New mobile phones to have swappable parts

When Motorola announced back in October that it was developing a modular phone people stopped, got excited, and then shrugged the idea off as something that was too impractical to ever become a reality.

Project Ara designs

Now however Motorola have announced they have a manufacturer for the parts and are preparing their first prototype, with signs pointing to an actual retail release next year. And it seems more companies are jumping on the modular bandwagon with images of a modular phone design called Magic Cube briefly appearing on the official Weibo page of the Xiaomi's founder, and CEO, Lei Jun, strongly suggesting his company is itself looking into modular phones.

Ok, you may be wondering, but what is a modular phone and why would I want one?

It's actually a rather simple idea - you buy a phone as normal but, when you want to upgrade it, you just swap out the bits you want to replace, for new bits.

Say you want a new 16 megapixel camera and a higher resolution screen, well you simply unplug the current camera and screen - and plug in new ones, it's that simple.

Many of us upgrade our phones for just one or two reasons, not because we don't like our current phones but because we want say that better camera, or more storage space, with Motorolas design the swappable components (modules) simply slide into place and can be removed just as easily, making upgrading your phone as easy as replacing the batteries in a remote control.

It's a simple concept but one that has never been practical, until now. If Motorola can pull this off, and they certainly have the smarts and financial backing to do so, the future of mobile phones could be modular - and upgrading your phone will become easier and a lot more affordable.

Minecraft hits PS3

Fans of the blocky goodness that is Minecraft could have an extra special Christmas this year - if they own a Playstation 3, 4 or Vita.

Microsofts exclusive deal to keep Minecraft on their Xbox 360 console expired recently and now software developer Mojang is bringing the worldwide hit to Sonys console range beginning December 17th in America (December 18th in Europe) with Minecraft PS3 edition, followed in 2014 with PS4 and PS Vita editions.

Games for all three consoles will be the same as on the 360 and will continue to have the same features although the PS4 and Xbox one versions will of course have additional features more in line with the PC edition.

While there is no word yet on pricing the PS3 edition is likely to be the same price as the Xbox 360 version, around £14.

Five free HD tv channels launch in UK

The BBC launch five new high definition tv channels today, placeholder broadcasts are already in place and in a matter of hours the UK will be able to see all their favourite BBC channels in HD.

Available on Freeview, YouView, Sky, FreeSat and Virgin Media from December 10th the new additions arrive just in time for all the good, and bad, festive BBC offerings such as the one off Open All Hours special starring David Jason, the Doctor Who Christmas special and the love it or loathe it Strictly Come Dancing.

Sky users who already subscribe to the HD package should find their Sky boxes automatically replace the current channels with their new high def replacements, as has happened with many existing channels, if not then simply add the channels to your favourites list. The channel details for all viewing platforms can be found below....

BBC Three HD is available on Freeview HD / YouView channel 105, Freesat HD channel 147, Sky HD channels 115 or 210 (depending on your tv package) and Virgin Media channel 163.

BBC Four HD will be available on Freeview HD / YouView channel 106, Freesat HD channel 148, Sky HD channels 116 or 211 (depending on your tv package) and Virgin Media channel 164.

BBC News HD will be available on Freeview HD / YouView channel 107, Freesat HD channel 148, Sky HD channel 570 and Virgin Media channel 604.

CBBC HD will be available on Freeview HD / YouView channel 73, Freesat HD channel 607, Sky HD channels 613 or 633 (depending on your tv package) and Virgin Media channel 710.

CBeebies HD will be available on Freeview HD / YouView channel 74, Freesat HD channel 608, Sky HD channels 614 or 624 (depending on your tv package) and Virgin Media channel 711.

Android for the disabled

Android may be the worlds most popular operating system for phones and tablets but if you have problems seeing what's on the screen you can't really take advantage of it, so what can you do if you can't see very well?

We don't often consider the problems disabled users face when using our favourite gadgets and gizmos so, to help those who do have sight problems or other impairments, let's look at an answer to that question, starting with TalkBack.

TalkBack is a big part of Android, and one that helps a lot with accessibility.

Included in the settings menu of almost all Android devices, and available from the Play Store for those few that don't have it installed, TalkBack literally talks back to you - it describes everything on the screen, and helps you use your phone or tablet to its full potential.

How?

Slide your finger across your home or app screens and Talkback will tell you the name of everything your finger passes over, from buttons to app icons and literally everything in between - so even if you can't see it you can know what's on screen and you can interact with it.

It will describe anything under your fingers, for instance if you touch a button it will tell you what that button does, if you come across some text it will read that text to you, you can have notifications read to you, when you receive a text or phone call TalkBack will tell you who it's from.

For users with missing digits, or limbs, who perhaps find it hard to type there is another way of interacting with your Android - Googles free (as all Google apps are) Gesture Search.

This allows you to draw on screen, one letter at a time, and will add those letters together and then search for things on your phone or tablet that match.

Let's say you have fingers missing and you want to open the YouTube app.

Instead of having to struggle opening your app drawer and scrolling through it you can use your fist, elbow, even a toe foot or heel to scrawl the letter Y on screen - you can take up the whole screen with the one letter.

You'll see things with Y at the start of their name pop up, contacts whose name begins with Y for example, scrawl an O and only things starting with YO will be shown....soon you'll see YouTube and can just press on it to open the YouTube app.

The same thing works for contacts, start drawing a large letter on screen and names of people you know that start with that letter will appear, press on the persons name to contact them.

Then there are apps that, while not free, are extremely useful yet cost very little such as Virginia.

Virginia costs £2.84 and is a simple easy to use app designed to help those who can't speak, or who can't communicate well, to talk. It turns your device into a communicator, like the sort that typically cost a lot more than a cup of coffee to buy.

It shows on screen a simple set of large tiles, each tile has a picture of an action (for example the icon for "my back itches" is a picture of a persons back being scratched) and the text of what pressing the tile will make your Android say.

With Virginia you can say hundreds of different words and phrases from a simple "yes" "no" or "thank you" to more detailed phrases such as "I would like to have some pasta" or "I have a pain in my right ear".

Virginia has competition in the form of a popular free app,called AAC Speech Communicator.



AAC is the same format, it uses tiles on screen, but rather than press one tile to get a quick preset word or phrase spoken you can press several tiles and then have them spoken aloud when you are ready, allowing for more unique and very highly detailed communication.

It is a very good app, and can produce more complex speech than Virginia while remaining easy to use, but be aware it is not quite as polished looking, however it is free and it is a very useful app for those who need help communicating.

Getting manufacturer specific now, Samsungs recent phones and tablets, such as the Galaxy series, have additional features that help. By default you can answer phone calls with your voice, if your phone rings simply say "answer" and the call will be put on speakerphone for you.

In the accessibility settings for Samsung devices you will find other options (a lot of manufacturers offer similar features so don't be afraid to dig around your settings if you're not using a Samsung device), you can have passwords spoken out to you as you enter them, useful if you can't see the characters on screen or if you can't read very well.

You can change font size, adjust your Androids colour, change the audio balance, zoom in and out of any screen to make what's displayed larger when needed and there is a setting called "improve accessibility" that makes additional changes specifically for users with reduce dexterity.

Back to free apps and there is one app that, if you have decent battery life, could be a big help, Utter.

Utter is a voice assistant that can be used with or without an internet connection. You can either press a button and then speak your command or (this is the bit that needs good battery life) have it always listening for your command so that you can wake it up and have it obey your commands at any time with no physical interaction needed.

With Utter you can send a text, make phone calls, update your facebook status, check the weather, open an app, play music or videos etcetera completely hands free.

And finally one more app, built into all recent Android phones and tablets, Google Now.

