Both retailers Best Buy and accessory manufacturers Mophie have issued separate product recall notices following fears that batches of iPod and iPhone battery packs may be faulty, and potentially dangerous.

Best Buy have asked customers to return Rocketfish-branded iPhone 3G and 3GS battery cases with a posting on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission website. 31,000 products in the US may be affected alongside 1,000 units in Canada, with 14 reports of overheating in the US. This has lead to three customers suffering minor burns and four reports of minor property damage.

Mophie likewise have posted a recall notice on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, after receiving 110 reports that their iPod Touch battery case line was becoming uncomfortably warm. This in turn has lead to 44 reports of the excess heat warping the product, and nine customers suffering burns.

Those affected by the recalls should get in touch with Best Buy or Mophie immediately. Those affected by the Best Buy recall will be compensated with a $70 gift card, while Mophie are offering replacement units.

Today we're launching an easy to enter mobile photography competition with our friends at Orbitsound to kick off Instagram week and give one reader the chance to win a fabulous T12v3 speaker bar as well as lots of runner-up prizes that we have dug out from our cupboard including iPhone cases, iPhone lenses, games and other iPhone accessories.

It's bright and sunny today, but there's a chill in the air and crispy orange leaves on the ground, so we want you to take a photo with an Autumnal theme, then share it on Twitter along with the hash tag #ShinyAutumn.

We'll be looking for original and inspiring photos that are a little bit different and really capture what Autumn means to you. So it gives you free reign to be super creative! Don't forget Halloween is a big part of Autumn too, so if you'd prefer to take a photo of something scary rather than something golden brown, shoot away.

Once all of the entries are in, we'll pick the best 20 images and create an 'Instagram photography magazine.' This will be available as a free iPad/digital magazine as well as a paid-for printed magazine at the end of the competition. A video of the best images will also be uploaded and made into a video on YouTube.

How to enter

To enter, simply take a photo that represents Autumn for you (you can enter as many times as you like). You can submit a photo you have already taken too.

You can edit it and add an Instagram filter to it if you want, or just leave it how it is.

Then share your image on Twitter along with the hash tag #ShinyAutumn.

The competition is alongside our Instagram week, so you can enter via Instagram if you have an iPhone, but if you don't then just share your photo to Twitter with whatever other photo sharing service you use, like TwitPic or PicPlz, just be sure to add the hash tag to your tweet!

We will then choose 20 images to go through to the final stage and will then judge which we feel looks good and gives us an original perspective of Autumn and find one ultimate winner.

Prize

One winner will get an award winning Orbitsound T12v3 soundbar, which produces incredible surround sound, thanks to the patented 'spatial sound' technology. 19 runners-up will get a random phone-related lucky dip prize, we have some cases, lenses and stands.

Closing date

The competition will continue for two weeks, so be sure to get all of your entries taken and tweeted with the hash tag #ShinyAutumn by 5pm on the 1st November 2011.

Terms and Conditions

1. You can enter as many photos as you want.
2. All entries must be tweeted and contain the hash tag #ShinyAutumn.
3. The competition closes at 5pm on the 5pm on the 1st November 2011. No entries will be considered after then.
4. This competition is open to residents of the UK and Ireland.
5. The decision of the judges is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
6. The winning entry will be the one which is most original, visually appealing and in keeping with the Autumn theme.
7. The winner will be notified within seven days of the closing date.
8. All prizes are non transferable and there are no cash alternatives.
9. All images submitted must be the work of the individual submitting them and must not have been published elsewhere.
10. Only include close-up photographs of people in your entry if they have consented to having their photograph taken. It is the entrant's responsibility to ensure they have permission to include the subject in their entry.
11. The copyright for the image remains with the entrant. However, by entering a photo into the competition, you give ShinyShiny permission to use your photos for other promotional purposes and include them in any other material, such as on ShinyShiny, in an iPad magazine and in an actual printed magazine.
12. Submission of an entry will be taken to mean acceptance of these terms and conditions.

