled marine navigation watch that leaves your hands free to point when you see land, or push anyone overboard who's trying to nick it from you.
Tactical tech includes auto-calibrating altimeter, three- axis compass, temperature sensor – plus a full deck of sailing features including a virtual starting line and tack assist.
Camping Sports Watch - Garmin

You can pick one up for around £200/$300, which isn't cheap, but it'll make you look and feel like James Bond, so it's money well spent, obviously.

YouTube hit

One of the main reasons to go camping is to film wild cats and put them on YouTube, but without the right tech, you won't see a whisker. These Sony DEV-50 Digital Recording Binoculars should do the trick. Not only do they offer 25x magnification and image stabilisation, but you can record in full HD and 3D modes.
Camping Binoculars

They don't come cheap, so probably more one for the aspiring David Attenboroughs.
Still, you could make that back, and more, if you capture Bigfoot.

5 Things to help you unplug this weekend

Happy Birthday Internet Explorer!

Introduction

When you think of the history of the internet, Microsoft's iconic Internet Explorer browser is never far away and it was with a heavy heart that Redmond finally decided to put the program out to pasture when Windows 10 arrived.
It has gone from hero to zero to…well…it's a respectful browser these days and it's not farfetched to say that the internet wouldn't be what it is today without the browser. That's not to say there's not been controversy, court cases and more over the years, as there has, and the software still rankles with any hardcore Netscape Navigator fans.
What follows is a look back at the tumultuous 20 years that Microsoft's first entry into the online market has enjoyed.

1995

IE1 kicked things off in typical grey style

August 16, 1995 was the date when Microsoft pulled the covers off Internet Explorer 1 as part of the 'Internet Jumpstart Kit' that was included as part of Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95. Famously, IE1 was barely a Microsoft product at all. It grew out of a version of Mosiac that was licensed from Spyglass and this caused controversy due to an agreement stating Microsoft had to pay royalties for every copy sold. This obviously amounted to nothing due to the fact it was given away for free.
It wasn't long until IE2 was out, November 22, 1995 to be exact, and with that came the groundbreaking addition of browser cookies (yes, we can hear you groaning!). IE2 also included support for SSL and those nostalgic internet newsgroups of yesteryear, plus it was the first version of the browser that supported multiple operating systems. This translated into the release for the Macintosh in 1996 and it was even available for Windows 3.1.

1996

IE's feverish release schedule kicked up another notch in 1996 with IE3 arriving for Windows on August 13, 1996, a little less than a year after the first version was released. It added a range of new features such as Internet Mail and News 1.0, Windows Address Book, ActiveX, frames, support for Netscape plugins, and Jscript. It eventually also gained Windows Media Player integration and was a browser that started to look like the modern versions of IE we've gotten used to. IE3 was also significant in that it was the first developed without the Spyglass source code.

1997-1998

Internet Explorer kicked off 1997 in court when a lawsuit brought by Spyglass concerning those fishy royalty payments ended in January with an $8 million settlement. Later that year IE4 rolled off the production line and was another to court considerable controversy, which we'll revisit later on.
It was around now the first much-publicised browser war against Netscape kicked off. At the time of IE4's release, Netscape Navigator had a 72% share of the browser market compared to Microsoft's paltry 18%. This was not to be the case for long though. EWS browser stats show that by the end of 1998 IE had 50.43% compared to Netscape Navigator's 46.87% and that trend continued almost completely unabated.

1999-2000

Back when PC mag books were still a thing...a big thing!

Internet Explorer 4 had turned the tide thanks to its inclusion for free with Windows and upon its released in March 1999, IE5 was similarly ingrained inside Windows 98 and gave Microsoft an almost unassailable position atop the browser market. It was one of the final versions that included a useful compatibility mode that enabled IE4 to be run alongside IE5.
Going back to IE4, halfway through 1999 a court case brought by the United States found that Microsoft had abused its position as a monopoly to effectively push Netscape's Navigator out of the browser market. The decision was that Microsoft should be broken up into two companies - a ruling that was eventually overturned.

2001-2005

When Internet Explorer 6 arrived in August 2001, the challenge from Netscape Navigator had all but evaporated and with the internet becoming an even more multi-faceted beast, the first popup blocker arrived in a version of IE. Microsoft then reached a point where it owned 95% of the market. This was terrible news for innovation as it simply didn't release anything of note until IE7 in 2006.
By 2004 things were getting a bit stale on the IE front with the only release of note coming in the shape of IE 6 Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista a year earlier. The Mozilla Foundation changed all that when it released the first full version of Firefox in November 2004 and browser wars part two was on.
This time, however, Microsoft was on the receiving end of heavy losses in the market share department and before long it was time to get IE7 out there to try to remedy things.

2006-2007

In the face of competition, Microsoft pushed out IE7 in October 2006 and at the same time welcomed all manner of innovations like tabbed browsing, a search bar, phishing filter and more. The problem with that? Firefox and Opera already had those features and users were in no mood to switch back over and so began its worst decline in terms of usage share among browsers.
Microsoft made another slight boob by only offering IE7 to genuine Windows users and in the face of very poor adoption among the masses it was made available to all Windows users in October 2007

2008-2009

With the release of Google's uber-popular Chrome browser in December 2008, Microsoft's Internet Explorer 8 had to be good but when it came out inside Windows 7 in March 2009 there were still a fair few complaints. Two years in the making, it included a range of new enhancements yet still flunked when it came to performance against competing browsers and scored a shocking 24/100 in the Acid3 test.
Even so, it still achieved some impressive adoption figures, which had more to do with the fact it came as part of Windows 7 than anything else.

2010-2011

With competition still rampant in the browser sector, IE9 arrived on March 14, 2011 along with the caveat that it would not support Windows XP, an OS that even after its end-of-life in 2014 remains popular.
Much like IE7 the "new" features included many that were already a part of the package offered up by competitors like Chrome and Firefox. It was also one of the first to include HTML5 support and Microsoft overhauled the user interface so that it included new features like pinned sites that were designed to embrace the apps era.

2012-2013

IE10: the penultimate version of the browser

The penultimate version of Internet Explorer, IE10, was released in August 2012 as part of the doomed Windows 8 OS and as such will forever be linked to the disastrous touchscreen interface that has been largely shelved since. It did have a newly designed version of Adobe Flash Player that was meant to save of battery and the user interface of the 'Metro' version was a huge departure from IE9.
Speedy release cycles were becoming the norm when IE 11 first saw the light of day on 17 October 2013 and at the time we were none the wiser that this would be the final version of IE before it became Edge. IE 11 even shipped with Windows 10 after all and Net Applications figures show that at a 26.9% market share it is the most popular browser out there.

2014-2015

Sadly for IE, Edge really is a game changer.

Microsoft confirmed the impending death of Internet Explorer in March 2015 when they announced that the age-old browser would no longer be the number one going forward. The replacement, which finally gained its Edge moniker later on in the year, was originally called Spartan and will carry the torch from now on.
Given that so many people still use outdated versions of Windows and IE is the only option for them, IE won't die out just yet and will live to see its 21st birthday and probably even more anniversaries beyond that.

Google starts the guessing for the official name of Android M

Trying to guess the name of the next version of Android is a fun game to play while you're twiddling your thumbs waiting for it to arrive. Last year Android L became Android Lollipop in mid-October, and the timing should be similar this year as well.
A new promotional video from Googlers Nat and Lo has some fun with the idea and gives us a sneak preview of the new Android statue at the same time - as usual the giant robot will get a spot on the front lawn of Google HQ.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFu7g6mxq0A
Moon pie? Malt ball? Marshmallow? Macaroon? Muffin? Milkshake? These are all possibilities put forward by the clip. Considering Google signed a deal with KitKat not too long ago, M&Ms could be an interesting shout.

Dropping soon

The video says Android M is "about to drop" and "almost here" so we shouldn't have too long to wait before we find out for sure. New Nexus smartphones are expected to arrive at the same time.
The dessert and confectionery names previously picked by Google are Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat and Lollipop. Any clues there?
Among the features in the next-generation mobile OS you'll find support for Android's version of Touch ID, better battery life management, improved permissions settings for apps and a smarter Google Now.

The best Android M feature is Google Now on Tap

10 next-gen tech trends you should know about

Introduction

Do you know your C-RAN from your SON, your WiGig from your Bluetooth Low Energy and your MirrorLink from your machine learning? If you don't, then you soon will after you've finished browsing through this slideshow.
So dive in and educate yourself concerning ten tech trends that get little attention, but are already having a big impact.

Also check out: 5 trends set to shape computing in 2015

Device-to-device communications (D2D)

Smartphones are about to become nodes in the network. Often called D2D or 'proximity services', device-to-device communications is self-explanatory – and completely revolutionary. In a way it's odd that the walkie talkie was replaced by cell phones that can't communicate directly with one another, but the regression race is on.
D2D is designed to take the strain from cellular networks by kicking in when technically possible – send an email, a photo or a video to your pal nearby and that data will go via Bluetooth Low Energy (a tech we'll cover later on) or Wi-Fi Direct, and not via a cellular tower.
Qualcomm's LTE Direct tech even allows smartphones to talk to each other at a distance of 500m. The endgame? No more cell towers.

Machine Learning

It's pattern recognition, it's statistical learning, it's predicting the future, it's artificial intelligence, and it's hot stuff in modern computer science. Although it gets complicated, a simple definition of machine learning is when computers take the initiative with no input from humans. Well not much – the algorithms that inform the computer's choices must first be dreamed up by data scientists since computers have no generalised analytical ability whatsoever.
Machine learning is used by Siri, Cortana and Echo, by email spam filters, search engines, face recognition, speech recognition, and all kinds of recommendation software. Its next home? The smart car, with machine learning tools for the layman after that.

C-RAN

Often called Centralised-RAN or Cloud-RAN, this technology from the China Mobile Research Institute is the cloud and the cellular network getting married.
The Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) – the next big thing after LTE – is a new architecture that streamlines cellular networks. An easy way for mobile operators to grow both capacity and the speed of wireless networks is by making each cell in a cell phone network virtual. The cell towers and infrastructure may remain, but by using C-RAN some components are centralised in the cloud, and shared between cells. C-RAN depends on wired links for faster data transfer.
It supports 2G, 3G, 4G, and can easily integrate with the cellular and wireless standards of the future, too.

Bluetooth 4.2

Bluetooth Low Energy is changing the Internet of Things. This latest version of the short-wavelength UHF radio wave protocol that has been part of our digital lives since the dawn of this century is set to make the IoT a practical reality.
The biggest recent change is that IoT devices can now talk to each other over Bluetooth without using a phone or computer as a conduit. The very latest 4.2 specification, debuting on devices now, is pushing the IoT to new heights. The first change is that beacons can only talk to a phone if the user has given permission, the data capacity has increased 10-fold, and the data transfer speed has risen by as much as 250%. Bluetooth 4.2 devices can also get on the web directly over IPv6.

LTE-Advanced

Mobile broadband knows no bounds. The high-speed data standard for smartphones is LTE-Advanced, otherwise known as 4G+ or LTE+, and it's all about increasing speeds. LTE-Advanced services have already been launched in 45 countries, with most supporting Category 6 devices that can handle above 150Mbps and up to 300Mbps.
"83% of LTE-Advanced networks support Category 6 and the majority support the top rate of 300Mbps," said Alan Hadden, VP of Research at industry body the Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) in July 2015. Several operators are trialling LTE-Advanced technology capable of supporting up to 450Mbps. 4K video streaming and uploads, here we come.
Most new and upcoming handsets from the likes of Apple, Samsung, LG, Huawei, Sony, ZTE, HTC and Motorola can handle LTE-Advanced.