Google Now is a voice assistant that can do a lot of things for you. You can say "set an alarm for ... o'clock" and it will set an alarm for that time, you can ask it questions like "is it going to rain tomorrow?" or "how old is the American president?" or "what is a .....?" and it will answer them for you.

You can say "navigate to ...." and name a place to have Android give you directions to a particular place, "convert <currency, length, etcetera> to <currency, length, etcetera" to convert between units of measurement, for example "convert ten inches to feet".

Android has features that make disabled users lives a lot easier, as well as some useful apps (the majority of which are free) and hopefully this post will point those who need them in the right direction.

Zero lemon S4 7500mah battery [review]

The ZeroLemon 7500 mah battery for Samsungs Galaxy S4 is a big step up from the phones standard battery, but is it any good?

Retailing for £23.99 this is a big battery, boy is it big -  it will make your S4 twice as deep as it was before, and none of your cases will fit - so again the question has to be asked - is it really worth it?

The screenshot below may help answer that, over thirty two hours on battery, with just over nine of those hours being screen on time, that's an impressive achievement given the typical four hours of screen on time achieved using the stock Samsung battery.

That additional five or so hours of screen time included having additional services running such as instashare roundr Tasker sidebar etcetera that weren't in use with the standard Samsung battery - as well as gps and wifi and the phone still manages all day heavy usage.

The battery does have nfc but there is a catch, S-Beam will work perfectly but you will find it hard to read any nfc tags any more.

For example none of the blank nfc tags that work with the stock Samsung battery would work with the ZeroLemon replacement, at least not the particular one being used, nor would any nfc tag I could find elsewhere (such as the interactive ones at some bus stops).

Literally no tag would work, which was annoying but for me would only have been a deal breaker had S-Beam not worked, though rest assured that it works flawlessly as ZeroLemon claim.

Because the battery is so big it comes with its own rather large replacement housing that fits nicely around the phone and also provides a slight raised border around the screen so that if you lay it on a flat surface your screen won't come into contact with said surface and risk any damage.

If you commute, or use your phone for a lot more than just calls and texts (as many of us do), and you aren't bothered about your lovely slim phone suddenly looking like it's been stuffing itself with, well, whatever a phone would eat (if it could), then this battery could well be something you need.

I did ask ZeroLemon what tag types the NFC in their batteries will read but they did not provide that information, however their customer service is as good as they claim, the case that came with the battery had small marks on it and they dispatched one free of charge with a prompt response.

The case itself can be purchased in white or black and the only negative impact of the case, size aside, is that the sound from the rear speaker is covered by the battery and so the sound is channeled downward instead.

While some reviews claim this produces a muffled or quieter sound this has not been noticeable from personal experience, sound is fine and as clear as when using the original battery.

If you use your phone a lot, as in very heavy use (games, downloading, long commutes playing music, satellite navigation, taking a lot of pictures, etcetera) this is the battery for you.

It does have drawbacks, namely that nfc tags do not work (at least none of the ones I have tried, although NFC itself works because S-Beam uses it, and S-Beam works perfectly). Also your phone will now be a lot deeper, none of your cases will fit and you probably won't be able to wear skinny jeans any more - if you want to carry your phone in your pockets that is.

But once you have experienced being able to use your phone to its full potential, all day, without worrying if the battery will last until you get home as you gun down hordes of zombies, watch a hd movie, edit photo's, etcetera, you may find that, like me, you wouldn't go back to the stock battery.

Sidebar [Review]

There are a plethora of sidebar style apps for Android but after extensive testing of many of these, including the popular Edge app, the aptly titled Sidebar is definitely among the best.

There is a free version and a surprisingly affordable pro version but what does it do and, well, is it worth getting?

Sidebar pops open a customisable sidebar menu on the left or right side of your Androids screen. This menu hides until you choose to open it with a quick swipe.

It shows icons for your favourite applications, and for those already open, as well as an additional menu of toggles (for example the ever useful torch), so you can easily switch between apps with a quick swipe rather than have to dig through your app drawer or search through your home screens, making this a very handy utility.

The screenshots shown here are not what you will see if you use the default settings, they show the sidebar after the opacity and colour have been changed (this can be done in the pro version) and with apps added to the menu, but that is the beauty of Sidebar, you can make it look the way you want it to.

Effect on battery life is minimal, certainly not enough to be a concern, though if you have a very limited amount of ram be aware that Sidebar uses around 22 megabytes and runs three services (for app selection, swipe detection and displaying the actual sidebar itself).

This shouldn't be a problem unless you have a very low memory device and is less than many launchers use, so if you have a few hundred megabytes or more ram on your phone (or tablet) this is one app that may warrant your attention.

Some devices, such as The Samsung Galaxy S4, will need the sensitivity set to high - this can easily be done in the apps preferences menu, which can be accessed by running the application at any time, if you find you can't get the sidebar to show make sure to set the sensitivity to high.

Sidebar is a brilliantly simple utility, you are only ever a quick swipe away from running any app you choose, or switching from one app to another, and the toggles for wifi, torch, etcetera make it even more useful.

Yes Sidebar is one of those apps that quickly makes you wonder just how you got along without it, it makes app selection and task switching absurdly easy and does so while consuming very little system resources.

The app is developed by Mohammed Adib, developer of the popular Roundr app and, as you might expect if you've used said application, functions smoothly with regular updates that add new features or fix any bugs found, so if you want a sidebar app that will continue to be supported into the forseeable future this is one worth considering.

Take 3D pics on your 2D phone [guide]

3D has progressed a long way since the days of the funky blue green glasses many still associate with life in the third dimension, a good 3D photograph can be a thing of beauty, adding depth and presence to its subject, or it can make you reach forward to try and grab inside of it.

With many of us having 3D televisions, computers or portable 3D devices such as the Nintendo 3DS it makes sense that we'd like to take our own 3D pictures, but then to do that we need a high end expensive 3D camera. Right?

Well, no, you can do it for free with the phone or camera you have right now.

Let's just jump straight in and explain how. For this example we will use a location where not many people are around. The anaglyph example image shown here was actually my first try a few years ago at doing this with a 2D camera but it serves as a good example of what even a novice can achieve on their first try.

Pick a location, or just snap a pic of your laptop or tv, after all it is just to show you how its done.

Take a picture with your choice of digital camera, it doesn't matter whether it is a dslr, phone, tablet, etcetera, just snap one pic then, keeping the camera at the same height move it an inch or so to the right and snap another picture.

There are two easy ways to make the two pictures into 3D, we will look at both here. The most convenient for Android or iOS users is likely to be the free 3Dsteroid / i3Dsteroid app, but first let's check out the method you can use if you have a Windows laptop, tablet or desktop pc.

Stereo Photo Maker is a great, fast all in one tool for making your 2D image into 3D...it can also convert 3D pictures into various alternative 3D formats but we're using it here for its ability to combine two images together.

Click the link above and you'll see, at the top of the web page it opens, a link to download the 3D software. It's really easy, just click the download link on that page and it downloads a zip file to your pc.

Navigate to that folder using Windows explorer and right click your mouse over it so a menu pops up and from there choose the unzip or unpack option (on some computers it will say unarchive or extract).

Unzip the content anywhere you like. It is an executable file (exe), no installation needed - from now on any time you want to use the program simply double click the exe and the software will open (I have it on my desktop as a shortcut).

First things first, get the two pics you took and put them on your computer. If you used a phone you can either plug it in to your pc and transfer the files that way or, if you used a camera, remove the memory card and put it into your pc's memory reader slot (if your pc does not have one they can be bought at many retail outlets and typically cost around five pounds).

Run the windows program program you extracted earlier (called StereoPhotoMaker) and from its FILE menu click "Open Left / Right images". Find the first picture you took and click OPEN or double click the image.