My pal Frankie was the envy of our classmates back at school; he had a Casio calculator watch that the teachers seemed completely oblivious to in maths exams. iPods, smartphones and the like have made exam cheating methods like that seem primitive, but there's still room for a mix of old-school and high-tech answer-sneaking methods in the test room today.

One of our favourite cheating tools is the new "Back to School" case range from Proporta for the iPhone 4. Durable hard-shells with camera and button cut-outs, they're available with a full map of the Periodic Table for science nuts, a grid of times tables answers and a fun doodle version too, with a non-dusty chalkboard version in the works too.

£14.95 a throw from Proporta, that's money well spent when your perfect GCSE scores land you a job in astrophysics. Just don't tell the head that we helped out, or we'll rush you behind the bike sheds.

The annual IFA tech show in Berlin has come to a close for yet another year, after bringing plenty brand new gadgets and gizmos to the table to start saving for. It's a massive show, packed with everything from AV gear to mobile phones and home appliances, but we've sifted the wheat from the chaff to give you our highlights from Europe largest electronics expo. Here's Tech Digest's IFA Best in Show for 2011.

BEST TV: Sharp 8K4K Super High-Def TV

The TV that Tech Digest shall set as the high-watermark all others must aim for for the forseeable future, Sharp's 8K4K prototype was by far the most stunning screen we've ever seen, and our favourite item overall at this year's show. Though it's not going to be commercially available for at least the best part of a decade, we were treated to a jaw-dropping presentation of footage 16-times the pixel density of full HD 1080p. We felt sorry for all the TVs we had to check out at the show after seeing this one so early on, as none of the others stood a chance in comparison.

BEST SMARTPHONE/TABLET: Samsung Galaxy Note

Not a great show for tablets or smartphones, with Sony's offerings a little underwhelming and few other manufacturers making a splash. Samsung's Galaxy Note, while not everyone's cup of tea, at least attempted something slightly different, with its massive screen and stylus input. Jobs may have delcared the stylus dead with Apple's touchscreen devices, but Samsung quite rightly still see a place for digital note taking with an input pen.

BEST PROJECTOR: Epson EH-T9000W

If you've got a few grand to spare, Epson proved that having your very own 3D cinema experience in your living room is a relatively affordable reality this year. Showing off their first line of 3D projectors, the stunning visuals were made all the sweeter thanks to the inclusion of Wi-Fi smarts in the EH-T9000W top-end model.

BEST LAPTOP: Acer Aspire S3 Ultrabook

Who said Windows machines couldn't be as good-looking as Apple devices? Acer's Aspire S3 Ultrabook paired great looks and portability with supercharged power in a laptop that offered both i7 and SSD high-end configurations.

MADDEST GADGET: Jean-Michel Jarre's AeroDream One 11ft iPad dock

Jean-Michel Jarre; a man known equally for his pioneering electronic music and dazzling live light shows. He'll now also be known as the man behind the world's most ridiculous iPad dock, the 11ft tall AeroDream One. Tech Digest had the pleasure of talking to the French musical legend at IFA 2011 in the video above, where Jarre explains the inspiration behind his designs.

For more coverage from IFA 2011, click here.

JBL have updated their iPad speaker the system, the OnBeat, with the new OnBeat Xtreme dock. Showcased at IFA 2011, the OnBeat Xtreme lets you dock an iPad in either landscape or portrait angles, and offers crisp, room filling sound.

The OnBeat Xtreme also caters for wireless audio over Bluetooth, perfect for gamers looking to boost their iPad gaming audio while still holding the tablet in both hands. There's also a built-in speakerphone for giving FaceTime calls an extra volume injection.

Check it in action in the video above.

For our review of the earlier JBL OnBeat model, click here.

French electronic music maestro Jean-Michel Jarre had one of the most space age stands at this year's IFA 2011, showing off his latest range of Jarre Technologies Apple docks. Though the star of the show was the gigantic AeroDream One, he was also displaying his eqaully stylish AeroPad One and AeroPad Two docks.