WiGig

Are you ready for Gigabit Wi-Fi? High-speed wireless data transfer is what WiGig promises, which may not sound very exciting until you realise the speeds involved. WiGig – also known as 802.11ad – can push files, photos and music 10 times faster than a regular wireless network using Wi-Fi, and can ramp up as fast as 7Gbps.
Forget about changing your router; WiGig is all tied up with the D2D movement we've already mentioned. Created by Intel but now under the umbrella of the Wi-Fi Alliance, WiGig is perfectly suited to a future where all smartphone users are filming in Full HD video, and soon in 4K. Instead of clogging up the internet, the theory goes that WiGig will be the fastest way to transfer such files between devices.
WeGig is increasingly being used in conjunction with 5G cellular networks, too, with Intel recently collaborating with SK Telecom in South Korea. Expect a seamless experience when transferring a big file; you send it as normal from your phone to another, which intelligently swaps from cellular to WiGig to complete the transfer. Expect a series of experiments, trials, beta tests… and a raft of new business models – though WiGig's time may not come until 5G networks appear.

Battery technology for portable devices

Batteries are delaying the revolution. Almost everything we use these days is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery – but every time you recharge your phone before you go to sleep at night is a reminder of the complete lack of progress being made by chemists in the back rooms of consumer electronics companies. So numerous are the devices that need rechargeable batteries that any future solution needs to be very cheap, but there are breakthroughs on the horizon.
Graphene-coated silicon has been mooted as a way of doubling the charge of a battery, while others have been working on aluminium-ion batteries and even on using sand. Improvements to battery life may prove incremental, but there's no doubt that research in this critical area is now booming.

Graphene

It's super-thin, super-strong and super-flexible, and it conducts electricity better than copper, and heat better than anything. It's been called the miracle material of the twenty-first century, but graphene really could be about to shake electronics to the core. Mass production and the 'band-gap problem' remain, but now graphene can be printed in ink form there's a growing expectation that it will, one day, utterly change computing.
Expect broadband internet that's a hundred times faster, flexible phones (like LG's G Flex, pictured), powerful RFID tags and wireless sensors, super-efficient high-speed computing that makes Moore's Law look like laziness, and a rash of new wearables. It's all one (or maybe two) technical breakthroughs away.

The self-organising network (SON)

Cellular networks are in an automation boom. One of the biggest wireless trends of all is the self-organising network (SON), which essentially takes the human out of the day-to-day tasks of running an ever more complex network.
There are various flavours of architecture, from distributed SON (D-SON) to centralised SON (C-SON) and hybrid SON. All have primarily been created to help run 4G networks, the greater bandwidth of which means ever increasing complexity and performance needs. However, at its core SON is about saving costs for network operators by eliminating the need for manual configuration of equipment and troubleshooting by people.

In-vehicle smartphone standards

So far the connected car as a coherent concept has been a mess, with most car manufacturers keen to push their own platforms for apps and integration with devices. However, the smartphone-car interface is beginning to coalesce around three operating systems that let smartphones and tablets talk to in-car infotainment systems: Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Broadcom's MirrorLink.
With most upcoming connected cars compatible with one or all of these systems, expect industry chat to become more about processing speeds, the use of capacitive touchscreens, and the functionality of apps rather than which platform is supported.

Apple Watch has new extra-large bands for your fat wrists

The Apple Watch is increasing its appeal by increasing its maximum band sizes, making the iPhone-compatible smartwatch fit for people with bigger wrists, too.
That's wonderful news because, in letting everyone I meet try on my Apple Watch, it's been a snug fit at times. The swappable medium-large band size that comes in the box doesn't always help.
The Apple Watch face is appreciably smaller than bulky Android Wear watches, but there's no reason the Apple Watch band size should be shorter.

New Apple Watch band limitations

Although the Apple is opening up its smartwatch to more wearers with this move, the new bands are only available in two flavors.
The entry-level Sport Band now comes in a "Large and Extra Large" size, with a "Medium and Large" sized band also in the box. But the only colors so far are black and white.
The price for these bands is also deceptive. It costs $49 (£39, AU$79) for the extra-large Sport Band, but you can't buy it with the watch just yet. It'll be an exchange or extra purchase.

Breakdown: Apple Watch price

The 42mm Link Bracelet kit, similarly, expands Apple's classy stainless steel band for wrists that exceed 205mm, but it's only available in steel (not black) and is an add-on, not a replacement.
It's still good news for iPhone owners who want to a properly fitting wearable, without having to wait for the inevitable Apple Watch 2 refresh.

Everything you need to know about iPhone 6S and iPhone 6 Plus

Updated: Best laptops 2015: which notebook should you buy?

Best laptops: all your buying questions answered

Updated: A few more rumored details about the Surface Pro 4 have leaked out.
Laptops are on the rise again thanks to Windows 10's arrival, Nivida's efficient Maxwell graphics cards, and Skylake coming soon.
Notebooks once thought to be replaced by tablets are more numerous and diverse than ever thanks to Ultrabooks taking off in popularity. 2-in-1 laptop-tablet hybrids are seeing ever increasing releases. Chromebooks may have stolen the show from budget laptops and netbooks, but Windows-based machines are retaking ground with affordable machines like the HP Pavilion x2. Meanwhile, performance gaming notebooks are on the rise and quickly becoming perfectly good replacements for your desktop computers.
With so many options to chose from picking the best laptop for your needs is getting harder. That's why it's important to start off by figuring out what you want to do with your new notebook.
Those after a fast boot up time and a lightweight machine to carry might drool over an Ultrabook. Serious gamers will gravitate towards machines tailored to their graphical and processing needs, while those after flexibility might fancy a convertible laptop-tablet hybrid.
It might seem overwhelming at first – what with all of the choices – but we're here to help you find the best laptop for you. Believe us when we say that there is a perfect laptop out there for you. With this guide, you'll find not only that, but which is the absolute best.

What does TechRadar recommend?

We're so glad you asked! Below you'll find what we think are the absolute best laptops in a number of categories, always up-to-date.

Best Ultrabook: Dell XPS 13 (2015)

Possibly the best laptop on the planet, Dell's latest is a masterpiece

Gorgeous display

Super lightweight

No Ethernet port

Off-center webcam

The Dell XPS 13 (2015) isn't just an astonishingly thin and light laptop, it's a revolution in design. Fitting a 13.3-inch screen into a 11-inch laptop frame is no small feat, but Dell has pulled off a miracle creating a nearly borderless infinity display. This is also one powerful and long lasting machine, all while coming in at a very affordable starting price. It easily takes the top slot as the best Ultrabook and the best Windows laptop.
Read the full review: Dell XPS 13 (2015)
Best Laptops

Best Chromebook: Google Chromebook Pixel 2015

The end all, be all of Chromebooks

Long, long battery life

Legacy ports with USB-C

Prohibitively expensive

3:2 screen hurts multitasking

As far as performance and screen resolution, nothing comes even close to rivaling Google's latest Chromebook Pixel. Packing a 2,560 x 1,700 IPS touchscreen, Intel Core i5-5200U CPU and even a USB type-C connector, the Pixel is on the bleeding edge. It's no surprise how Google labels it as a developer device for programmers building the future of Chrome OS. It has more than a few quirks including a square body and 3:2 screen, but if you're looking for the very best Chromebook this is it.
Read the full review: Google Chromebook Pixel 2015
Best Laptops

Best gaming laptop: Origin EON15-X

A desktop-grade CPU in an unbeatable gaming laptop

Great value

Desktop-grade performance

Razor thin viewing angles

In the last few years, gaming laptops have amazing headway in catching up with their desktop gaming counterparts. And so it seems the most logical conclusion of this evolution was to start packing desktop parts inside a gaming laptop. Enter the Origin EON15-X, an unbelievably powerful 15.6-inch laptop rocking out a full-size desktop processor and the highest-end mobile GPU available.
You might think this combo would produce a boat of a laptop, but the EON15-X manages to fit everything into a small, attractive shell. Origin will more than likely update this notebook and the EON17-X with new Skylake processors now that they've hit the Desktop scene.
Read the full review: Origin EON15-X
Best Laptops

Best 2-in-1 laptop: Microsoft Surface Pro 3

The best laptop-killing tablet

Sharp display

Perfect as laptop and tablet

Mediocre battery life

Runs hot at times

The Surface Pro 3 is Microsoft's most striking and versatile device to date, and serves as the most convincing poster child for the 2-in-1 hybrid category yet. Through years of refinement, Microsoft's newest tablet-hybrid has seen some significant upgrades including a bigger, higher-res display and sharper exterior.
Even the smallest little things like the hinge and type cover have been re-engineered to make the Surface Pro 3 a much more stable and usable device. This makes it easy to use whether you're at a desk, sitting or even lying down.
Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 3
Best Laptops

Best student laptop: Asus Zenbook UX305

A most affordable and excellent Ultrabook

Solid performance

Incredibly thin and light

Wonky video driver

Tinny speakers

The Asus ZenBook UX305 might look like a MacBook Air from every angle, but it's a better machine in almost every way. It's thinner, lighter and even more attractive in some ways with its purple tinged aluminum body. Plus this machine also has a higher-res full HD display with a fanless Intel Core M CPU and 256GB of SSD storage by default. The most amazing thing is you can get all of this for just $699 or £649 (about AU$902), which makes this one of the best deals for a laptop for students around.
Read the full review: Asus Zenbook UX305
Best Laptops

Best mobile workstation: Lenovo ThinkPad W550s

This workstation impresses with its long battery life and hi-res screen

Long battery life

Strong performance

Thick, boxy body

Bulky extended battery

The Lenovo ThinkPad W550s is pretty much everything you want a mobile workstation to be with understated aesthetics and a durable design on the outside. At the same time, it offers business users plenty of screen real estate at a sharp resolution, long battery life and strong, reliable performance. Starting at $1,196 (£1,229. AU$1546), the W550s is on the expensive side, but it's well worth the premium as the best mobile workstation.
Read the full review: Lenovo ThinkPad W550s
Best Laptops

Best business laptop: 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina (2015)

The fastest small MacBook Pro yet is a force of nature

Faster processor

Superb battery life

Force Touch underdeveloped

Unchanged design

The 2014 13-inch MacBook Pro was arguably Apple's best laptop ever, and the 2015 model is somehow even faster and delivers longer battery life. Aside from an from being an annual refresh, the Retina Screen equipped MacBook Pro has also inherited the newly introduced MacBook's Force Touch trackpad. Apple might not spring up as the leading name for most business applications, but getting Mac is pretty enticing when you stack up the number for freebies including office programs and software upgrades. Check out the rest of our picks for the best business laptops.
Read the full review: 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina (2015)
Best Laptops

Best Windows tablet: Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000

A powerful, small tablet that wants to play in the big leagues

Performance

Compact design

Cramped screen

Ergonomics

Starting at $700 (£437 and AU$800), the Venue Pro 7000 offers a nice balance of performance and portability in the perfect balance you'd look for in the best Windows tablet. The Venue 11 Pro is a versatile Windows slate with enterprise features and it can be readily convert to a laptop or desktop with the right accessory add-ons. As a standalone tablet it's also a joy to use with its 10-inch, 1080p display plus the onboard Intel Core M processor to keep things light, thin and above all, fanless.
Read the full review: Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000