This loads that image in as the left eye view, repeat the process for the second image which we will use as the right eye view. From the softwares STEREO menu click on the type of 3D image you want to make (unless your computer is 3D the best option is to choose Anaglyph and use those funky 3D glasses while editing your picture, you can always change the output format before you save the finished 3D image later).

From the programs ADJUST menu click on "Auto Adjust". It will take a few seconds to analyse the two pictures and then automatically line them up so they make one 3D image, even if the pictures you took were way too far apart this process is good enough to compensate somewhat for that and produce a good true 3D image.

If you want to make the 3D even more pronounced you can do that easily by clicking the ADJUST menu and from there choosing the "Easy Adjustment" option which will let you move the two images closer or further apart to increase or decrease the 3D effect, among other things.

When you are ready to save your image it's easy, just click the FILE menu and choose "Save Stereo Image".

A save box opens up, simply type in a name for your 3D picture and click save to save the image in the format you have been editing it in (eg anaglyph, side by side 3D, etcetera) or if you want to save in standard side by side (sbs) 3D format (the sort almost all 3D devices can display) make sure the save box's "always save sbs format" checkbox is ticked and that way, whatever format you work in, it will still save in side by side format. Otherwise remember to change the 3D format to your chosen one from the STEREO menu before saving.

And there you have it, you have made a 3D photograph. Taking two images with a normal 2D camera has its disadvantages, namely that sometimes if you have reasonably fast objects moving in the foreground or background then they will appear slightly different in each shot.

While you can edit these in free photo editing software such as the Gimp before making them 3D there is a much easier way if you own one of the Samsung devices such as the Galaxy S4 or Note whose camera features an Eraser mode.

If you have such a device, choose Eraser mode before taking your shot and the camera will edit out the moving objects in your pictures. The down side of this is that, unlike normal camera modes, you have to review the picture and click save when you take it.

This can mean your cameras point of view changes a bit between shots, such as being higher in one than the other, but that isn't a problem because the Stereo Photo Maker software will automatically adjust for that and crop your pictures accordingly as needed.

Eraser mode is surprisingly good and in a quick test of it I was able to shoot in the heart of Cardiff at rush hour with plenty of passing traffic and pedestrians and have it remove almost all the moving objects other than a couple of pedestrians. Thankfully the pedestrians were not moving fast enough to ruin the 3D image.

Android and iOS users have an additional free way to do all this, even more easily, on their phones or tablets. 3DSteroid is an excellent free Android application that can take any two images and do exactly what the above Windows software can, only even more easily.

Its iOS counterpart (by the same developer) can be found here.

The free version on each has a few limitations, the paid for version has additional features and is recommended for fans of 3D as it is literally without equal as there is no competing application that offers its abilities other than of course on home computers running Windows.

While this approach works best with landscapes, buildings and somewhat stationary objects the increasing amount of devices featuring an Eraser mode for moving objects (currently mainly those manufactured by Samsung) means that even busy locations and scenes can be shot in 3D using a 2D camera.

The eraser mode works best in scenes where a few cars or people are moving but can handle even city scenes at rush hour surprisingly well so don't be afraid to give it a try. The beauty of this approach, coupled with a camera that can remove moving objects, is that it is now possible to shoot high quality 3D images with your mobile phone thanks to the increased quality of camera phones and the advances in technology within them.

And if rumours that the upcoming Nexus 5 will use a mems lytro like camera are true the future of 3D photography on smartphones and tablets can only get better, the mems camera allows the image to be refocused even after it has been taken - meaning you can take two images and refocus them any way you like before you make them into 3D.

3D is not, as many claim, a dying format. It has been around for as long as photographs have existed and will exist far longer than any of its critics, eighteen percent of tv's sold last year were 3D models and analysts forecast that within the next few years this figure will increase to 3 in 5 televisions sold being 3D.

So, if you have a hankering to try 3D for yourself, you now have a way to do it for free. But be warned, 3D photography can sometimes be addictive.

The keyless keyboard that works

A keyless keyboard?

Yes that may sound strange but MyScript Stylus Beta is just that, a keyboard for android that isn't really a keyboard.

The app replaces your keyboard so that instead of pressing keys to type you can just write what you want to on the phone or tablets screen

How good is it? Good enough that this article was written using one thumb on a galaxy S4 with no problems.

The application is free to use - at least while still in beta stage, and learns as you type, once you get used to it you can write very quickly even with one thumb and it is very intuitive and easy to use.

There are settings for handwriting speed ( Scrolling) and you can type in a large number of languages, making this a useful app for more than just English speakers.

If you want to try it for yourself you can click here to download it from the play store.

A very promising app and one that already performs well enough for every day use, I have to admit that it is currently my "keyboard" of choice and being able to write this article using just one thumb so easily is suprising but impressive for a new beta handwriting application.

If you want to write rather than type, then this could be the app you've been waiting for.

5s hacked, fastest phone on planet? The truth revealed...

The 5s is here, and less than a week after being released it is already being crowned as both the best and worst high end phone you can buy....depending on where you get your news that is.

In the week that saw the iPhone 5s drop tested, spec tested, torn apart and subject to some unfortunate security flaws it's time to check out the truth about Apples latest iPhone.

Later we'll look at some benchmarking results that might not match with what you've heard but first....

Let's start with the shocking truth...the 5s is a good phone, and the fingerprint scanner is an innovative and welcome addition that could well usher in the return of such tech to more high end phones from other manufacturers, at least in higher numbers than can be found right now.

But wait....the 5s just got hacked, you can fool its finger print sensor with a photograph, or a cats paw....or even your nipple. How can it be a good thing. Right?

Yes. And no.

Yes people have used things other than fingers to unlock their phones, but no it didn't get hacked.

Has it been beaten, circumvented?

Yes, it has. Respected German "ethical" hacking group Chaos Computer Club (CCC), established in the early nineteen eighties, posted a video showing the 5s being trained with only one finger yet being unlocked with a completely different finger that had not been registered with the phone.

In the video a hacker places a gel copy of the registered print, created from a high resolution photograph of the print in situ on glass (and not, as some have claimed, a photograph of the finger itself, or a scan of it) onto a finger not registered with the device and places this finger onto the phones home button (which houses the touch id fingerprint scanner) - and the phone accepts the copied print and unlocks.

Debate continues to rage as to how easy this is to do, let's see what it takes and you can decide for yourself whether you need to panic should you be one of those using the new 5s.

What you need (and this is according to those involved) is a clear fingerprint (not a smudged one) of a finger registered with the phone, taken using a high resolution camera (or high resolution scanner), a laser printer, a transparent sheet and some latex.

It is not that easy to get a clear print off of your phone, of course if you happen to possess a portable crime kit it is probably extremely easy to dust it for prints and find a print that way but other than that you're going to have to spend a while looking at the phone under good lighting in the hopes of spotting a noticeable print, and then hope it photographs well, or you're going to have to get the print some other way such as from a glass they've handled, for example.

So yes, it is possible and yes it is a lot easier than Apple led many to believe...but it isn't the sort of length most phone thieves would go to just to unlock your phone - and if someone goes to the trouble of faking your fingerprint to see what's on there, you've probably got bigger problems to worry about than what they find. Like a crazed stalker or government agents out to get you.

Joking aside this is a major security blow for Apple, if this flaw had not been discovered and exposed then when it became a more widespread use of verifying identity for payments outside of the Apple ecosystem, it would have provided significant enticement for criminals and those with sensitive data (such as government employees, military personnel etcetera) would be unaware that their devices could be unlocked and their data discovered.

For most of us the scanner is still pretty secure, it's unlikely criminals will start cloning your fingerprints in the hope of unlocking stolen phones...after all aside from the equipment needed you also have to guess the correct finger (or fingers), find a clear print of that specific finger and make sure it is recognised first time....because after a few attempts the system defaults to needing your passcode, rendering the scanned print useless - even if the phone is rebooted, as the 5s requires a passcode when rebooted.