Both are iPod, iPad and iPhone compatible, and each features the same chrome finishing as see in the larger dock. The AeroPad Two is the more powerful of the pair (pushing out 200W compared to the AeroPad One's 120W output) and is resultingly the more expensive of the pair at €699 with the AeroPad One €499.

Once you're done checking out Jarre's space-age docks, check out his truly mad AeroDream, 11ft iPad dock in our video interview with the electro pioneer himself.

Remember the quirky Epson iPod projector we revealed to you at the tail-end of last week? Well, we've now caught it on camera on the show floor of IFA 2011 for your viewing pleasure.

With a pop-out docking station, the Epson MG-850HD projector will let you beam videos from your iDevice onto a wall at massive sizes, as well as having the regular HDMI and PC connectivity of a standard 720p projector.

It's had a mixed reception from the journalists we spoke to at the show, but one thing none will argue with is its reasonable price tag. You're looking at just a £649 asking-price when this one launches a little later in the year.

Tech Digest got a little starstruck at this year's IFA 2011 conference, as we got to meet electronic music pioneer Jean-Michel Jarre.

The electro star's presence caused quite a stir at the show, not least of all thanks to his startling AeroDream One iPad/iPhone/iPod dock.

Think you've seen all that the world of iPod docks has to offer? Think again; Jarre's AeroDream One takes Hi-Fi docks to a whole new level, with the emphasis on the "Hi" part. The docking port sits on top of an 11ft column, which necessitates the need for a fixed ladder on the side of the speaker to reach it.

It's also got enough punch to match its gigantic size, pushing out an ear-popping 10,000 W through its 5 channel amplifier.

The AeroDream One is very much a luxury item, and priced at € 399,000 (£349,873) is definitely a statement piece as much as it is a speaker system. As such, Jarre sees it just as at home in concert halls as the homes of the wealthy elite.

We have a chat with Jean-Michel in the video interview above, discussing his range of Apple product docks (which includes more affordable miniature versions of the AeroDream One among other designs), the state of the music industry and the inspiration behind his latest mad venture.

Has anyone ever seen Prince Charles using a mobile phone? Probably, but we cant say we get invited down to Clarence House all that often to confirm it with our own eyes.

That's not to say he doesn't use them, and we think we've got a consiparcy theory all sewn up when it comes to His Royal Highness's smartphone preferences. He may be infamous for his big ears, but we think that Charlie is actually hiding a pair of perfectly reasonably sized ears underneath two of Thumbs Up's new iPhone 4 cases, the Ear Phones.

These silicone rubber novelty iPhone 4 cases are shaped like oversized ears, and will make a perfect accessory for any fancy dress fans looking to get dolled up like Roald Dahl's BFG:

Keep an ear to the ground for these next time you're in Urban Outfitters, priced £12.99.

Kingston are today launching their Wi-Drive storage solution for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, letting those stretched for disk space on their iOS devices add up to 32GB of storage wirelessly to their gadgets.

Using drag-and-drop file transfer between a PC or Mac, the Kingston Wi-Drive teams up with a free app on your iOS device to allow your Apple products to wirelessly access the files stored within. Up to three users can connect to a single Wi-Drive simultaneously.

"Wi-Drive allows Apple device owners to wirelessly manage document and media files, and choose to share them with others, while on the go for work or pleasure," said Krystian Jaroszynski, European Product Marketing Manager at Kingston.

"This unique functionality, combined with the durability of a Flash memory based device, will satisfy both casual users and the most discerning technophiles."

You can pick up a 16GB Wi-Drive for £89 or a 32GB version for £119 from Cancom. Hit the video above for more info.

A similar storage solution is being offered by Seagate with their GoFlex Satellite drive. We previewed the device back in May; check out our thoughts on it by clicking here.

Bigger isn't always better, but when it comes to movies, we cant help but love seeing them on the most ginormous screen available. Retina display or not, the iPhone screen just can't cut it for us cinematic connoisseurs at Tech Digest. Which is why we're very excited by the prospect of the Optoma pk120 projector.

Supporting iPhones, iPod Touch players and iPads, this Pico projector will beam videos onto your wall at sizes of as much as 70 inches.