Laptops on our radar for 2015

You've checked out the best laptops out there and now you're hungry for more. Don't worry: so are we, which is why we want to give you a glimpse of some of the hottest devices set to launch soon. Whether you're thinking about picking up a new 2-in-1 to test Windows 10's Continuum feature or intend to replace your ageing gaming laptop in a few months' time, we're keeping an eye on tomorrow's technology so that you can start saving those pennies today.
Surface Pro 4
Best Laptops

With the Windows 10 launch looming on the horizon, it seems high time that Microsoft finally announce a new Surface Pro tablet. It's long overdue after all the Surface Pro 3 was first announced back in May 20, 2014.
Given the long lead time between releases we expect Microsoft's next tablet quite different from the series' last iteration. Word on the Internet says the Surface Pro 4 could come in 12-inch and 14-inch variants. What's more, a high-end variant of the tablet will reportedly cost around $1,300 (about £830, AU$1762), boasting a 4K resolution screen and up to 16GB of RAM.
Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11
Best laptops

Chromebooks better watch out, Acer has introduced a new and extremely affordable Aspire One Cloudbook 11. While this 11-inch Windows 10 notebook only comes with 2Gb of RAM and 32GB, Acer also includes a year-long subscription for Office 365 and 1TB OneDrive online storage. With a starting price of $169 (about £108, AU$232), the Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 11 should give Chromebooks a run for their money.
Origin EON17-X

Intel's new family of 6th generation Skylake processors are finally here and while only desktop chips have been announced so far, we're hoping Origin's EON17-X will be upgraded with the new CPUs soon. Unlike most 17-inch gaming laptops, this big boy comes equipped with a desktop processor alongside a top end mobile graphics card. Despite packing so many components, the EON17-X isn't a giant brick, measuring only 1.5-inches thick.
Lenovo Yoga 4 Pro
Best laptops

Similar to the Surface Pro 3, we're expecting Lenovo to pull out all the stop for a new and improved Yoga tablet. The Yoga 3 Pro impressed as one of world's the thinnest and most premium 2-in-1 laptop. However, this attractive machine was not without some flaws including poor battery life and a disappointing level of performance. We're hoping the next iteration will be just as wonderful to use as it is to look at.
HP Pavilion x2
Best laptops

HP has introduced a new plastic and fantastic 10.1-inch laptop-tablet hybrid just in time for Windows 10. How quaint! Although the HP Pavilion x2 comes rocking only a 1,280 x 800 resolution display it has plenty to offer on the audio front with Bang & Olufsen-tuned speakers. Amazingly, this small 2-in-1 comes priced at $300 or £250 (about AU$383), given HP's reputation to break new ground in the affordable Windows laptop space this convertible follow up could be a resounding success.

What else should you consider?

Like any other major purchase, when you're buying a laptop you want the best for your for your bottom dollar. Unlike picking the right smartphone, choosing a bad laptop is a decision that will follow you for the next few years, at least. With this in mind should really figure out what sort of machine you're in the market for and luckily we have just the guide to all the gritty details of picking out a shiny new notebook.

Break down the types of laptops for me

Back in the day, laptops were simply set into two groups; ones for leisure and those for word. Today, that line has blurred and split like light passing though a prism. With so many deviations to navigate, let's start with the basics:
Ultrabooks
These laptops are essentially devices that must meet certain standards of thinness, lightness, power and size established by processor-maker Intel in an effort to help Windows-loyal notebook vendors compete with Apple's 13-inch MacBook Air.
The result has been some seriously premium machines that have lately been enough to rival Apple's best. Think of laptops under an inch thin with long battery life and crisp screens, like the Dell XPS 13 (2015) or Asus Zenbook UX305.
Workstations
Designed almost solely for work, hence the name, these usually beefy laptops have one thing in mind: productivity. Vendors generally equip these units with professional-grade GPUs, like the Nvidia Quadro series or AMD FirePro line.
Other characteristics of workstations include a wider variety of ports and easier access to internals than most consumer-grade notebooks. Not to mention more legacy inputs, like trackpoint cursors, and hardware-level security options, like fingerprint scanners. Examples include the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon and HP ZBook 14.
Chromebooks
These laptops run on an all-new operating system created by Google and called Chrome OS. As the name implies, Chromebooks rely almost solely on Google's homebrewed browser, Chrome. This means that everything from creating word documents to listening to music to printing and beyond is handled with the Chrome browser.
The result is a system that can run with super low-end hardware, which lends Chromebooks to best serve the budget market and education sector. Of course, Chromebooks are best in areas with wireless Internet access, but Google has vastly boosted their offline functionality over the years. Check out the Dell Chromebook 11 and Toshiba Chromebook 2 for a better idea.
2-in-1 laptops (or hybrid laptops)
If you find yourself jumping back and forth between your laptop and tablet, then perhaps the hybrid was made for you. Enabled by Microsoft's dual-purpose Windows 8, these devices either come as tablets than become more like laptops with accessories, or as laptops that can detach from their keyboards and become tablets in a pinch.
Of course, the idea is to provide one device that successfully serve both use cases, rather than have homes and businesses overwhelmed with gadgets for every scenario. The category has fought an uphill battle toward mainstream acceptance, but by far the most shining example of its potential is Microsoft's own Surface Pro 3 as well as the HP Spectre x360.
Gaming laptops
You'll always know a gaming notebook when you see one: hulking size, pulsating lights, garish paint jobs and whirring fans. But with thin-and-light (and stylish) products like the Razer Blade or MSI GS60 Ghost Pro, even that paradigm is starting to shift.
Generally speaking, gaming laptops are equipped with the latest mobile GPUs from Nvidia and AMD in order to play the latest games close to how well they run on their more sedentary counterparts. (In some cases, they're enough to outright replace the desktop.) At the same time there are a few machines that go above and beyond such as the desktop CPU-equipped Origin EON15-X. Another case is the Alienware 17, which connects with an external GPU card for more graphical power.
General use laptops
Notebooks of this sort are tough to categorize. They still adhere to the standards established decades ago of what a laptop is, only vastly refined. Given how the market has siloed itself into several distinct categories at this point, this variety of laptops is generally considered "budget" or "mid-range".
Ranging in screen sizes from 11- to 17- inches, there usually aren't many stand-out characteristics with these mostly-plastic clamshells. These laptops are easy to peg as jacks of all trades: readily able to handle all of your daily tasks, but suffer in more extreme or specifically demanding scenarios. That said, you can get a lot of bang for your back with excellent machines such as the Dell Inspiron 13 7000.

Go big or go, well, small

Across all categories, laptops generally range in size between 11- and 17-inches, with a few outliers in both directions. Your decision on what size laptop to purchase should consider these two factors: screen real estate and weight.
Firstly, your laptop's screen size directly dictates how much content it can display and the size of it, of course. However, also keep in mind that, as you increase screen size, its resolution should also rise. You should accept nothing lower than 1366 x 768 for laptops between 10 and 13 inches, and nothing lower than 1920 x 1080 for those 17 to 18 inches.
Second: be prepared for each 2-inch bump up in screen size from 11 inches, expect an increase in weight of about a pound, more or less. Of course, there are exceptions, like recent thin-and-light designs that tend to buck this trend. You might want the biggest, sharpest laptop screen around, but are you willing to cart that around in your backpack?

What features should you look for?

Like most consumer technology, laptops often come chock-full of features that you may or may not need. The features listed below are ones that you shouldn't do without in your next laptop.
USB 3.1: The latest standard in USB data transfer technology offers a lot of advantages including a reversible plug plus the ability to send data faster and even power. However, this new standard has only begun making its way into a limited subset of machines including the new MacBook and Chromebook Pixel.
We suggest that you instead keep an look our for USB 3.0 ports. Be sure that the notebook you buy has at the very least one of these for speedier file transfers between your laptop and, say, a USB 3.0 flash drive.
802.11ac Wi-Fi: For what seems like the longest time, 802.11n was the fastest wireless Internet available. But in the past year, even quicker 802.11ac routers have cropped up, with laptop makers just now catching up. If you plan on streaming or downloading a lot of files and content to your laptop, you should strongly consider this as a selling point.
SD card reader: With the inevitable smartphone camera takeover of the point-and-shoot industry, many notebook vendors are quick to send these media slots to the chopping block. But whether you're a photography enthusiast or just still fond of your compact shooter, the lack of an SD card reader might be a deal breaker.
Touchscreen: Thanks to Windows 8.1 and Windows 10, touchscreens are becoming an inextricable part of the laptop experience. Though, the ability to tap your screen comes with a bit of added weight and often a bigger bill to pay for it.

Questions to ask before buying

Before you run off and buy the coolest-looking laptop, ask yourself these basic questions. They should help point you toward the notebook that's right for you.
What will you primarily use the laptop for?
If it's just the standard web browsing, occasional video streaming, and video calling mom back home, then you might want to consider going the mainstream or budget route. Big into gaming? Then there's your answer. If you travel quite a bit and need something as thin and light as possible, then consider an Ultrabook. Your primary function with the laptop will almost always send you in the right direction.
How much do looks matter to you?
Laptops come in all shapes, makes, models and sizes – not to mention coats of paint … or plastic … or metal. If you're the type that scoffs at fellow coffee shop-goers for their ugly computing devices of choice, then you'll probably want one encased in aluminum, or at least a quality soft-touch plastic. But beware, being pretty comes with a price.
How much are you willing or able to spend?
This is the ultimate barometer for the laptop you're about to buy, and never should you spend outside of your means. Your disposable income will dictate which laptop category you should spend your shopping time within, and ultimately save you time.
*Bonus tip: Be sure to check both online and brick-and-mortar retailers for the best possible deal on a given laptop. Good luck!
Originally contributed by Dan Grabham and Joe Osborne

Did Motorola accidentally show us the new Moto 360?

Spare a thought for those operating the Motorola Twitter feed who may have inadvertently given us our first proper look at the upcoming Moto 360 v2. A short promo video posted to the account and then pulled showed a watch that's definitely not the 2014 model.
The button is in the 2 o'clock position rather than the 3 o'clock spot for a start, and it looks like Motorola has also changed the strap system to make it easier to swap them out.
Unfortunately for fans of clean lines and aesthetics, the 'flat tyre' bar that blighted the original smartwatch is still in evidence. It holds the GPU but we had hoped it might disappear in the 2015 version of the timepiece.

Two models on the way

If you're not looking closely, the short video clip could pass off as a Moto 360 v1 promo, which may be where the confusion has come from. The tweet in question is long gone but the evidence remains online.
In other Moto 360 v2 rumours, a posting on a Brazilian retail site suggests that both a "360L" and a "360S" are on the way - is Motorola making two editions of the new watch to cater for more sizes of wrist?
We shouldn't have too much longer to wait - the first Moto 360 was launched in September 2014 and we'd expect the second one to be arriving about a year later.

10 things you didn't know about the Moto 360

Review: MSI Z170A Gaming M7

Introduction and performance

It's the question that just won't die. And MSI's new Z170A Gaming M7 is going to have to answer it. Is there any point in spending more on an upmarket motherboard?
Not that the Gaming M7 is mega money. At £180 (around $280, or AU$380), it's far from the most expensive board you can buy that's based on Intel's new Z170 chipset. Not with mobos priced beyond £400 (around $625, or AU$850), like Gigabyte's bonkers GAZ170X-Gaming G1, it ain't. But it's still £50 more than two Asus efforts we've seen, and £20 pricier than MSI's own Z170A Gaming M5. So it'll need to sing that little bit louder for its supper.