So if you need a convenient method of unlocking your phone rather than having to type in a pass code every time you want to use it, Apples touch id is a very useful way to do that. It can be beaten if you really work hard to do so, yes, but it is a lot more secure than having no lock at all and it means if your phone gets stolen then it is still a lot harder for thieves to unlock than if it had no security at all.

People have been led to believe Apple had invented a revolutionary new idea that no one could fool, when in reality yes it is a very clever approach but it is still a fingerprint scanner and so can be fooled in a similar way to other fingerprint scanners.

Okay, so aside from the touch id being fooled what has been the main topic of conversation regarding the 5s? Yep, benchmarks.

Despite the fact that in almost all the videos and reviews you will see or read the 5s is not hugely quicker in every day use than other high end phones (in fact, compare in real time the act of loading web pages for example such as facebook in a browser and you'll see phones such as the older Galaxy S4 slightly out perform the 5s) it is, as usual, statistical benchmarks and not real world use that makes the headlines.

You will have heard Apples A7 is the fastest ever processor unit on any device, ever.

So let's look at how it performs in actual tests against rival processors, here the test is Geekbench 3...although bear in mind all the processors were tested with 32 bit software except the A7 which was tested in 64 bit software (click here for detailed results and links to verify them)....

Apples 64 bit A7 processor, in full 64 bit mode gets an official Geekbench score of 2564.

Nvidias 32 bit Tegra 4 processor gets a score of 2900.

Qualcomms 32 bit Snapdragon 800 processor gets a score of 2771.

Yes you are reading right, the 64 bit A7 is a great processor but it is still beaten by some 32 bit processors used in some 32 bit Android phones (such as the Snapdragon 800 in some variants of the Samsung Galaxy S4).

Now let's be fair to Apple here, those processors that beat it have more cores than the A7, even though they are 32 bit and not 64 bit, but as you can see the hype is simply not true....Apples A7 is not the fastest cpu in a phone...but it is the fastest processor when tested for single core benchmarks.

In other words it's an impressive cpu, and were it to have as many cores as its rivals it would indeed blow them away, but then it would also eat battery life at an exorbitant rate and so the hype is true yet not true....true that it is without doubt a beast of a processor, and performs brilliantly against its 32 bit rivals with their higher clocked cores, but not true that the A7 processor is the fastest phone processor you can get.

So what is the truth?

The iPhone 5s finger print scanner is not as secure as it has been suggested, it can indeed be fooled but for your everyday use it is perfectly safe and much better an option than having no security lock on your phone at all.

And the A7 processor is impressive, and a clever piece of engineering, but it isn't quite the fastest as has been claimed.

New iPhone could take a leap forward....but will it?

Tomorrow's the day that Apple fans around the world hold their breath in expectation as the company announces the latest iPhone. Or, if credible reports are to be believed two new iPhones.

Apples new iPhone, tentatively dubbed the 5S by those awaiting its arrival, may throw a few surprises and take the phone to a whole new level, marking a more significant upgrade over previous models than currently expected.

That is if a newly discovered Apple patent is utilised on the new iPhone. European patent WO 2013 130396A2, revealed by the Apple Insider website, describes a circular fingerprint sensing device that looks suspiciously like the new iPhone home button seen in leaked photographs which, if true, is now circular with a silver surround.

That surround matches with another Apple patent regarding how to read a fingerprint using a circular button, which Patently Apple revealed here, the surround is used as part of the sensor itself and is essential to its operation which would explain why the home button would look different on the new iPhone, as it does in credible reports from a wide variety of sources.

The patent revealed by Apple Insider includes NFC and means that the new home button could not only identify users via fingerprints but also be used as a method of making secure cashless transactions via NFC, as many phones can already do, but more securely.

That means the current limit of twenty pounds per transaction could be lifted as only users verified by their fingerprint could make cashless payments, you could not have some swipe the iphone and use it to make many smaller purchases because they would need the owners finger on the home button in order to complete each transaction.

NFC has been around for years on Android phones, not just for contactless payments, but the iPhone has never featured this technology before.

If Apple implement this it offers a unique selling point that will not only encourage purchase of the new phone but could also spearhead a push forward into more secure contactless payment methods with other manufacturers having to implement something similar to keep up with Apple rather than, as has happened in recent years, Apple playing catch up with the opposition.

Will we see this in the new iPhone? Well it is hard to say, Apple has been largely playing catch up with their most recent iPhones opting for features already popular on Android devices such as the improved notification centre and a larger screen size.

This would show they still have the power to surprise with something original, not unique, but certainly a more effective and elegant solution than has been seen before and help quash the mounting gripes that Apple has lost its ability to innovate.

The question is whether Apple will dare to be that little bit different again, and in reality that is something we can only guess at until the new phone is official but yes it is likely Apple will indeed include a fingerprint scanner on their new model.

Whether it will also feature NFC is difficult to say but, sooner or later, Apple will have to jump onto the NFC wagon and doing so in such a way makes a lot more sense than adding it a few phones down the line when perhaps its rivals will be pushing forward with the next generation of it although it's interesting to note that none of the leaked Chinese marketing material, photographs of which are included here, make no mention of NFC.

For those interested in what to expect from tomorrows new iPhone....if indeed that is what Apple annouce, here's a summary of the most credible rumours and leaks based only on those from multiple and reliable sources....

There will be two new iPhones. The 5S will be the mainstream model, featuring the fingerprint sensor and probably also Apples new A7 processor, while the 5C will be essentially a cut down version of the current iPhone 5 in a plastic casing available in multiple colour choices and starting at around £300.

The 5S screen size will remain at four inches but the phone has an improved standby time of 250 hours with an improves eight mega pixel camera that will perform better in low light conditions and follow in the footsteps of Samsungs Galaxy S4 by filming in slow motion at 120 frames per second. The camera will include two seperate flashes to make photographs appear more natural in colour and tone.

The A7 operates, allegedly, 31% faster than the A6 used in the iPhone 5 and while not a huge improvement overall the new iPhone 5S would bring new features and a new USP (unique selling point) that would certainly help Apple shift even more of their new model than usual.

Given their purchase of finger print sensor company AuthenTech, and their newly acquired patents, along with the leaked marketing material and various photographs of the new iPhone, it seems more than likely the new iPhone will indeed be as expected with a fingerprint sensor and quite possibly also NFC.

If, for some reason, it has no such sensor then the new model would be a minor refresh and that would not do well for Apples reputation so expect Apple to come up with something new at tomorrows event.

Why PS4 could win the console war

Following on from the surprise announcement that, unlike Microsofts Xbox One, the upcoming Playstation 4 will only allow four controllers to be used at the same time, the internet has been awash with fanboys of both brands extolling the virtues of 8 over 4 or 4 over 8, and how more is best.

There is one very good reason why the Playstation 4 really may win the console war but, before we explain why let's get the fanboy nonsense out of the way first.

Yes the ability to have you and seven of your mates playing together in your front room is better than having only you and three of them able to play, just as a two hundred mile an hour car is better than a fifty mile an hour one.

Of course the reality is that most gamers rarely use more than four controllers at the same time, and Sony aren't stupid, they know this and they are taking a big gamble.

Yes it's a step down from the PS3's ability to connect seven controllers at the same time, but there's a reason for the "downgrade"...and it's the gamble by Sony that may change your gaming world forever.

That gamble is the Playstation 4 controller.

The Xbox One controller is a slightly modified Xbox 360 controller, more ergonomic but pretty similar to the current gen model. Microsoft have chosen to play it safe and stick with what works.

Sony have gone the other way, their new controller is literally a revolution in gaming.

Each controller has precise movement tracking built in so that it can tell exactly how much you're moving it and in what direction, move technology built into it (a glowing bar of light that will work with the PS4 eye camera to track where you are relative to your tv and how you move).

