HTC One UK users to finally receive KitKat update

HTC is expected to begin the roll-out of a second Android KitKat update for European HTC Oneowners, which should come as particularly good news by device owners in the UK, who have up to now been kept waiting.

The HTC One European update to Android 4.4 KitKat began in late January, but for reasons which remain unknown the UK was left out of the initial list of countries included. An update for UK owners was then confirmed for release by a February 24th tweet from the HTC UK account.

That news should have seen an over-the-air rollout in full swing by early March. However on March 3rd Android Central reported that the update was being withdrawn due to "difficulties". Users who had already acquired the update were experiencing issues, which prompted HTC to pull the update and release the following statement:

"We are aware that a limited number of HTC users are experiencing difficulties with the KitKat update. As a result, all FOTA updates have been temporarily suspended. HTC is committed to providing customers with the best possible mobile experience and we are working hard to resolve the issue quickly."

The new update should address the issue, and provide an trouble-free 4.4.2 experience to users yet to receive the latest Android iteration. The release notes detail enhancements and bug fixes alongside support for more routers to improve wi-fi performance.

HTC's software update page states the latest build (4.19.401.11) will be pushed out to UK Vodafone, O2 and Three customers, alongside owners of unlocked HTC One handsets. Select European countries are also set to receive the revised update.

LG's first smart light bulb flashes when you get a phone call

LG isn't about to let household heavyweights like Philips corner the connected lighting space -- it just unveiled the Smart Lamp, its first take on the concept. The 10W LED bulb gives Android and iOS users a familiar level of control over their illumination, including a light-based alarm clock and a security mode that pretends you're at home. There are a couple of noteworthy tricks in this initial offering, however. The light connects through both Bluetooth and WiFi, letting it pull the sync-based stunts we've seen in a few other bulbs: it can flash when you get a phone call, or (with Android) pulse to the beat of the music. The Smart Lamp is more expensive than ordinary LEDs at 35,000 won ($32) in LG's native Korea, but it could be a good deal if you don't need the many-colored lighting of Hue and similar systems. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether or not it's coming to the US.

LSTN headphones: helping people hear in style

LSTN is out to change the way you hear music. But, more importantly, LSTN is helping some people to hear anything, often for the very first time. The brand launched last year with the goal of creating headphones that look great, sound great and -- as we'll see -- help you feel great. The first two goals are relatively straightforward. For example, design-wise, the use of reclaimed wood (cherry, ebony and beech) not only gives them a nice natural look, it also means every pair is unique. It's LSTN's recent work in Uganda and Kenya that should take care of that third goal, however. LSTN works closely with the Starkey Foundation so that every pair of headphones sold helps restore someone's hearing. This weekend sees the conclusion of the most recent excursion, which saw over 5,000 people across the two countries receive help with their hearing through donation of hearing aids. This brings the running total of recipients (previous trips have helped people in Peru, and right here in the US) to 15,000. LSTN's just made making the decision to help someone out (and yourself) even easier, too, with the addition of a zebra wood model to the flagship Troubador range (as seen above).As for the headphones themselves, despite the charitable connection, the Troubador mode still costs a reasonable $150. The reclaimed wood we mentioned, gloss finish and embossed LSTN logo on the earcups definitely gives them an undoubted cool-factor. They're super comfortable too. What about the sound? We're pleased to say that this part clearly wasn't an afterthought. The Troubadors are well balanced with not too much boosting on the low-end (as is often the case with style-conscious headphones), providing a sound quality that exceeds its price-point.

How would you change's Sony's NEX-5R?

Most camera geeks agree that Sony needed to make up for the NEX-F3, and that it did so with style by producing the NEX-5R. When we placed this in the hands of our in-house camera guru, he was "thrilled." In fact, he described it as one of the best compact ILCs of 2012-2013, and that people should keep it in their mind the next time it came time to buy a camera. The question that needs to be asked, however, is did our man Honig get it right? If you're a shutterbug who put one of these through its paces, then share with us your impressions and feelings over on the forum.

Apple ditches iPad 2 and releases 8GB iPhone 5c

Apple has dropped the ageing iPad 2 and bought back the iPad with Retina display as part of a tablet and phone reshuffle.

The fourth-gen iPad is now Apple's entry level tablet. It has a 9.7in Retina display, 16GB of storage and is powered by Apple's A6X chip. The Wi-Fi only version costs £329 and the Wi-Fi and cellular version comes in at £429.

While the iPad 2 was released over three years ago it was kept on as the company's budget tablet when the iPad Air was released in November 2013. But the ageing hardware struggled with the recent update to iOS 7, with many users complaining that the iPad 2 was almost unusable on Apple's latest operating system.