Design

The good news is that, if aesthetics are near the top of your list, the M7 will be a winner well worth the extra wonga. It looks expensive. Part of that is the matte ﬁnish of the main PCB, which instantly separates it from the two Asus boards and their shiny cheapness. It's utterly superﬁcial, but subjectively, it's the difference between something that feels like an escapee from a south-east Asian sweatshop and a more premium product.
Elsewhere, the LED debug display, power and reset switches, along with a knob for automated overclocking, add to the upscale vibe, as do the more generous component cooling and metal-clad PEG16 graphics slots. We can't help but notice the extra SATA Express port compared to the Asus boards, too.
Irrelevant given SATA Express's DOA status? Probably. So, try this for size. The Gaming M7 has two M.2 slots. That's handy, and also raises the prospect of M.2 RAID arrays. Can you imagine the bandwidth bomb that could drop? We can. But sadly, imagining is all you can do, since this board doesn't support both M.2 slots running in PCIe mode at the same time. When installed, the second M.2 drive drops into SATA mode. Poo.
While we're talking big bandwidth, you also get both USB 3.1 and USB Type-C support. Like with all Z170 mobos, the USB situation is complicated, with the back panel offering three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0, a standard USB 3.1 port and a new-fangled USB 3.1 Type-C port. Phew!
MSI Z170A Gaming M7 close

Elsewhere, you get the usual reﬁnements, including properly isolated audio circuitry and military class ﬁve components, including titanium chokes and support for both Nvidia SLI and AMD Crossﬁre multi-GPU graphics setups.
Here's the specification for the motherboard:

Chipset: Intel Z170
Socket: LGA1151
Form factor: ATX
Memory support: DDR4
Storage: 6 x SATA, 2 x M.2, 2 x SATA Express
USB: 3 x USB 2.0, 2 x USB 3.0, 1 x USB 3.1, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-C

Performance

Of all the added extras, then, it's arguably that Game Boost rotary knob that's most intriguing. The idea is you dial up the level of overclock you fancy, reboot, and, presto, easy idiot-proof overclocking up to 5GHz. It sounds ruddy marvellous, but in practice, it doesn't truly deliver.
To cut a long story short, the highest overclock we achieved with our Core i7 6700K, using the Game Boost dial, was an unspectacular 4.2GHz. That's the same as the 6700K Turbo mode – pretty lame.
The good news is that a quick trip into the BIOS will allow you to hit 4.7GHz with ease, which is as good as any other mobo will manage with this particular 6700K. The Gaming M7 also knocked out some very nice numbers in our stock-clocked benchmarks across the entire rendering, video encoding and gaming gambit.
We ran our benchmarks with the aforementioned Core i7 6700K on board, and these were the results:

Cinebench R15 (index): 915
x264 HD video encoding (fps): 58
Memory bandwidth (GB/s): 26
Shadow of Mordor (min/avg fps): 62/91
Maximum multiplier overclock (GHz): 4.7
Maximum base clock overclock (GHz): 4.7
Cinebench R15 at max overclock (index): 1,008

Compared to the cheaper Asus Z170-A that we reviewed, the results are very much the same – there's just a point difference here and there, save the last benchmark, which is actually four points shy of the Asus motherboard. The same overclocks were achieved on both boards.

Verdict

We liked

This is a great looking motherboard which really carries off that premium vibe, and it's very nicely featured as well. The M7 did well in our benchmarks, and pulls all this off without the price tag getting silly as seen with some other premium boards.

We disliked

While this MSI effort proved itself in our various benchmarks, it really isn't any faster than some cheaper boards. The neat sounding Game Boost feature also fell flat on its face.

Final verdict

The M7 has no easy answers for the ever-present value conundrum. Like all premium boards, it can't fully justify its price in performance terms – but it's an appealing proposition. If we could afford it, we'd probably pull the trigger.

Running Man of Tech: These are the best Bluetooth running headphones I've ever used

Finally! Decent wireless running headphones!

It's been a rather lovely week in running terms. I've finally joined my local running club properly, my Parkrun times have started to tumble and I've been given full access to my full universe of running stats.
Let's start with some news we can all enjoy though: I've been using the Plantronics BackBeat Fit Bluetooth headphones for the last week...and they've been a revelation.
I get asked quite often: 'What are the best running headphones if you don't want to spend hundreds of pounds?' and I often feel quite sheepish that I don't have a great answer. The reason is that, as regular RMoTters will know, I have stupidly cavernous ears that spit out headphones, ones normal people can wear quite easily.
Bluetooth headphones

That led to me finding the JVC HA-ETR40 wired headphones and proclaiming I'd finally found a pair that don't fall out – and that's still the case.
But there's nothing better than a pair of wireless headphones when you're running. No need to worry about getting caught in wires and wondering where you're going to stick your phone so it's in range. And the supercool feeling of pressing a button and connecting to a magic musicbox is ace too.
Which is why the BackBeat Fits are such a joy to use – especially as initially I was terribly disappointed in the way they fit. These are over the ear style buds, looping around your lugs to stay in place.
Except they didn't. They fell in and out and needed to be constantly pushed back in over and over again, and as they're 'open' (so runners can hear pesky things like traffic about to drive into them) they don't sit snugly in your ear canal, which was irritating.
So I ripped them off at the end of the run, and squeezed the rubber loops really hard to see if I could cajole them into a shape that would sit around my ears more nicely.
And, mercy be, it worked. They slipped right in behind my ears and locked into place… and that's how they've been on every run for the last three weeks. Splendid.
Bluetooth headphones

It's not just the fit I'm enamoured with though – the sound quality is excellent too. Usually with running headphones you're forced to accept the stuff you're trying to listen to will be distorted through a tin can, translated by a cat and then vaguely approximated into your ears – which is fine when you're listening to Euro Trance music.
But it was a very pleasant shock when I found out I could hear subtle tones in my Spotify playlist, with more than a lick of bass present. The fit is also perfect – it's not tight, which means sweat will dribble in there more often, but as a result it's easier to clean the headphones.
This is because the BackBeat Fit sits, not fits, in the ear hole and a quick wipe will see these sweatproof wonders dry as a bone in no time.
They're obviously not perfect, because the powers that be would never be kind. They're a tiny bit on the large side, although far from overly chunky (if, like my stepmother, you've used Jabra's over the ear wireless headphones that were given free with a magazine subscription, the BackBeat Fit is much, much more compact and stylish).
There were also clearly a few crazy pills being passed around the design team at the Fit's inception as the volume down button is hidden.
You've got two large buttons on the side of the headphones: one to play or pause music, and one to answer calls. Then hidden in the ring surrounding those buttons is a protruding lip – pressing one side turns the headphones on and off, the other raises the volume.
Bluetooth

It took me a very, very long time to work out that holding down the 'volume up' key was the method of lowering the audio level – I nearly deafened myself in that period. Given tapping the power key merely tells you the battery level, it would have made sense to put it there.
But that's really it in terms of criticism for a pair of headphones with a decent battery life, great sound quality and a strong lock on the ears when running. I was therefore shocked to see these can be bought for less than £60 in the UK, and $90 in the US – I was genuinely expecting well over £100 / $180.
If you're looking for a decent pair of running headphones (I admit, these aren't QUITE budget, but they're not far off) then the less-known name of Plantronics should be high on your list.

Making Runner G stronger and faster

It's been a little while since I updated you on Runner G as she prepares for her first 10k in September – and it's not good news I'm afraid. While we've been carefully upping her mileage each week (no more than 10% every two weeks, ideally) one of the common issues has struck: shin splints.
Thankfully, these seem to be mild and born mostly of excess pounding from the running, but it does highlight something a lot of people overlook, the importance of strength training.
Runner G is being good and using this week off to focus on making sure her legs and hips are up to the task of running – and it'll pay dividends come race day when she's able to make it to the line.
For most new runners, the simple act of just lacing up the trainers and getting out there is hard enough – and, dear lord, it really is. If you're only a few weeks or months into running you should be feeling superbly proud of yourself, no matter your distance, speed or fitness – I love the phrase 'you're lapping those on the couch'.
But strength training is a really helpful part of the puzzle too, bringing you extra speed, injury prevention and a nicer definition to those wobblier bits too. And it really doesn't have to be an extra effort, nor take up too much of your time. You can try some gadgets here (Jabra Coach is great for some cardio training, or Moov has an excellent 7 minute workout) – but there are some brilliant options on YouTube as well.
One of the my favourites for new runners is that from James Dunne, founder of Kinetic Revolution. It's a 30 day workout set, which puts some people off, but they're short, relatively easy and take you through the main points of correct form while helping strengthen common ailments new runners (and experienced ones too) can suffer.
I'm currently trying Coach Jay Johnston's eight week plan to get me in shape for the Royal Parks half marathon in October, and it too is daily, but nicely soft touch at the start.
Whichever way you do it, I implore you to at least look at strength training if you're just getting into running – it's not all insane squats, crunches and lunges, I promise.

The Google Analytics of running

I'm going to be doing a much bigger piece on this in the next week or two, but I've got to give a special mention to Smashrun this week – I know it was mentioned last column, but I've become obsessed.
The reasons are actually twofold: firstly, the amount of data and interactivity it brings is stupendous. You can see everything from speed to heart rate to distance over the time you've been running, which is why I spent three hours this weekend exporting all my runs from Adidas MiCoach into GPX files, then poring over the results to make sure they weren't duplicated with my Garmin results.
The result? Five full years of data, nearly every run I've done on there, with information on how I've progressed, which days I'm weakest on, how my heart rate has improved and more.
The worst part is the badges. I say worst, because I don't need more reasons to keep pushing on my stats – but now I'm running a very slow paced less-than-1km run at 6.55am every Friday just to keep my streak going.
But this is nerd stat heaven, and if you're like most runners, you won't be able to stop exploring once you've opened Pandora's Box.
If you've got any tips, tech you want tested out or just want to mock me, I'm @superbeav on Twitter, and you can see my stumblings on Strava too.

If you want to see more data, follow me on Smashrun - if you want to sign up, please use this link - once you see the service, you'll work out why...
Read the rest of the Running Man of Tech story here

Week in Gaming: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, and you're stuck in an English suburb

Playstation 4 exclusive Everybody's Gone to the Rapture has been receiving rapturous praise recently (pun intended, oh yeah, deal with it), partly because of its intriguing storytelling and partly because it's managed to hit the "quaint English countryside village" nail on the head.
We've seen a lot of games that capture a feeling, a location or a story perfectly - think GTA 5's Los Santos and the eerie feeling you get visiting LA, like you should be punching strangers in the head and stealing their cars - but rarely has a game ever taken a proper look at England outside of stupid, boring, grimy London.
I'm tired of London, really. Samuel Johnson is often quoted in these stages of London lethargy - "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life." Oh, bugger off, Johnson. You didn't have to deal with drunken, kebab-wielding students, knife crime and the smoggy suffocation of the underground on a hot day, so yes, we're all allowed to be tired of London. Maybe it was really nice in the mid 1700s.
Rapture

To see a game that looks a little further afield than London is literally a breath of fresh air. Very few people grow up in the capital, they just end up there after a few years of desperately hoping to live somewhere that doesn't require maps to navigate. So your Assassin's Creed Syndicates, your Dishonoreds and your, er, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Gameses - there's no sense of nostalgia there, just awe and familiarity in the same way anyone who looks at a good drawing of a duck will say "Aha, that is a duck. Very nice."
It's harder to capture childhood in the way Everybody's Gone to the Rapture has. London is too big, means too many things, has too many parts. The quintessential British village has the same features, no matter where it is in our lovely country. Village greens festooned with shabby bunting; sleepy sun-dappled roads winding around unkempt bracken and grizzled oak trees; fancy lamp-posts that stand tall outside fancy gastropubs owned by a plump local family.
Rapture

Even just looking at screenshots, you can almost feel the hazy summer heat filtering down through the leaves, and smell the waft of manure from the farm. Everybody's Gone to the Rapture gets it all so spot-on with its tiny little details that it's a wonder no one has tried to do it before - they make it look so easy.
And with as many British video game studios as there are, why hasn't it been tried before? Video games are, more than ever, becoming about nailing verisimilitude, and if we can get craggy faces and Lara Croft's ponytail to be more lifelike than ever, then why not the places we live and grow up?
Rapture

Basically, what I'm saying is I want the next GTA to be set in The Midlands. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK!?