Each controller has a touch sensitive track pad built in as well as a built in speaker and, of course, vibration (Xbox One controller also has vibration) and comes with a headset included.

Why is this a revolution? Let's break it down piece by piece to see why....

The PS4 immerses you in the game in a way no other console can.

The movement tracking can track how you move and change the game accordingly...if you're one of those players who instinctively flinches when shot at in a game or who leans in when taking a tight turn in Gran Turismo, well now when you do that your character could instinctively flinch or crouch to avoid the oncoming danger, your car could automatically pull a handbrake turn or drift you around that corner.

Swipe a finger across the track pad to activate weapons or power ups, or swipe up or down on one side of the pad to alternate through tools guns or equipment and swipe up or down on the other side to open up in game maps or instructions.

Use your fingers on the track pad to "pinch to zoom", to slice or chop things (or people, at least virtual people), use your fingers to steer missiles in your favourite fps or pick locks.

Playing a fighting game? Pull your controller up to protect your body from being hit, thrust it in front of you to hit an opponent and knock them out.

From scrolling through menus, weapons or stroking virtual pets to improving your in game performance by reacting to your instinctive movements the PS4 controller is a genuine revolution not just in every day gaming but in immersive gaming, getting you more involved in the game.

The speaker in each controller can feed different audio to each player, imagine the potential for horror games. You're in a dark room, you hear an eerie scream or noise....but your friend hears something completely different.

You could make one player jump but not the others, making horror gaming even more frightening, you could feed different players different information based on where they are in a game or what they have done.

The controllers light bar can give you subtle clues or warnings, flashing different colours depending on how much life a game character has or whether you're near an important object in the game, or if you have a message for example.

Imagine playing Call Of Duty, your controller starts flashing a gentle shade of red to warn you an enemy is somewhere in the vicinity. The closer you get the redder it becomes. You turn a corner, suddenly an enemy soldier fires at you.

You press to crouch down....but you're already crouching, the game saw you flinch or duck and reacted quicker than you could press a button. You've run out of bullets in your primary weapon, you touch the track pad and it fires your pistol. You trace your finger across the pad and the bullet follows your movements....letting you control the bullet as it flies!

Sony have really gone all out with the PS4 controller, they want to capture gamers attention and get them enjoying the gaming experience. Reviewers of both Xbox One and PS4 controllers agree that the PS4 controller is a little more accurate and responsive than its Microsoft rival, but then it should be given that the new controller has been overhauled to reduce its predecessors lag and improve the small dead zone found in the middle of the PS3 controller.

On the controller front Microsoft lose out, there is no question that Sony have produce a much more interesting and immersive controller that offers a much more involving way to play games particularly with the now precise motion tracking, its touch sensitive track pad and the aforementioned light bar.

Microsoft have focused heavily on the use of Kinect, bundling it with the new Xbox and while it has grabbed a lot of headlines it's worth noting that the PS4 eye camera is designed to compete with kinect and features twin cameras (for depth perception and 3D face mapping - yes that means you will be able to put your face, not just a flat image of it, into some PS4 games) and four microphones so that it can tell precisely where in a room a sound is coming from and react accordingly.

The Xbox one comes with Kinect and one controller included for £429. You will be able to buy the PS4 with or without the PS4 eye, if you want it included there will be a bundle that features two PS4 controllers, A PS4, the exclusive new Killzone game and the PS4 eye for £427 or you can buy the Console with one controller for £349.

Both systems have their advantages, for example the Xbox One has more inputs, but on the gaming front the PS4 certainly offers a unique experience while still competing with Microsofts Kinect for more causal gamers.

Both systems are evenly matched as far as specifications go, with Sony's console having the edge thanks to its faster memory and better gpu (graphics processing unit) although in every day use the situation is pretty much, as with their current gen offerings, that both consoles are as good as each other as regards to graphics and it all depends on which you prefer.

For innovative gaming, and for every day and hardcore gamers, Sony's PS4 offers more bang for your buck.

Twelve shows Hollywood could make great movies of...instead of reboots

Rebooting movies, it seems, is a practice that's here to say.

From Robocop (seen here in a poster by Invisible Predator at Deviant Art), Fright Night, Evil Dead, Carrie and Flatliners to Gremlins Nightmare On Elm Street and (coming soon) The Terminator reboots are fast becoming a staple ingredient of the Hollywood movie diet.

Sometimes these reboots work, JJ Abrams reboot of the Star Trek franchise has been a critical and commercial success but all too often they fail dismally and, particularly for more recent movies such as Spiderman, just aren't needed.

Star Trek is an exception to the rule, but why?

Well one big difference is it wasn't a reboot of a movie, it was an update or "reboot" of the original tv series. It stayed true to the original source material and managed to introduce a plot device (time travel) that allows the two star trek universes of old and new trek to co exist in the minds of fans.

Star Trek wasn't a reboot for reboots sake, it was an updating of a decades old tv show that people loved and wanted to see bought back and because it kept true to the original source material it was able to keep Treks original fans while gaining new ones.

So why don't Hollywood try this approach again? Take a good tv series and base a film on it? We list the tv shows that could make great movies.

Captain Scarlet... this classic kids adventure series from the nineteen sixties screams modern movie makeover.

It tells the story of an organisation dedicated to protecting the earth from an alien menace that can resurrect the dead.

The hero, Captain Scarlet, has an array of high tech gadgets at his disposal as he goes head to head with his arch nemesis Captain Black, once his friend and colleague but now controlled by the aliens.

Both men are indestructible, they can die....but they never stay dead.

It has action, suspense, gadgets (from jetpacks and super cool cars to a flying air base defended by an all female fighter squadron known as the angels) , a simple yet classic plot (good versus evil) and best of all for Hollywood the tv series had more than enough original ideas should it warrant a sequel.

Who would play Captain Scarlet? Well Charlie Weber looked the spitting image of him when he starred as Steve Jinks ex boyfriend in sci-fi series Warehouse Thirteen and would certainly look the part. He has the charisma needed, and of course the dark brooding looks required.

He's not a big Hollywood star, at least not yet, but he is a charming good looking and decent actor who could make the role his own.

The story?

Astronauts exploring mars come across a hidden city, they destroy it in self defence but the city rebuilds itself.

An eerie voice emanates through their vehicle warning that earth has declared war on the mysterons and will be destroyed from within.

Unknown to the crew one of them is now under the aliens control. When they return to earth he sabotages a new monorail killing hundreds and kidnaps the president. Former friend Captain Scarlet tries to reason with him but is shot and killed.

Plunging to his death from the top of a building he wakes up to find himself in hospital.

Why is he still alive, why didn't the fall kill him?

He soon discovers that the mysterons can rebuild matter that has been destroyed, and that they have dark plans for him....

The professionals... a quintessential staple of eighties television, and still repeated today, this series followed a secretive law enforcement group known as CI5. Their job was to protect law and order by any means and it was always action packed.

The series focused on two macho friends, one an ex police officer and one ex special forces, and their unorthodox approach to getting the job done.

Aside from the obvious elements needed for a movie (action, heroism, drama and humour, there were always plenty of quick witted one liners quipped between the stars) the series mixed modern concerns such as terrorism and government conspiracies with the classic buddy comedy, the so called "bro-mance" of two close friends willing to risk their lives to do what's right.

Two tough over the top agents tackling terrorists and corruption within their own ranks, eye candy, action adventure and comedy, surely a perfect mix?

Of course a film version would have to be set in the here and now, not the seventies and eighties, and there would be the issue for any director of whether to set the film in the UK as the series did or relocate the action to America for a US audience.