The iPad with Retina display, also known as the fourth generation iPad, has far superior specs. As well as a better screen and faster processor it also has a 5-megapixel iSight camera, FaceTime HD camera for video calls and around 10 hours of battery life.

At £329 the new entry-level iPad with Retina display is only £10 more expensive than the latest iPad mini at £319.

A new version of the iPhone 5c has also been announced. The 8GB iPhone 5c costs £429, only £40 less than the 16GB model. In January Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the iPhone 5c hadn't performed well and the company will be hoping this slightly cheaper model will attract punters.

But the paltry 8GB of storage space might see the new iPhone 5C struggle, with little room to store games and apps. Despite ditching the ageing iPad 2 Apple is still selling the 8GB iPhone 4S, which dates from October 2011.

iPad Air vs iPad 4: What's the difference?

UPDATED on 18th March 2014 as Apple announce that the iPad 4 (now known as the iPad with Retina Display) is back on sale as a budget option to the iPad Air.

The iPad Air, Apple's latest tablet, improves on the previous generation iPad 4 in a number of ways, but are they enough to make it a must-have upgrade? We've compared the headline specifications to work out which you should buy.

DESIGN

With a sleeker, more streamlined design that borrows heavily from the original iPad Mini, the iPad Air is definitely a thing of beauty. The iPad 4 is positively bulky in comparison; the iPad Air is thinner (7.5mm vs 9.4mm), smaller (240x169mm vs 241x185mm) and lighter (469g vs 652g). This is only in part down to the thinner screen bezels, with Apple refining the design to make the most of every last millimetre of internal space.

Both models are available in a choice of Space Grey or Silver colours. There will be no Champagne gold edition like there was with the iPhone 5s, but in our opinion that's definitely a good thing.

WINNER: iPad Air

DISPLAY

Apple's push towards Retina displays saw the iPad 4 launch with the same 2,048x1,536 resolution as the iPad 3. With a 264 pixels per inch (ppi) density, it's impossible to see individual pixels from an average viewing distance.

With no need to increase the resolution any further, Apple has stuck with the same sized panel for the iPad Air. It's still a 9.7in panel, with a 2,048x1,536 resolution and 264ppi pixel density, which should look just as good in the new model as it does in the old one.

TIE

PERFORMANCE

Apple introduced the A6X processor with the iPad 4 - it was an evolution of the chip found in the iPhone 5, with dual CPU cores but four graphics cores to better render the huge Retina resolution display. It's still a potent combination, even running iOS 7, but there was clearly still room for improvement.

With the iPad Air, Apple has brought the Apple A7 processor from the iPhone 5s. It's a 64-bit processor, paired with the M7 motion co-processor that doubles CPU performance over the previous generation. It will comfortably run anything the iTunes App store has to offer, including the latest games, at Retina resolutions.

The iPad Air can be configured with either 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, in either Wi-Fi only or 4G LTE variants. The iPad 4, however, is only available with 16GB of storage in either Wi-Fi only or 3G/4G variants. However, the iPad Air has dual antenna MIMO Wi-Fi, which may not make it any faster but will improve signal reception over the iPad 4.

WINNER: iPad Air

PRICE

The iPad 4 cost £399 when it first launched, firmly putting it at the high-end of tablet market. As Apple tends to keep its prices consistent, it should come as no surprise that the iPad Air will also start at £399 for a 16GB Wi-Fi only model. Add extra capacity and 4G networking and the price quickly jumps, reaching as high as £739.

The iPad 4, on the other hand, has had its price lowered to £329 for the Wi-Fi only version and £429 for the cellular model. However, seeing as you get more for your money with the iPad Air, we're giving this one to the new model.

WINNER: iPad Air

WIRELESS AND 4G

Although the iPad Air uses 802.11n (dual-band) rather than the newer 802.11ac standard, Apple has fitted it with a Multiple In Multiple Out (MIMO) system. This helps improve both range and throughput compared to the iPad 4, which uses 802.11n with a single antenna.

In addition, Apple has overhauled LTE support for the iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular version. With the iPad 4, 4G is only available with EE. The other networks are only available with 3G options. A new chip means that the iPad Air now works with all of the UK networks.