Samsung scotches 128GB phablet rumours, but the dual-SIM Note 5 takes microSD cards

Yesterday we reported that 128GB models of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ had showed up on Samsung's website. Considering neither phablet sports a microSD card, it was encouraging news for those need that extra storage on their devices.
Well, it was a mistake on the part of the webmaster, as we suggested at the time - Samsung has confirmed to the Verge that models with extra storage "are not being offered at this time". You're stuck with 32GB or 64GB again, at least for now.
However, all is not lost: pictures obtained by SamMobile show the dual-SIM version of the Note 5 sporting a second SIM card holder that doubles as a microSD card slot. You could potentially use it to expand the on-board storage rather than adding a new number.

Slotting together

It's actually pretty common for dual-SIM phones to offer microSD card support with the second SIM slot, but these handsets are typically only ever sold in Asia and emerging markets - you might have to resort to eBay to get one of your own.
And the Note 5 isn't coming to Europe anyway, according to Samsung, presumably because the S6 Edge+ is all we need. Online retailer Clove has started a petition to get Samsung to sell the Note 5 in the UK and nearby countries - sign up here if you really, really want that stylus.
Single-SIM editions of both phablets go on sale in the US on 21 August, with the S6 Edge+ arriving in the UK on 4 September. As soon as we've spent enough time with the new devices, we'll be sharing our thoughts with you.

Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ revealed - and they are both huge

Will Google Brillo shake the smart home to its very foundations?

Introduction and IoT apps

The Internet of Things is a mess, with standards and protocols up in the air and almost every tech company on the planet claiming that it's their language that the future IoT will rely on. Who wants separate apps to control lighting, heating, security cameras, the TV and the hi-fi?
Whether we need yet another wannabe Internet of Things platform promising to be the unifier is questionable, but there's no doubt that Google's Brillo – a new operating system for low-powered devices that will shortly be previewed to developers – could be the platform that at last brings standardisation to the IoT.

Jason du Preez, CEO at privacy software company Privitar

What is Google Brillo?

Google Brillo is all about the smart home. Announced at Google's I/O 2015, Brillo is a lightweight, rather basic backbone for the IoT that will both integrate with Android devices and support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy. It will link IoT gadgets (many of which have tiny processors, so need a rudimentary OS) with each other, with phones and tablets, and with the cloud. "Brillo aims to reduce friction in the IoT application ecosystem, making it easier for connected devices to integrate and interoperate with each other," says Jason du Preez, CEO at privacy software company Privitar.
Brillo also comes hand-in-hand with Google's new communications protocol called Weave, which is the command language that Google hopes will become a de-facto standard that all IoT devices are built to understand.

How significant is Google Brillo?

"It's real validation that IoT is here to stay," says Nav Dhunay CEO and founder of Ambyint, which develops IoT systems. "We've now got a powerhouse technology company, Google, backing IoT and making it easier for organisations to build an IoT-based product/platform."
It's surely Google's status that is the most important aspect – what Google says, goes. "We're extremely pleased to see what can generally be quite a disparate set of implementation standards become something more standardised," says Mike Crooks, head of Mubaloo Innovation Lab, which works on location-targeted technology.
"When it's driven by a major player such as Google, we can be sure that issues we've faced with proprietary standards will be reduced," says Crooks, who compares Brillo with iBeacons. "With beacons, if Apple hadn't produced a standard for the technology, the technology wouldn't have taken off as it has – and Brillo has the potential to do the same for IoT standardisation as Apple did with beacons."
The team that worked on Nest helped create Brillo

The team that worked on Nest helped create Brillo

The IoT's app ecosystem

With Brillo, Google is saying that it thinks the IoT needs apps, not the internet. "Brillo also made it clear that the traditional web model would not work for IoT," says Dhunay. "We're going to be seeing a shift towards more of an app ecosystem relying on an IoT infrastructure."
Crucially, Brillo and Android apps will go hand-in-hand. "The fact Brillo is supported in the latest versions of the Google Play Services – the toolkit our Android experts use to help develop applications – means adoption in apps will be much quicker than needing to use a patchwork of other frameworks," says Crooks.

Limitations and IoT land-grab

What about Apple's HomeKit?

Despite Brillo's appearance, there will be no single dominant ecosystem in the smart home market. Apple beat Google to the prize by unveiling its HomeKit system last year, which like Brillo uses Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy, and promises close integration with Apple's phones, tablets and Apple Watch.
The ecobee 3 thermostat is compatible with Apple's HomeKit

The ecobee 3 thermostat is compatible with Apple's HomeKit

However, HomeKit isn't the only IoT component that Brillo will have to battle, or integrate with. Qualcomm and Microsoft are backing the AllSeen Alliance's AllJoyn, while Intel, Samsung and Cisco are pushing the IoTivity platform.

What are Brillo's limitations?

The IoT is still in a test phase, and that's not going to finish anytime soon. However, the IoT comes with its own specific risks to privacy. "Exploits and bugs will, no doubt, be part of the show, only this time providing a window into our most private sanctuaries," warns du Preez. "Given Google's track record with its previous smart home product Nest, which was infamous for malfunctions, and its Android operating system, these risks cannot be underestimated."
Brillo and Weave could have a place in the connected car, too

Brillo and Weave could have a place in the connected car, too

Is a Google monopoly a good idea?

There's also the little matter of possible domination by one company which, arguably, already holds too much personal information about us. "We also cannot disregard the fact that even working perfectly, this fabric is designed to give Google and the entire app-making ecosystem an even deeper dig into our private lives," says du Preez. "Organisations need to ensure that they are ahead of evolving regulation and take this invitation into our living rooms seriously – they must enforce the most rigorous measures to ensure our data is safe from abuse or theft."
He goes on to say that strong governance, best-practice infrastructure, application security measures, and data-centric approaches to keeping sensitive data private are all imperative to any company looking to enter the IoT fray.

The IoT land-grab

The theory goes that the IoT will only grow quickly if there's a single ecosystem, but the emergence of Google Brillo is only the latest salvo in an ongoing IoT land-grab. Having one language and one OS for the IoT is tempting, and will theoretically make life easier for device manufacturers, app developers and residents of smart homes. Privacy advocates will worry about Google's ever-expanding monopoly, but Brillo's chance of success probably lies with how easy its devices and features are to use with a phone; these days, convenience almost always wins out.

A guide to the Internet of Things

Updated: PS4 vs Xbox One: which is better?

Introduction and design

Update: Watch the new Xbox One vs PS4 comparison video we put together

Our incredibly in-depth Xbox One vs PS4 comparison is more meaningful than ever after GamesCom 2015. It considers Microsoft's backward compatibility news and previous price drops, and how it all contrasts with Sony's powerful specs, exclusive games and graphics power.
Now a year and a half since the two consoles launches, Sony's sales numbers prove that PS4 is more popular with early adopters of the next-generation of video games. Fact.
PlayStation 4 is outselling Xbox One 2-to-1 right now, surpassing 22.3 million systems sold worldwide, while Microsoft's sales numbers are at 12.8 million.
Who cares? Those are overall sales statistics - all meaningless, as the Xbox One price drop and surge in popularity are starting to make the debate a little more even. Being able to play Xbox 360 games on your Xbox One starting in November is going to guarantee that trend will continue.
Xbox One full review
Microsoft's come-from-behind campaign consists of adding exclusive games like Halo 5, full DVR capabilities, readying an Xbox Elite controller and, further out, experimenting with HoloLens. In addition to Xbox One backward compatibility, Windows 10 presents exciting game streaming possibilities in a forthcoming November update. It's also the only console with EA Access.
Sony is preparing PS4 for a streaming and virtual reality future, too, with PlayStation Now, PlayStation TV and Oculus Rift-rival Project Morpheus. In the meantime, it's readying Uncharted 4 for its delayed 2016 release date and tweaking its console with feature-filled firmware updates and PlayStation Plus games.
PS4 full review
Both consoles are getting Fallout 4 and Star Wars: Battlefront, as is the ever-popular PC, and both are rumored to be getting a 4K hardware refresh for the coming months, with HDMI 2.0 able to deliver 4K resolution at 60fps. For now, we have to settle for 1TB refreshes.
Whether Sony's PS4 will get the new Ultra HD Blu-ray standard as part of this upgrade is still open to debate, but it would make sense as a key differentiator between the console upgrades if and when they do drop.
"We have have the advantage in powering gamers through the next decade," say both companies. To see if that's true, our Xbox One vs PS4 comparison needs another update.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmybw-v1EP4

Xbox One vs PS4 hardware design

Deciding between PS4 and Xbox One is like peeling back an onion, and it starts with the outermost layer, the hardware design.
Xbox One's dimensions make it a menacing gaming beast that measures 13.5 in x 10.4 in x 3.2 in. It's also riddled with vents, a design decision to avoid another Red Ring of Death overheating scenario.
Xbox One dimensions

It towers over every other device (though Microsoft advises not to stand it up vertically), and completely dwarfs our smallest home theater gadget, the app-filled Chromecast.

See the Xbox One price drop: Amazon | Best Buy | Tiger Direct
Click for the latest cheap PS4 price: Amazon | Best Buy | Toys R Us

PS4 has a more distinctive angular shape with an overall stylish design. This half-matte half-gloss console measures a slimmer 10.8 in x 12 in x 2 in at its widest regions.
These dimensions make Sony's machine more media cabinet-friendly, at least next to Xbox One. The new Xbox also weighs a heftier 3.56 kg vs PS4's 2.75 kg.
PS4 dimensions

PS4 has the advantage of hiding ports too, though as we illustrated in our video comparison, this can actually make it harder to plug cables into the back of the system.
In this way, Xbox One represents functionality over form. A lot of the internal specs are comparable, but Microsoft and Sony really diverged when it came to the designs of Xbox One and PS4.
That may matter since you're buying into an expensive console that's going to sit front and center in your living room entertainment system for the next ten years.