While keeping it in Britain could work, giving it that gritty British feel, the plot is universal enough that in reality it could work just as well in America as it did in Britain. As to who would play the roles of heroes Bodie and Doyle well no doubt Hollywood favourites Jason Statham and Ryan Gosling could do well although given that the characters are ex-police and ex-special forces perhaps a nod to older action stars such as Stallone or Willis would be in order as they could still turn in a good butt kicking yet dramatic performance.

Time for a less obvious choice now.

Last of the summer wine... This quintessentially English comedy about a group of pensioners who refuse to grow old gracefully ran for more than thirty years and would make for a gentle yet zany comedy movie.

It would not only make for a funny endearing movie, perfect for family viewing and those looking for an original heart warming story, and the subject matter gives older established stars a great vehicle.

Keeping it British would be the way to go for this though, appealing to the American stereotype of the "quaint" old English way of life and then tipping it on its head with some great British acting talent of which there is plenty to choose from including the likes of Michael Caine, Helen Mirren, Richard Attenborough, Jim Broadbent and Brian Blessed

Rock Follies... The seventies series charting the ups and downs of a female rock band trying to break into the big time seems tailor made for a musical comedy and could work either set in the nineteen seventies as the series was, or updated to the eighties, a retro comedy with original music and plenty of drama would certainly tick many boxes for mainstream audiences.

Setting it in the present probably wouldn't work as well, all girl groups aren't really uncommon now and wouldn't have some of the same difficulties those in the series faced, placing it in the past allows for catchy seventies or eighties tunes and a "this could have happened" feel that will appeal to the nostalgic as well as fans of musicals, comedies and also music driven movies such as Dirty Dancing and Footloose.

Mother love... This chilling psychological thriller told the twisted tale of a murderous mother with a bitter past that leads to a breakdown of epic proportions when her son meets a new love.

On the surface a young yuppie couple have it all, a doting loving mother and more than enough money and friends. But the mothers shocking past is revealed and her desire for revenge leads creates a malevolent twisted killer that hides her true nature all to well.

This, again, would seem to be an obvious movie to make, harking back to psychological movie classics such as "The hand that rocks the cradle" and "Raising Cain" it is very much character driven so would need a talented cast, but who doesn't enjoy a gripping thriller where the villain is so evil and yet so normal, a great trip into the dark side of the human mind.

The Equalizer... A frankly fun eighties action series The Equalizer told the story of a former secret agent who, after retiring from the business, uses his skills and contacts to help those who had no where else to turn to.

The Equalizer only took on cases where all other avenues of help such as the police had failed, and he never charged. Once finished he simply disappeared from the lives of those he helped.

With an intriguing, mystery shrouded history of his own, and a set of skills most people could never acquire, this would make for a tense thriller or action adventure where the equalizer would take on his first case and, in the process, part of his past would be revealed and tied in to what he was doing.

It also offers the chance for a series of films, perhaps a trilogy, where in each film more of the heroes story is revealed until in the final film he achieves redemption.

An action drama incorporating government agents, a vigilante fighting for justice and a secret history The Equalizer would make for a compelling movie as well as the possibility for a rebooted tv series.

The changes... A classic British tv series The changes tells the story of a teenage girl, Nicky, and how the human race falls apart around her.

All around the country a strange noise emanates from every electrical device on the planet, for an unknown reason the sound causes people to destroy them. At the same time this is happening a series of earthquakes and tidal waves hits.

Society reverts to a pre industrial state, technology is shunned and hated, Nicky gets seperated from her parents. While trying to find them she makes a new friend, John, and the two discover the source of the noise.

Magic mystery and a post apocalyptic tale of a heroine searching for a way to put things right, this BBC series has all the elements needed for a compelling fantasy adventure.

Worzel Gummidge... An endearing tale of a living talking scarecrow, Worzel Gummidge, and his adventures at Scatterbrook farm. This series follows the traditions of popular kids films such as Mary Poppins and Nanny McPhee in featuring a fantastical larger than life character who takes ordinary everyday life and makes it the complete opposite.

This would without a doubt be a great family comedy, a beautiful timeless tale of a scarecrow with interchangeable heads that comes to life, and his love for rag doll Aunt Sally, as he makes friends with two local children who teach him the values of friendship.

Of course to play such a role requires a comedy actor who can naturally twist their faces in all sorts of strange expressions and do a variety of voices, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carrey or Steve Coogan spring immediately to mind with an older actor such as Michael Caine or perhaps John Hurt as the mythical figure of the Crowman, responsible for making Worzel come to life.

UFO...   A government organisation that secretly battles an alien race bent on taking over the earth was the subject of this classic seventies series.

In an underground base hidden beneath a film studio the worlds best people wage war against an enemy the public know nothing about, alien invaders. Earths first line of defence is a base on the moon, if anything gets past them the secret organisation known as S.H.A.D.O. use their array of gadgets to intercept it.

Alien invaders, secret agents, drama suspense and plenty of action make this popular series a good contender for a Hollywood movie though it would best be done in the style of the GI Joe films, deliberately over the top, or as a sci-fi comedy in the style of Men In Black.

Wacky Races... Yes the absurdly silly antics of Dastardley, Muttley and co would make for a great slapstick fantasy comedy. The concept is simple, a group of eleven wacky racers compete against each other for the prize of wackiest racer. It's a simple story that provided laughter and wacky mayhem in equal doses for fans of the cartoon series.

It has slapstick humour, wacky inventions and inventors, an army of colourful characters, a notably comic villain (Dastardley) and a doggedly faithful henchman (well hench dog, Muttley) who gives as good as he gets and of course the beautiful heroine Penelope Pitstop. This one practically screams for a live action comedy version.

Gargoyles... Disney abandoned their usually fluffy fare with this surprisingly dark tale about a group of centuries old gargoyles who fight against evil. By day they turn to stone but at night the fearsome powerful warriors are reborn and risk their lives to keep the world safe.

This would make for a very good movie, a brooding monster filled romp in which the very idea of good versus evil could be turned on its head, we expect heroes to look handsome and heroic and here Disney turned that notion on its head and had the "monsters" as the heroes.

With a unique twist on the notion of good versus evil, cool monsters, evil villains and a rich history behind the gargoyles existence this Disney franchise is one they could easily resurrect. Currently a cult classic with some devoted fans this could bring Disney a lot more money and a new army of fans, a live action Gargoyles movie could just be the next big "monster" movie.

MASK... This eighties classic may be a bit to close to GI Joe to be remade but it certainly has all the elements for creating a successful action movie franchise.

A wealthy businessman discovers his brother was killed by a secretive worldwide criminal network known as VENOM, he uses his money and power to create MASK, a group of skilled high tech heroes whose job it is to bring down VENOM once and for all.

Twelve classic tv shows from yesteryear that Hollywood could remake...instead of rebooting films that have themselves, in some cases, already been rebooted.

Why Peter Capaldi could be just what the doctor ordered

In case you haven't heard there's a new doctor in town. Matt Smith is handing over the role of the titular doctor, in sci fi series Doctor Who, to Oscar winning actor Peter Capaldi as the show looks to build its future by taking a leaf from its past.

What does that mean exactly?

Well the very first doctor was an older man (William Hartnell), a well established and popular actor who brought not only gravitas and considerable talent to the role but a maturity and authority that few actors have succeeded in capturing since.

Yes the likes of David Tennant and Matt Smith did a brilliant job, and for me personally rank among the best of the doctors, but they couldn't quite capture that air of authority in the same way.

As the fiftieth anniversary episode draws ever nearer the show has gone back to its roots, casting an older actor as the new doctor (Peter Capaldi is the same age as Hartnell was when he took on the role) in a move that gives clues as to the shows direction as Matt Smith bows out later this year.

What direction is that?

First off you don't get an oscar winning actor and not use his acting skills to full advantage. Capaldi excels in both comedic and darker roles. While best known for shows such as The Thick Of it he is perhaps best known to Doctor Who fans as the villainous Frobisher in Torchwood Children Of Earth, or of course as the father in the fires of pompeii episode.