WINNER: iPad Air

CONCLUSION

The iPad Air is a significant upgrade to the iPad 4 in terms of looks and performance. While there hasn't been any change to the camera or display, we think you'd feel short-changed if you chose an iPad 4 over an iPad Air in 2014. With only £70 separating each tablet, you're getting much more for your money with the iPad Air and its slimmer dimensions will continue to feel much more comfortable to hold and use over the tablet's lifespan. If you choose an iPad 4 now, you'd be stuck with a significantly heavier and thicker tablet until you next decide to upgrade, and its ageing A6X chip will begin to feel slower at a much faster rate over the coming years than the iPad Air's A7 chip. If anyone still on the fence should definitely pick the iPad Air over the iPad 4.

iPad Air vs iPad 4: What's the difference?

UPDATED on 18th March 2014 as Apple announce that the iPad 4 (now known as the iPad with Retina Display) is back on sale as a budget option to the iPad Air.

The iPad Air, Apple's latest tablet, improves on the previous generation iPad 4 in a number of ways, but are they enough to make it a must-have upgrade? We've compared the headline specifications to work out which you should buy.

DESIGN

With a sleeker, more streamlined design that borrows heavily from the original iPad Mini, the iPad Air is definitely a thing of beauty. The iPad 4 is positively bulky in comparison; the iPad Air is thinner (7.5mm vs 9.4mm), smaller (240x169mm vs 241x185mm) and lighter (469g vs 652g). This is only in part down to the thinner screen bezels, with Apple refining the design to make the most of every last millimetre of internal space.

Both models are available in a choice of Space Grey or Silver colours. There will be no Champagne gold edition like there was with the iPhone 5s, but in our opinion that's definitely a good thing.

WINNER: iPad Air

DISPLAY

Apple's push towards Retina displays saw the iPad 4 launch with the same 2,048x1,536 resolution as the iPad 3. With a 264 pixels per inch (ppi) density, it's impossible to see individual pixels from an average viewing distance.

With no need to increase the resolution any further, Apple has stuck with the same sized panel for the iPad Air. It's still a 9.7in panel, with a 2,048x1,536 resolution and 264ppi pixel density, which should look just as good in the new model as it does in the old one.

TIE

PERFORMANCE

Apple introduced the A6X processor with the iPad 4 - it was an evolution of the chip found in the iPhone 5, with dual CPU cores but four graphics cores to better render the huge Retina resolution display. It's still a potent combination, even running iOS 7, but there was clearly still room for improvement.

With the iPad Air, Apple has brought the Apple A7 processor from the iPhone 5s. It's a 64-bit processor, paired with the M7 motion co-processor that doubles CPU performance over the previous generation. It will comfortably run anything the iTunes App store has to offer, including the latest games, at Retina resolutions.

The iPad Air can be configured with either 16GB, 32GB, 64GB or 128GB of internal storage, in either Wi-Fi only or 4G LTE variants. The iPad 4, however, is only available with 16GB of storage in either Wi-Fi only or 3G/4G variants. However, the iPad Air has dual antenna MIMO Wi-Fi, which may not make it any faster but will improve signal reception over the iPad 4.

WINNER: iPad Air

PRICE

The iPad 4 cost £399 when it first launched, firmly putting it at the high-end of tablet market. As Apple tends to keep its prices consistent, it should come as no surprise that the iPad Air will also start at £399 for a 16GB Wi-Fi only model. Add extra capacity and 4G networking and the price quickly jumps, reaching as high as £739.

The iPad 4, on the other hand, has had its price lowered to £329 for the Wi-Fi only version and £429 for the cellular model. However, seeing as you get more for your money with the iPad Air, we're giving this one to the new model.

WINNER: iPad Air

WIRELESS AND 4G

Although the iPad Air uses 802.11n (dual-band) rather than the newer 802.11ac standard, Apple has fitted it with a Multiple In Multiple Out (MIMO) system. This helps improve both range and throughput compared to the iPad 4, which uses 802.11n with a single antenna.

In addition, Apple has overhauled LTE support for the iPad Air Wi-Fi + Cellular version. With the iPad 4, 4G is only available with EE. The other networks are only available with 3G options. A new chip means that the iPad Air now works with all of the UK networks.

WINNER: iPad Air

CONCLUSION

The iPad Air is a significant upgrade to the iPad 4 in terms of looks and performance. While there hasn't been any change to the camera or display, we think you'd feel short-changed if you chose an iPad 4 over an iPad Air in 2014. With only £70 separating each tablet, you're getting much more for your money with the iPad Air and its slimmer dimensions will continue to feel much more comfortable to hold and use over the tablet's lifespan. If you choose an iPad 4 now, you'd be stuck with a significantly heavier and thicker tablet until you next decide to upgrade, and its ageing A6X chip will begin to feel slower at a much faster rate over the coming years than the iPad Air's A7 chip. If anyone still on the fence should definitely pick the iPad Air over the iPad 4.