Xbox One vs PS4 front and rear ports

More clear cut is the wireless connectivity situation. PS4 makes room for gigabit ethernet and 802.11 WiFi bands b/g/n, while Xbox One includes all of that plus the older 802.11a band.
Xbox One also supports both the 2.4GHz and newer 5GHz channels that are compatible with dual band routers. PS4 limits connections to 2.4GHz, which is likely to have more interference.
Both systems launched with 500GB hard drives and now have 1TB variants, but only PS4 allows user-replaceable internal drives. An Xbox One teardown found a standard-looking drive inside, but replacing it voids the warranty. Be careful.
Instead, the Xbox One June update finally allowed gamers to add external storage to the monster-sized system. There are strings attached. The drive needs to be 256GB or larger and USB 3.0 compatible.
External storage isn't an option that Sony supports in its "go big or go home" internal approach.
PS4 vs Xbox One rear ports

PS4 and Xbox One are void of remarkable characteristics on the front. There's a Blu-ray/DVD combo drive to the left and their respective, muted-color logos to the right. PS4 has a pair of USB ports tucked between its sandwich-like halves next to where the disc drive is located.
It's party in the back Xbox One connections. That's where it has two USB ports, HDMI in, HDMI out, S/PDIF for digital audio, a proprietary Xbox One Kinect port, an IR blaster connection and an Ethernet port. To the far right is a K-lock in case you want to lug this system around to LAN parties.
Sony went with a minimalist approach when it came to PS4's rear ports. You'll only find an HDMI out, S/PDIF, Ethernet and PS4 camera port (marked "AUX") around back.
Xbox One is more feature-packed in this area thanks to its HDMI in and IR blaster connections used for its TV cable or satellite box functionality. But are you really going to use this feature? PS4 lacks this passthrough technology, opting to stick with gaming as its top priority.

Specs

Is PS4 or Xbox more powerful?

PS4 and Xbox One multiply the power of Xbox 360 and PS3. More importantly, they were built with smarter internal designs, drawing from mistakes of last-generation consoles.
Chip manufacturer AMD benefitted the most from these upgrades. Xbox One has a custom 1.75GHz AMD 8-core CPU, a last-minute upgrade over its original 1.6GHz processor.
The PS4 CPU remained clocked at 1.6GHz and contains a similar custom AMD 8-core CPU with x86 based architecture.
This represents a roughly 10% increase in processing power for Xbox One, but the opposite is true when it comes to the all-important graphics processor.
PS4 graphics specs teardown

PS4 boasts a 1.84 teraflop GPU that's based on AMD's Radeon technology. The Xbox One graphics chip, also with an AMD Radeon GPU, has a pipeline for 1.31 teraflops.
Microsoft claims that as of last June's Xbox One update, Kinect-free games can reclaim 10% of the GPU that was reserved for system level processing like Kinect-related skeletal tracking data. But developers still have to take advantage of this cache in new games or patch titles.
Right now, the PS4 specs make room for faster graphics rendering than Xbox One, especially when combined with Sony's choice in superior system memory.

Best PS4 vs Xbox One specs for RAM

Even more controversial is the memory under the consoles' matte black hoods. It's not the amount of RAM at issue - both are future-proofed with 8GB of RAM - it's the type of RAM used.
PS4 has a distinct advantage with faster 8GB GDDR5 memory, while Xbox One went with the slower bandwidth of the 8GB DDR3 variety. But, wait, there's more to it.
Neither system allocates all of that RAM to game developers - some is reserved to run their operating systems.
PS4 reserves up to 3.5GB for its operating system, leaving developers with 4.5GB, according to documentation. They can sometimes access an extra 1GB of "flexible" memory when it's available, but that's not guaranteed.
Xbox One's "guaranteed memory" amounts to a slightly higher 5GB for developers, as Microsoft's multi-layered operating system takes up a steady 3GB. It eeks out a 0.5GB win with more developer-accessible memory than PS4, unless you factor in Sony's 1GB of "flexible" memory at times. Then it's 0.5GB less.
The PS4 and Xbox One specs have similar AMD architecture at their core, but contrast like apples and oranges when it comes to memory. Only developers can determine how this battle is won.

Graphics comparison

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0QIs6eZBa0

PS4 vs Xbox One graphics comparison

Putting all of these specs to the test, developers have had months to build and demo games to us. We're finally seeing the side-by-side results.
The graphics comparison between multi-console games, like the recently released Grand Theft Auto 5 and Metal Gear Solid 5, have given us the best PS4 vs Xbox One graphics benchmarks.
A gameplay video on YouTube of GTA 5 pans between the two next-gen versions of the game with a definitive answer. The PS4 GPU is able to handle more foliage in environments.
Yes, you literally have to get into the weeds to see the differences, though both the PS4 and Xbox editions of GTA 5 look stellar compared to their last-gen counterparts.
YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMsr_EzXLFQ
In the Metal Gear Solid 5 comparison, there's slightly more clarity to the PS4 version. Specifically, distant textures and moving objects appear softer among the otherwise identical Xbox One visuals.
It's a trend we're seeing from PS4 games that achieve a 1080p resolution at 30 or 60 frames per second when their Xbox One counterparts run at 720p or 900p at 30 or 60fps.
Watch Dogs is just one game that has a higher resolution on PS4 vs Xbox One

Watch Dogs is just one game that has a higher resolution on PS4 vs Xbox One

That's the case with Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty: Ghosts, The Witcher 2 and Thief. It's even more evident in Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition where it's 60fps on PS4 vs 30fps on Xbox One.
Battlefield 4 is one of the few PS4 games with a native resolution of 900p. Alas, it was still just 720p on Xbox One. Not that it matters. Both versions were plagued with glitches for months.
This is in no way a deal-breaker for the Xbox One, and here's why. First, it's almost impossible to tell the difference without a side-by-side comparison. You won't miss the extra grass in GTA 5.
Second, everyone's hopeful that as developers mature with these two year-old consoles, the gap will close and games on both systems will prove what next-generation gaming is all about.

These are the best games coming to E3 2015

DirectX12 could make that a reality on Xbox One by making games like Final Fantasy look more reality. Microsoft promises a preview version of its Direct3D 12 graphics toolset by the end of the year. It could make up for the slower DDR3 RAM.
Third, the differences are more noticeable in the Xbox One and PS4 graphics comparisons that include Xbox 360 and PS3. Both Microsoft and Sony leave their last-generation graphics chip architecture and RAM limitations behind, and it shows.

Price

Xbox One vs PS4 price difference

It's expensive to be an early adopter, and the initial PS4 and Xbox One prices prove just that in each of the countries the systems have launched.
One year ago, the PS4 price was the more tempting deal: $399 for the console and DualShock 4 controller. Xbox One was expensive at $499 for the system, Xbox One controller and Kinect.
Xbox One vs PS4 price

After two official Xbox One price drops, the cost comparison is actually in Microsoft's favor in the US. The new list price is $349 with a game, but without Kinect included. It's rumored to go even lower soon, maybe at E3 2015.
Right now, that's $50 cheaper than the PS4 that doesn't come with a game. Pre-owned Xbox One and PS4 consoles are even better choices, and in most regions are now becoming plentiful.
The early PS4 vs Xbox One price difference gave Sony an lead at face value, and gamers didn't seem to mind that the PS4 camera was a separate purchase. Also, for almost a year, it was the only console of the two being sold in countries like India, Japan and Turkey.
Price and availability made for Xbox One's assured shortfall in the beginning. Now, the price point is moot. Can it catch up?

What's in the box?

There was more value in the original Xbox One Kinect bundle, accounting for some of the initial price difference, so it's important to dive deeper into what's included and, of course, what's not included in the box.
At launch, Xbox Ones came with the console, a controller. and the Kinect camera. These systems also had "Day One 2013" emblazoned on the cardboard box and at the center of the controller.
That's a nice perk for Xbox loyalists, though not worth the premium they paid. Subsequent Xbox One bundles have included Titanfall or Sunset Overdrive for the same price, while newer, cheaper systems make Kinect optional.
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All Xbox One boxes contains an HDMI cable, wired mono headset and stingy 14-day free trial for Microsoft's Xbox Live Gold online service. There's no USB charging cable, as the Xbox One controller uses batteries out-of-the-box.
Inside the PS4 box is the console and one DualShock 4 controller. Wires include an HDMI cable (Sony learned its lesson after backlash for not including one with the PS3) and a micro-USB cable for the controller.
Don't throw out the box right away. Tucked inside is a 30-day subscription to PlayStation Plus and a wired mono earbud, contrasting with the just-a-cheap Xbox One headset.
The price difference between the PS4 and Xbox One was a sticking point for gamers over the first several months. Microsoft reshaped the argument at E3 2014 with price-matched Kinect-free Xbox One and may give the console another price drop this year. The question is, will gamers bite in the latter half of 2015?

Controller and cameras

The controllers

The most important aspects of the PS4 vs Xbox One controller comparison include comfort, size and battery life, but a lot of this is going to come down to personal preference.
The good news is that both conform to your hands better vs the less ergonomic Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.
The Xbox One vs Xbox 360 gamepad comparison illustrates some of the 40 design innovations like a tweaked D-Pad and extra rumble effect via "Impulse Triggers" in the shoulder buttons.
Microsoft is taking its controller changes even further with the upcoming Xbox Elite Wireless Controller. This pro-level gamepad adds four back pedal, two settings for the right and left shoulder triggers, swappable analog sticks and new D-pad choices. It is expensive at $150.
Xbox One vs PS4 controller

Our PS4 vs PS3 gamepad comparison shows even bigger improvements thanks to the fact that the DualShock 4 is larger this time around. Its handles are easier to grip in long gameplay sessions and its dual analog sticks have a recessed divot. Precision movement is now easier.
The PS4 controller's front touchpad and mono speaker are a unique way to interact with games, and developers are starting to find ways to adopt this technology into their controls schemes.
Which controller is better? There's a lot of satisfaction with the PS4 gamepad, but that may have more to do with people's surprise at how much more comfortable the DualShock 4 is compared to the DualShock 3. That wow factor may wear away soon.
The Xbox One vs PS4 controller comparison ends up being a matter of opinion. Some gamers are accustomed to Sony's parallel dual analog sticks, while plenty of others opt for offset analog sticks that have been part of the Xbox universe since the beginning.

Xbox One Kinect vs PS4 Camera

A robust games list for Xbox One Kinect and PS4 Camera has been slow to materialize, even though Microsoft and Sony insisted on sticking with controller-free camera inputs.
The good news is that the new Kinect technology is promising, tracking up to six skeletons at once and processing 2GB of data per second. It can pick up heart rates, facial expressions and 25 joints, thumbs included.
The camera's 60% wider field of vision compared to the Xbox 360 Kinect remedies the annoying "stand 6 feet away" error messages we experienced last time around.
Xbox One Kinect is certainly powerful, it just needs more games. Right now, there are few reasons to keep the 1080p camera plugged in.
Kinect was good on paper, now it just wears a paper dunce cap

Kinect was good on paper, now it just wears a paper dunce cap

There's a free Kinect Sports Rivals demo that's fun, and the full version came out last year. It also supports two Xbox-exclusive workout games, Just Dance 2014 and a pair of Harmonix titles: Fantasia: Music Evolved and Dance Central Spotlight. Fighter Within, though, is far from playable.
PS4 doesn't have as much to offer at this point either, but it's hard to find in stock. Formerly called the PlayStation Eye, it features two 1280x800px cameras in a body that's slimmer than the Kinect.
Unfortunately, the PS4 Camera games list is also slimmer. The included robot mini-game The Playroom has been updated since the console launch, but little else besides Just Dance 2014 requires the device.
In the future, Project Morpheus will utilize the PS4 Camera for virtual reality, but the a long-off prospect of VR games doesn't really explain why the camera is often sold out.