His casting suggests the new doctor will continue to be comedic, as has been the way with many doctors, but that the series will explore his darker side more, a darker side that the upcoming anniversary episode is set to reveal as John Hurt takes on David Tennant and Matt Smith in what promises to be a 3D spectacular.

The show looks set to introduce a doctor with a little more depth, a doctor whose dark past returns to haunt him, and Capaldi has the acting chops needed to tread the fine line between dark and funny.

The casting of an older actor also signals another change in direction. Successive doctors have seen the show become more a kids show than a family show. What's the difference?

Well at various points in its history the show has been family oriented, having elements that appeal to both kids and adults alike, this gradually changed, particularly in more recent years, to appeal primarily to younger viewers but the casting of the new doctor suggests that the show will explore slightly more grown up aspects of the character, such as his guilt over past actions or his darker alien nature, and that, while still a kids programme, it will return to being a little more family oriented.

The casting of Peter Capaldi also shows that the role is a serious one able to attract even more established actors, and that the show has a definite future with the BBC. Of course the casting of an internationally recognised oscar winning talent such as Capaldi will no doubt help the series attract more viewers outside the UK in markets such as the USA where some still see it as simply a kids tv show.

Peter Capaldi could be just what the doctor ordered. But only time....or a timelord....will tell.

Get Androids PhotoSphere on any JellyBean device

The Samsung Galaxy S4, the HTC one, and a number of other well selling Android devices are great but when their manufacturers use a custom version of Android (such as Samsungs Touch Wiz) they often also replace the standard camera app from Google with a modified version of their own.

This is not always a bad thing, the camera app on Samsungs flagship S4 for example is superior in many ways to the stock Android one it replaces, but Google introduced one thing with version 4.2 of their operating system (better known as JellyBean) that has photography fans eager to use it...and it's the one feature that, until now, many of us have been unable to use because it isn't included in most manufacturers replacement camera applications.

That feature is Googles photosphere.

Googles camera app lets you take a 360 degree panorama and then, when you want to view it, you can move around it as if you were there inside the picture.


It's a handy tool but it has a few issues, mainly that it cannot remove moving objects from the image (so you may get the same people multiple times in your image if they were walking by at the time) and it works best with subjects that are a reasonable distance from the camera, but as this is intended for 360 landscape panoramas these things are unlikely to be a major issue for most people.

So how do we get it on our Androids? Well as long as you are using a phone or tablet that runs Android version 4.2 or higher you can simply click this link. This will open a web page with a download button on it, that links to the Samsung Galaxy S4 Play Edition photosphere application.

Click the download button and, when the download is completed, simply install the apk file you just downloaded (you will need to make sure that the "allow unknown sources" option in your devices settings menu is ticked before you can install any apps from outside of the Play Store).

This will install the gallery and photosphere camera applications, it will not over write your existing camera or gallery apps and will work on any Jellybean device (even if that device is rooted). To take a photosphere just open the new camera app and you'll see the sphere icon on screen.

Just press the sphere and then start taking your pic by clicking the big blue circle. It's that easy.

To view the spheres you take you will need to use the new gallery you installed, this will recognise them as a photosphere. View them in your default gallery and they will be displayed as normal panoramas.

So download and have fun taking photospheres.

Hannibal gets a second bite

With just a few weeks until the series finale of the devilishly delicious drama that is Hannibal, NBC have confirmed that the twisted tale of Hannibal will continue in a second series next year.

The show has, understandably, been a hit with fans and critics alike. Mads Mikkelsens portrayal of the suave sophisticated psychiatrist is genuinely chilling and as he toys with the mind of his friend, fbi special agent Will Graham, it remains to be seen just how far he is willing to go as with each episode we see just how dark the outwardly charming Hannibal Lecter really is.

The show manages to have very little in the way of "filler", each episode moves quickly to a conclusion and reveals more and more about what makes Hannibal and Will tick, with Will finding out that he may not be so different to Hannibal after all.

For those who haven't yet seen Hannibal the show tells the story of serial killer Hannibal Lecter (popularised in the film "Silence Of The Lambs") and his relationship with the man who captured him, Will Graham.

As you may have guessed the series is a prequel, telling the story of who he is and what he did prior to the books and films the character has appeared in, and works surprisingly well. It can be very graphic but don't let that put you off, if you enjoy shows such as Dexter then Hannibal is likely to be something you'll enjoy and if you just want something clever and inventive, well it may be just what the doctor ordered....

New games console runs Android and iOS

Yes you read that right, BlueStacks new games console, available this winter, has an impressive edge over its leading rival Ouya, another Android based console - it will play iOS apps.

While they're keeping details of exactly how they've achieved this feat close to their chests they have revealed that they use API virtualization to make the iOS applications run on GamePop, their Android games console, and that it doesn't use a single piece of Apple code to do it - meaning that unlike other companies famously pursued by the Cupertino company, such as Samsung and HTC, BlueStacks should be safe from legal action.

With a number of Android and iOS developers already signed up as partners, and 500 Android games ready at launch (plus an unspecified number of iOS games) this interesting entry into the gaming world may already be tempting you to dig deep into your wallet, or purse, but the surprise is that thanks to the companies new approach to gaming you won't have to dig as deep as you might expect.

BlueStacks want to be the NetFlix of gaming so the console is priced low, with a monthly subscription being charged to play the games. Yes rather than buy games here and there you get to play all of them any time for just under $7 (around £4.50) a month.

Pre order a console before the end of June and the console itself is completely free (though you do have to pay postage). Leave ordering a console until after June and it will set you back a not so staggering $129, that's around £83 for one console with one controller.

BlueStacks is making a bold but clever move here, you pay a low price for the hardware and then a subscription each month that lets you access every game they have. You don't have to choose which game to spend your hard earned money on, because you get all of them, an all you can eat (or should that be all you can play?) buffet.

In a world where the top Android and iOS games often have impressive graphics and gameplay a console that can play top end Android and iOS games on your tv makes sense and while they haven't yet revealed the hardware specs involved the company claim it will run games as well as a high end mobile device which should guarantee a quad core, possibly octa-core (though unlikely for such a low price), system with developers tweaking their applications to take full advantage of whatever hardware is involved.

While GamePop plans to be the NetFlix of gaming you don't need to worry about being online to play your games, whatever games you choose are stored locally on the console itself rather than having to stream them, so no buffering issues should you have a sometimes slow broadband connection.

GamePop isn't going to challenge the next gen console giants Sony or Microsoft, they don't intend to, what they are doing is a little more shrewd than that.

Look at your favourite high end mobile game and chances are the graphics are pretty impressive. Mobile devices are now powerful enough that they are on a par with current gen games consoles and if you've ever connected your phone or tablet to a HDMI enabled TV you'll know that they can look just good on the big screen, so technology is at the point where an Android games console is now practical rather than just a flight of fancy.

A low cost games console, paying a few pounds per month for all its games rather than having to pick and choose which you can afford, and being able to plug it into your tv and play films on it too is a no brainer, a lot of people will jump at the opportunity, and understandably so.

It's a bold move to make, but one that just might pay off for the company - and consumers.

Control your lights with WiFi

LIFX are bringing home automation one step closer with a new wifi light bulb that can change colour, fits in your normal light bulb socket, needs no additional hardware and can be controlled remotely by your phone or tablet.

The LED bulbs, which should last for around twenty five years, cost around fifty pounds and are available for pre order now with delivery going live in August or September.

The bulbs can be controlled by your android or ios device of choice, and can change colour to whatever takes your fancy, in fact they can even change according to the music you're playing if you really want them to.