Best games

YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0mF0O3XxjA

The best PS4 and Xbox One games

The PS4 and Xbox One games list is now over 100 each, but only a few of the releases in the last year stand as exclusives that make deciding between the two matter.
Titanfall stands above all others on Xbox One if you're into playing Call of Duty-style first-person shooters in which you double jump with a jetpack, wall-run and hop into a giant mech. Sunset Overdrive feature just as crazy-frantic gameplay, while Halo: The Master Chief Collection lets us relive old classic.
Xbox One launch titles Dead Rising 3 and Ryse: Son of Rome provided over-the-top action early on, and Forza Motorsport 5 was the only first-party racing game at launch of either console. It's been joined by the more arcade-like exclusive Forza Horizon 2.
Call of Duty Advanced Warfighter and CoD: Ghosts, while not exclusives to Xbox One, has downloadable content (DLC) that is a timed-exclusive (by a month) held over PS4 gamers' heads. That's all going to change, though, as PS4 becomes the timed-exclusive home of this year's Call of Duty: Black Ops 3.
CoD Xbox One vs PS4

Xbox One games in development include the Halo 5: Guardians, the next Gears of War game, Quantum Break, Fable Legends and LittleBigPlanet-like Project Spark. They're sure to join the growing best Xbox One Games list.
PS4 exclusive Infamous: Second Son couldn't match the groundswell of attention generated by the Titanfall beta last year, but it's superpower-filled gameplay is nonetheless entertaining. Even newer exclusives to PS4 include Bloodborne, LittleBigPlanet 3, 1886: The Order and DriveClub are making an impact by adding more variety to the console.
Killzone: Shadow and Knack are the two Sony-made games that released on discs at launch, but the console is benefiting most from remakes like The Last of Us and digitally distributed indie games.
Resogun and Mercenary Kings were really driving up the points for PlayStation Plus in our book. They were free in April with a subscription to the Sony's paid service.
Further out, we're looking forward to Uncharted 4 - a guaranteed member of the best PS4 games list - The Witness, and Fallout 4 from both systems and the PC.
Xbox One Kinect vs PS4 Eye

Indie games on PS4 and Xbox One

Our most-wanted PS4 games list doesn't end there because Sony got out in front of supporting independent game developers.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch from Young Horses and Transistor from Supergiant Games came to Sony's console in April and May. Outlast from Red Barrels Studio made the PC-to-PS4 transition in February.
At first, Microsoft maintained that Xbox One games would need to be fronted by a publisher. That changed when the company announced that it would allow self-published games and, in the future, every console would act as a developer kit.
We're still waiting on this "free Xbox One dev kit," a potential game-changer when PS4 developer kits cost thousands of dollars. Until that shift happens, Sony has the attention of the indie developer crowd thanks to its early lead.

Apps and backward compatibility

When it comes to apps, Xbox One is in the ever-so-slight lead

Xbox One vs PS4 apps

The Xbox 360 and PS3 proved to be more than just gaming machines and Xbox One and PS4 are no different. Of course, most are shared across both platforms.
All next-gen gamers have access to Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Crackle, Vudu and Redbox Instant and baseball subscription service MLB.TV.
Xbox One corners the app-filled market with ESPN, Fox Now, FX Now, NFL, Ted, The CW, Twitch, Univision Deportes, Verizon FiOS TV and YouTube. It also has Microsoft's own soon-to-be-defunct Internet Explorer, OneDrive, Skype and Xbox Music and Xbox Video services.
That contrasts with PS4. Sony's console features Crunchyroll, Epix, NBA Game Time, NHL GameCenter Live, YuppTV, the WWE Network and the free music video playing app VidZone.
Initially, Xbox One had first access to HBO Go before PS4, but now both consoles have the premium channel as an app. At least, if your cable provider isn't Comcast. Neither system has HBO Now, which remains exclusive to Apple TV.
More niche apps are expected as time goes on, so this is hardly the final list of apps for Xbox One and PS4. Sony backers who are also HBO subscriptions can expect equal next-generation treatment for the the premium on-demand network "eventually," which just cements Xbox One's app-filled advantage.
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Are PS4 and Xbox One backward compatible?

This is where the Xbox One vs PS4 comparison has gotten interesting at E3 2015. After teasing Xbox 360 emulation, Microsoft announced Xbox One backward compatibility for Xbox 360 games.
"We won't charge you to play the games you already own," jabbed Microsoft at Sony during its E3 press conference. Over 100 disc and downloadable Xbox 360 titles will work on Xbox One this year, and the features of the newer console - like streaming and taking screenshots - crosses over to older games.
Microsoft plans to launch Xbox One backward compatibility this holiday with an early preview for Xbox Preview members starting today. It'll expand its free backward compatibility program to "hundreds" of games in 2016 and beyond. It won't be long until you can box up that old Xbox 360.
Sony's PlayStation Now service, meanwhile, launch last year and graduated from open beta to full release in March, but it costs money to rent games. That's a bummer if you already paid for The Last of Us, God of War: Ascension, Dead Space 3 and Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes on the PS4.
Sony has expanded its Gaikai-based video game streaming service to PS Vita and PlayStation TV, with plans to add even Bravia TVs, and then include PlayStation and PS2 to the so far PS3-only lineup.
None of these options are foolproof yet. That means you'll need to keep your Xbox 360 and PS3 in order to replay Halo 4 and Uncharted 3. You can't sell the old systems, and that means people won't be able to readily buy them - they're more likely to purchase them directly from Microsoft and Sony.

Other PS4 and Xbox One differences

The look of the console, the feel of the controller and the appeal of the games list are the main differences from which consumers will decide on PS4 and Xbox One.
However, there are other factors at play one should consider before buying into a new system. It's a good idea to converse with friends, keeping mind of their potential bias.
Since there's no such thing as cross-platform multiplayer, you may be split up when playing Call of Duty on PS4 when all of your friends own it for Xbox One.
Both Microsoft and Sony are charging for multiplayer this console generation, whereas PS3 gamers got to log into matches Scott-Free.
Sony sadly moved closer to Microsoft in this way, while Microsoft moved closer to Sony by tearing down the Xbox Live app paywall. You no longer have to subscribe to stream Netflix and other apps.
Microsoft also supports MP3 and DLNA playback with the Xbox One, whereas Sony neglected to add such compatibility. It's promised to rectify that in a future firmware update, but hasn't supplied us with an update in several months.
The PS4 vs Xbox One comparison has evolved in the last 18 months, mostly because Microsoft's plans have shifted, from Xbox One price drops to more lenient paywall policies to graphics specs upgrades.
These two next-generation consoles are now on a more even video game playing field, which means Sony and Microsoft are going to start throwing Uncharted 4 to Halo 5 Guardians at you, and that's a win for all gamers.

The expert views

Keza MacDonald - Editor, Kotaku UK
For me it comes down to the variety of games, and PS4 has that sewn up right now. You can play all the biggest games on both consoles, but if your tastes are eclectic, Sony's indie and in-house lineup is irresistible.
Matt Hill - Editor, Gizmodo UK
PS4 for me. The majority of multi-platform games run better on it, the PS Plus subscription service serves up a stream of good, cheap games – even better if you also have Vita and PS3 – and it looks nicer in the living room. Is that a valid reason? Damn straight it is.
Sophia Tong - Global Editor in Chief, GamesRadar
I have both because I like having options and access to everything (I even own a Wii U). For me it's about the games, but if I had to choose I do like the Xbox One's interface more because I can bark commands at it.
Hugh Langley - UK News Editor, TechRadar
It has to be the PS4 right now. Between PlayStation Plus, PS Now, Vita cross-play, and the promise of Morpheus, the whole PlayStation ecosystem feels like it's growing into something truly terrific. That said, don't get comfortable, Sony - the Xbox One is definitely beginning to close the gap.
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iOS Tips: How to store music on iPhone or iPad instead of the cloud

Got an Apple, Mac or iOS tech question? We have the answer. Storing stuff in the cloud can be very convenient, but sometimes it can cause problems too, especially when you don't have a constant, stable online connection. One reader wants to store all of her iTunes music locally instead of relying on the cloud for just that reason, but her iPad isn't making it easy. We'll show you what you can do to make sure your music is stored locally on your device instead of in the cloud.

Question

The Music app on my iPad keeps automatically removing songs from the device and storing them in the cloud. I then need to download these songs again to listen to them, which is a total pain, especially if I am somewhere with no or poor Wi-Fi. Is there any way to stop this? I don't use iTunes Match.

Answer

A feature called "iTunes in the Cloud" is available whether or not you are a subscriber to iTunes Match, and it provides music that you've purchased from iTunes in the Music app available for download or streaming. This is most likely what you are seeing here, so once you've downloaded any music you need, you can go ahead and disable that function.

To deactivate "iTunes in the Cloud" from your iOS device:
1. Open Settings.
2. Select Music.
3. Turn off the option for "iCloud Music Library."
Whenever you view the Music app from now on, only music that is stored locally on your device will be shown as available.
Got an Apple tech question? Email ask@maclife.com.

Updated: Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

Mapping the rumours

Update: Apple may well be further along with introducing a self, driving electric car than we though. A new report released on August 14 suggests Apple is already in the works to secure a test site for its rumored automobile near San Francisco.
Apple is to the rumour mill what Jeremy Clarkson is to offending people. The brand's every product sparks gossip and insider chit-chat in the run-up to its release – the Apple Watch had even the most knowledgeable tech head guessing about specifics right up to its unveiling. The phones, laptops, tablets et al are known unknowns until they appear.
However, there's another category of Apple rumour: the unknown unknowns. The gadgets that Apple is rumoured to be working on, but which never appear. The Watch was in this category for a long time. The Apple Television remains the subject of speculation, despite the lack of any evidence that one has ever even been worked on.
And then there's the car. Like the TV, it was another supposed pet project of the late Steve Jobs. Here's everything you need to know about it, all the reasons why it's highly unlikely, and a few reasons why it might just be something more than fanboy fantasy…

Gossip from way back when

Wall Street Journal tech writers Daisuke Wakabayashi and Mike Ramsey released a story at the beginning of February that set the rumour mill turning. According to the report, several hundred employees are said to be working on an Apple-branded electric car at a secret lab in Cupertino, one that CEO Tim Cook green lit almost a year ago.
But tales of a so-called "iCar" date back almost eight years, to when Volkswagen was reportedly in talks with the tech giant about incorporating products into its vehicles – although this likely turned out to be a discussion surrounding Apple's CarPlay infotainment system rather than anything Apple Car related.
However, Steve Jobs alluded to the potential of an Apple-branded vehicle when he told John Markoff of The New York Times that if he had more energy, he would have liked to "take on Detroit."
Whether this was merely Jobs hinting at a progressive in-car entertainment system rather than a revolutionary vehicle is anyone's guess, but last year Apple board member Mickey Drexler reiterated the fact that Jobs was interested in cars during an interview with Paul Goldberger.
He stated with much confidence that if Jobs had lived he was going to design an "iCar". Drexler is stepping down from Apple's board this month.