For android users in particular this promises some very useful benefits when linked with an automation app such as Tasker or Locale, now you can have your lights switch on when you're close to home or if you're out late and don't want people to realise you're not home, you can turn them on remotely.

Going away for a few days? Just tell the lights to switch on overnight to create the impression you're at home should any nefarious visitors come calling in the night. Having a party? Have the lights in your house change colour and intensity in time to your music.

The possibilities are virtually endless and the WiFi bulbs make automating your lighting simple, affordable and, most importantly, user friendly without needing the purchase of any extra equipment. It's as easy as screwing in a light bulb.

Doctor Who season finale to answer ultimate question?

The BBC released a series of film style posters this week for the remaining episodes of the new series of Doctor Who but it's the poster for the season finale, and some clues from co star Jenna Louise Coleman, that has fans eagerly anticipating its arrival.

The episode, entitled "the name of the doctor", suggests the big secret to be revealed in the final episode is the doctors real name, the ultimate question for fans over the years. But don't expect it to be quite so obvious.

Why?

Show runner Steven Moffat has a history of playful misdirection and keeping fans guessing and, while learning the doctors name may well be part of the episode, it is unlikely to be its big reveal. After all could the show continue to be called Doctor Who were his name known, or is this another clever piece of misdirection leading fans to expect an answer that may never come?

The shows big reveal may in fact be centred around the doctors assistant Clara, with Coleman revealing that one of the final episodes big revelations is the reason why her characters birthday is November 23rd, the same day the very first Doctor Who episode was shown in 1963.

She's also told fans that they should keep an eye on Claras developing relationship with the TARDIS this series and that it's an unfolding mystery she only discovered the meaning of when reading the script for the final episode of which, she says, by the end of the series fans will know who Clara is, adding that the big reveal about Clara is "phenomenal" saying Clara "is not all that she seems".

This morning the BBC blog said of the final episode that fans should "stand by for something that you might always have believed to be impossible", something that further suggests that contrary to popular opinion the big secret really isn't his name.

Moffat himself weighed in on the subject of the final episode, saying to the Radio Times "you’re about to learn something about the Doctor that you never knew before. And I think you’re in for a shock."

The poster for the episode teasingly announces "his secret revealed", not "his name revealed" and, with the recent revelation that Claras mystery is tied in to the doctors, and to her relationship with the Tardis, it seems more and more likely that the doctors secret isn't his name but that his secret is in fact Clara.

Could Clara be a Timelord, maybe a future doctor? Unlikely given that the show has already shown at least one of her iterations has human parents, so just what could the secret be?

Perhaps the blog about her secret at IGN is closer to the truth and she will turn out to be the girl from the library where the series first introduced River Song, a character who happens to re-appear in this series final episode.

Eagle eyed, or perhaps that should be eared, viewers may have noticed the mention of the doctor having a granddaughter in the first episode of the new series, a nod back to the very first episode that aired on November 23rd. A throw away line added for the benefit of older fans, or the beginning of a trail for fans to follow in search of an answer?

One thing's for sure, the series finale will have plenty to keep fans of all ages on the edge of their seats.

Improve your android with these handy apps

So you've got a shiny new Android phone or tablet, you've heard it can read memory cards and usb flash drives, download youtube videos, stream video to your tv, automagically save power by switching off wifi or gps when you don't need them, you name it and the chances are that you've been told Android can do it.

But how, and what's that scary sounding root thing all about, do you need that?

Well you've been told right, and no you don't have to root your phone or tablet to do it, you just need some handy little apps, most of which are free,  and in case you hadn't already guessed that's what we're going to look at here.

Where to begin? How about being able to read usb devices, being able to plug in a memory stick or hard drive, maybe take some videos or photographs off of your digital camera?

To do that you need a version of Android that supports usb otg (USB On The Go), Android version 4 (Jellybean) and higher support this as (to an extent) do some devices that run Android 3.2 (Honeycomb).

Assuming you have a suitable version of Android then the app you need is Nexus Media Importer. It will set you back £2.62 and for that your Android becomes able to read files from a connected usb device and, if that device is FAT formatted (as most are), will also be able to write to it.

If your phone or tablet has a micro or mini usb port as almost all of them do you will also need what is called an OTG cable.

These cost a couple of pounds, including delivery, from sites such as Amazon and have the small connector at one end with a full sized usb connector on the other so that you can plug full size usb devices into your micro or mini sized usb port.

Using a usb device is easy once the app is installed, as easy as plugging the device into your usb port.

The app will automatically run and show you what is on the device and navigating through the different files is extremely easy as the application groups them by type (videos, photographs, etcetera) to make it easier for you to find the particular file you're interested in.

Okay so what's next? Well, wouldn't it be nice if you could download that high definition music video or film you found on youtube?

But wait, the Play Store won't let apps on there that can download from YouTube so you can't do it. Well actually, thanks to how Android works, you can.

If you haven't done so already pop into your settings menu and look for a tick box that says "unknown sources" and make sure it is ticked. Depending on what version of Android you're using it will either be in  settings / security or it will be in settings / applications.

This will tell your phone or tablet that it can now install apps from places other than the official store.

Using your android browser of choice go to the YouTube downloader download page and click its green download button, it will download the app. When downloaded you will see a notification saying youtubedownloader.apk has downloaded, just click on it to install.

If you don't have such a notification don't worry, the app will be saved in your web browsers download folder and you can install it from there.

Use of the app is very simple, and it guides you through it on first use, but basically this is all you do to download a YouTube video, use the YouTube app and find a video you want to download, click the share button and from the share menu just choose YouTube Downloader.

It really is that simple, the app will offer you a choice of different video formats and qualities if more than one version is available. The app is, of course, completely free.

We all know you can plug your phone or tablet into your tv, if it has a hdmi output, but what if, like Nexus 7 owners, you have no hdmi output?

Well if you have a recent television that supports DLNA you're in luck because you can stream video wirelessly to it using an application called ArkMC (the full version costs £2.99 but there is a trial version).

This handy application will let you stream video from your phone or tablet, or any dlna device, to any other dlna device such as a tv.

It is one of the few applications that can play files from your actual device and send them to your tv and for this reason has a big advantage over other very good streaming apps such as MediaHouse Pro, a very good way of watching your films or pictures, or listening to your music, on a tv if you don't have hdmi output.

That's all well and good but what's all this automagic nonsense. How can your android possibly just do things  as if by magic?

Well that is all down to a very useful app called Tasker which is just under £2 but there is a free seven day trial version available here. What does Tasker do exactly? Well, basically, anything you want it to.

Tasker is an automation app, that means it can make your phone or tablet do things based on trigger events of your choosing.

For example, you want to switch off the security lock when you're at home, but re enable it at work, so no one but you can access it. Tasker can tell you're at home, or work, and do that for you.

Want to send a message that you're working late? Tasker can tell you're still at work when you're usually on the way home and send a text for you automatically. If you have automated lights at home it could even switch them on for you when you get home and switch them off when you leave, or automatically put your device into silent mode and hide incoming calls and texts when you're using it to watch a video, or launch a particular app when you connect a headset.

Productivity is all well and good but sometimes you just want to play a video and unwind. Well there's an app for that too.

MX Player is one of the best Android media players around, it supports multi core decoding and hardware accelerated playback, plays pretty much any video format you can think of (as well as subtitles) and has some handy features such as being able to boost the volume and use codecs to improve playback. Definitely one app that merits a look.

Of course some Android devices will lag a little after a lot of use, the Nexus 7 for example can lag now and then, because of a trim issue affecting those devices, so if you're playing lots of videos or games you might find your phone or tablet slows down at times.

Well if you use a rooted Android there's a fix for that, and it really does work, a free app called LagFix so if you're rooted give it a try, it could make things even better.

And there you have it, a few apps to make your Android life a little better, a little more fun, or at least a little more productive.