The rumours resurface

Mike Ramsey, an automotive reporter working in Detroit, co-wrote a piece that started all of this in the Wall Street Journal early last month, stating that Apple was working on a top secret project dubbed "Titan" that supposedly involves hundreds of employees working on an Apple-branded vehicle.
Ramsey said that alarms bells were raised in Silicon Valley with Apple's unusual hiring of staff outside of the consumer technology arena.
"Apple hired the head of research and development from Mercedes-Benz's North American R&D labs and that was a pretty odd hiring," Ramsey said in a recent interview.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

"You can understand that maybe Apple did this to move its CarPlay research on, but it seems this level of experience goes way beyond simple in-car entertainment systems."
After the story was published, California residents added fuel to the flames by claiming that vans registered to Apple had been seen cruising the streets, sporting all manner of LIDAR and radar technology.
Paul Godsmark, chief technology officer at the Canadian Automated Vehicles Centre of Excellence, told Cult of Mac that these data-gathering vans appeared to be mapping the streets.
Apple Car naysayers instantly hit back with an argument that Apple was, in fact, gathering data for its own version of Google's Street View rather than working on a vehicle. But those with knowledge of autonomous motoring reasoned that self-driving cars require detailed maps to operate. Could Apple's car be an autonomous pod to rival Google's recent work?
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

Mike Ramsey doesn't think so: "There's no doubt that if Apple moves forward with its car, it would feature autonomous elements.
"But we are a long way off having an affordable vehicle that can drive itself. A pure electric vehicle would be more sensible to pursue because it's very simple.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

"There's no engine or exhaust system to engineer, which is the reason why Tesla got involved in the industry in the first place," he adds.

The evidence mounts

Allegations that Apple had been pinching staff from battery manufacturer A123 soon surfaced after the initial "iCar" reports made national news.
According to a lawsuit field against the tech giant, Apple had been poaching A123 staff and Tesla workers for its own battery projects.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

Cynics would say that Apple could be doing this merely in order to take its battery research in-house, thus decreasing overheads and potentially speeding up the process. Not a bad thing, considering an iPhone barely lasts a day without needing to plug it in.

The market reacts

But the opposition believes that Apple would need to assemble a team of this size only in order to set the wheels in motion for much larger, battery-operated projects, such as an all-electric vehicle, for example.
We approached Tesla about the potential poaching of staff, but were met with a brick wall. "As it's not a Tesla-specific article, I will struggle to get buy-in from the US on this occasion," said a UK-based Tesla spokesperson.
"I'm afraid that we don't offer comment on wider industry topics. Our spokespeople would only be able to talk about Tesla product specifically," they added.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

Again, when pressed about Tesla's own plans to build larger, commercial-use battery technology, the company wasn't inclined to comment at the time of going to press.

Money in the bank

The overarching argument in favour of Apple completely tearing up the automotive rulebook relates to money.
The Cupertino corporation is estimated to have a total market capitalisation of $750billion, which is more than Daimler, Volkswagen, Renault, Peugeot, Fiat Chrysler, Ford and General Motors put together.
Paul Horrell, an automotive writer for Top Gear Magazine, estimates that launching a mass-market car from scratch would cost around $25billion, which is chump change for Apple.
But this is before you consider the extensive dealership and support network required to sell vehicles and keep them on the road. Could this be an issue for Apple?
"If Apple really wanted to, it could buy out most of the automotive manufacturers currently in existence," argued Mike Ramsey of the Wall Street Journal during a recent chat.
"Apple doesn't build iPhones, it doesn't build iPads. The company has always approached things from a design and engineering angle, and the same could be true if it produced cars.
"I would speculate that Apple would simply pay another manufacturer to build the car that they have designed."

The industry reacts

Although tech heads across the globe would love to see an Apple Car cruising the streets, most within the automotive industry feel it just won't happen. There are simply too many barriers and hurdles the company would face if it wished to succeed.
Apple has zero experience in building and marketing cars, for a start, and no matter how many employees it pinches from rival companies; nothing can better years of hard graft invested in an industry.
"I'd certainly be worried about any new competitor coming into the market, but where Apple is concerned I would have to ask whether they could get the scale to make it profitable," says Phil Crossman, managing director for Honda UK.
"Tesla build a small amount of cars but get a disproportionate amount of PR from them. Apple most certainly would do the same and I think it might be great for California, but would the rest of America get into it? Would Europe buy into it? I don't know?" he adds.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

Let's look at Tesla; the company is only just hitting its stride with a semi-popular Model S, the Model X has been delayed multiple times and Musk's automotive vision continues to lose money. Furthermore, electric cars are yet to replace the internal combustion engine as a global choice of transport.
Even Honda, a company that has built a reputation on innovation, has moved away from the all-electric car, instead favouring hydrogen as a more sustainable source of energy.
BMW, Nissan and Renault already offer pure electric vehicles, but those companies are recouping the losses that come with blazing a trail thanks to an extensive and popular line-up of top-selling petrol and diesel cars.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

Just look at sales of the Renault Zoe or the Nissan Leaf, impressive for a completely new technology but nowhere near enough to start winding down production of its gas-powered motors.
But the automotive industry must innovate to survive, and even a relatively old-school automotive manufacturer such as Mercedes-Benz is dabbling with new ideas.
A recent unveiling of the Mercedes F015 concept at this year's Consumer Electronics Show suggests it is pushing on with all manner of autonomous driving technology and alternative powertrains.
However, even Mercedes head honcho Dieter Zetsche doesn't see Apple as a threat in the automotive industry. He told journalists from Australia's Motoring.com.au at a recent product launch event: "If there were a rumour that Mercedes or Daimler planned to start building smartphones then they (Apple) would not be sleepless at night. And the same applies to me.
"And this is full of respect for Apple."
Zetsche also reiterated a question posed by many industry insiders, as to why Apple would consider entering a market in which they weren't top dog – a market where the profit margins are not as favourable as those in the consumer tech industry.

But what if?

"Why (Apple) with this kind of margin would now go into this business? I think investors will hate it because they don't like conglomerates, they want focused management on what they understand.
"Perhaps some neighbouring fields, but not somewhere different. The fact you can listen to iTunes in a car doesn't make it in itself consistent.
"I don't know their strategy and I do not know what they are doing, but I would be very surprised if that proved to be right," he added.
Phil Crossman, managing director for Honda UK, echoed the thoughts of most within the industry, telling us: "The smart thing for Apple to do would be to work alongside manufacturers and concentrate on what they are good at, infotainment. We are good at making cars and they are good at consumer electronics. It's as simple as that"

But what if?

The question is, will Apple always be happy with that niche? As Google dabbles in everything from heads-up displays to VR goggles made of cardboard to, yes, self-driving cars, Apple is left looking dull by comparison. Profitable, but dull.
All jokes about not having Windows and poor battery life aside, if the Apple Car were to see the light of day it would undoubtedly feature an electric powertrain. It seems too far-fetched for the maker of the iPhone to suddenly dabble in internal combustion engines.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

So, a rival to Tesla's beautiful EVs appears to be the most sensible conclusion, and this opens up a number of exciting and innovative features that could one day make it to market.
Seamless integration between Apple's smartphones and smartwatches would be the immediate assumption. Customers would be able to lock and unlock their vehicles simply by having an iPhone tucked in their pocket or an Apple Watch on their wrist.
Apple would also likely allow owners to check on their vehicle's status remotely via a branded device. This would make locating the Apple Car in a busy car park simpler; customers could remotely heat and cool their vehicles, as well as receive notifications on charge status.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

The thing is, none of that is new. BMW and Tesla already offer this kind of connectivity via smarpthone apps, but it seems fair to assume Apple's integration of software would be more creative, powerful and impressive.
Design would also play a major part in the process – with Apple responsible for some of the most stylish technology products of the last decade, there's no doubting they'd try to make "Car" as stylish as possible. They would want it to look different to existing cars, too.
However, we're talking here about a mature industry where some of the greatest designers in history have spent billions of dollars to create the most beautiful and aerodynamic cars possible. Can Apple really bring anything new to that particular party?
Yes it can, if cars no longer look or behave like cars as we know them.
Now, some reports have suggested Apple wants to get its hypothetical car project off the drawing board by 2020. This date just happens to coincide with the automotive industry's prediction of when we will see the first autonomous vehicles going on sale.
Volvo, a company that has been working tirelessly towards a semi-autonomous driving future, claims that its latest research will see real commuters behind the wheel of its self-driving XC90 vehicles by 2016.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

Mercedes-Benz also believes that we will see legislation change in the next few years that will allow certain aspects of autonomous driving to be legalised.
If Apple's car is to be produced, it will be released into an environment where emailing, texting and catching up with online news while behind the wheel will no longer land you in jail.
When that happens, car design will no longer need to be based around forward-facing seats and aerodynamics. They will have the scope to become more like offices or rooms on wheels. Apple will be able to bring truly fresh design ideas to bear, while traditional auto marques continue to build and market cars as things to drive.
This would also allow the brand to Apple-ise the way we interact with in-car entertainment, employing its usual neat approach – intuitive, simple UIs, extended eco-systems and seemingly irresistible content flogging – to own the in-car entertainment space.
It'll beam news to interior touchscreens, pump iTunes music through a cutting-edge, 15th-generation Beats soundsystem and stream movies to Retina Displays. And the windows will be touchscreens with artfully placed streaks of virtual water flowing down them – so much better than the view outside.
Everything you need to know about the Apple Car

"A car is becoming more of a microprocessor and a software-driven device rather than a mechanical product," Mike Ramsey said.
"Apple might not be looking at the car as a margin and profitability assessment, rather as an investment area. Just look at Nvidia and Qualcomm: the automotive industry has quickly become their second biggest client after the tech firms."
My view? For now, Apple will continue to push CarPlay and iPhone/iPad integration to existing car brands. Its recent bouts of hiring from the auto industry are to ensure it remains the biggest player in smartphone integration into cars.
In fact, as long as humans are required to make cars drive, Apple won't make one. However, as autonomous cars become the norm, automotive is exactly the kind of area Apple could muscle into and disrupt. The road to that day is likely to be a long and winding one, though.

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Monday, August 17, 2015

IT News Head Lines (Techradar) 18/08/2015

Virtualisation doesn't miss out

Crunching the numbers

iHope

Leak easy

Top 10 Tech Gadgets to Take With You

Mother, I'm so, so cold...

Give me my blanket

Chow down

Sang froid

Last resting place

I can see you

Water...water...

Can you smell my armpits?

Master and commander

YouTube hit

Introduction

1995

1996

1997-1998

1999-2000

2001-2005

2006-2007

2008-2009

2010-2011

2012-2013

2014-2015

Dropping soon

Introduction

Device-to-device communications (D2D)

Machine Learning

C-RAN

Bluetooth 4.2

LTE-Advanced

WiGig

Battery technology for portable devices

Graphene

The self-organising network (SON)

In-vehicle smartphone standards

New Apple Watch band limitations

Best laptops: all your buying questions answered

What does TechRadar recommend?

Best Ultrabook: Dell XPS 13 (2015)

Best Chromebook: Google Chromebook Pixel 2015

Best gaming laptop: Origin EON15-X

Best 2-in-1 laptop: Microsoft Surface Pro 3

Best student laptop: Asus Zenbook UX305

Best mobile workstation: Lenovo ThinkPad W550s

Best business laptop: 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina (2015)

Best Windows tablet: Dell Venue 11 Pro 7000

Laptops on our radar for 2015

What else should you consider?

Break down the types of laptops for me

Go big or go, well, small

What features should you look for?

Questions to ask before buying

Two models on the way

Introduction and performance

Design

Performance

Verdict

We liked

We disliked

Final verdict

Finally! Decent wireless running headphones!

Making Runner G stronger and faster

The Google Analytics of running

Slotting together

Introduction and IoT apps

What is Google Brillo?

How significant is Google Brillo?

The IoT's app ecosystem

Limitations and IoT land-grab

What about Apple's HomeKit?

What are Brillo's limitations?

Is a Google monopoly a good idea?

The IoT land-grab

Introduction and design

Xbox One vs PS4 hardware design