Complete with 2GB of memory, it'll also be compatible with 32GB SD cards, letting you take a fair chunk of video content in your back pocket within the 60 x 117 x 21mm, 145g projector.

0.5W speakers deliver audio, while VGA, universal AV and USB inputs can also be used for pushing out projections. No brightness stats have been released by Optoma yet, but contrast ratio clocks in at 2,000:1.

A pity then that the battery life lasts only an hour and a half. Better keep a charger handy if you're hoping on sitting through The Lord of the Rings trilogy then.

Available now, you're looking at around £180 for the Optoma pk120 projector.

Name: OnBeat (JBL)

Type: iPad / iPod speaker dock

Specs: Click here for full specs

Price: £144.20 from Amazon

Image Gallery: Click here

iPhone/iPod docks are two-a-penny these days, but iPad docks? Even more than a year after the tablet's launch, they're still a relative rarity. JBL's latest speaker dock, the JBL OnBeat, could well be your one-stop-shop dock when it comes to blaring out music from an iOS device, thanks to a dock that supports iPhones, iPods and larger iPad slates. But is it any good? Read on to find out.

The JBL OnBeat has a rather snazzy oval shaped design, with swathes of silver edging and a peppered grille covering the speakers. Available in black or white, from the centre of the dock comes an interchangeable cradle arm. Two brackets (one for iPads and one for iPhones/iPods) are included, snapping easily onto the rotating arm that allows you to pop the iOS units into landscape mode.

While you can technically dock an iPad in landscape mode with the JBL OnBeat, we wouldn't recommend it; the arm seems designed to better distribute weight in a portrait position for iPads, and we'd imagine the arm would weaken over time. Of course, this isn't a problem for lighter iPods and iPhones.

Head around to the back of the OnBeat and you're greeted by the familiar and welcome 3.5mm aux input which will let you hook up practically any audio source that employs a regular headphone jack, as well as a USB port for firmware updates and a composite video output for pumping video content to a big screen.

A small 10-button remote is provided that offers basic playback controls (play, pause, volume up or down, track forwards or backwards, and a few menu navigation controls), and while it works perfectly well with iPods and iPhones, again iPad support causes problems. In this case it's purely down to industrial design; the iPad takes up more room on the front of the speakers, and depending on your angle in relation to the IR sensor for the remote, Apple's tablet may obstruct your remote inputs.

Sonically, the JBL OnBeat packs a punch, but no more than other docks in the £150 range. Mid range frequencies seem to benefit most of all, which leads to a warm sound that, while lacking a little in crispness, helps to prevent the dock from sounding tinny and cheap. Bass is a little lacking overall, and volume levels too high and lower frequencies distort noticeably. Treat the OnBeat then more as a casual player rather than a party centrepiece or audiophile unit and it won't disappoint.

Verdict:

The JBL OnBeat sits at the top of the iPad dock pile, but that's not a particularly hard feat considering how few there currently are on the market. Not being able to place an iPad in landscape mode safely will frustrate users looking to add a little more sonic "oomph" to their tablet movies, but it's a perfectly serviceable unit for iPod and iPhone users. If your dock must be a jack of all trades when it comes to supporting a wide range of Apple products then the JBL OnBeat is for you, otherwise your money will be better spent elsewhere.

Sony have revealed details on three new iPhone and iPod speaker docks as part of their ever-growing RDP range. The RDP-X60iP, the RDP-M5iP and the RDP-M15iP will all hit shops this summer.

Designed with home use in mind, the RDP-X60iP is likely to grab the most interest from music fans thanks to its wireless streaming capabilities. The first Sony dock to employ a Bluetooth connection, you'll be able to stream music from all sorts of MP3 players and mobile phones to the speaker as it's not locked into Apple's proprietary AirPlay standard. It should sound relatively beefy too thanks to a 20W+20W output power and two 76mm loudspeakers with twin port system and super-long duct.

The next two docks are more focussed on portability. The RDP-M15iP cuts down the output power to 10W+10W, and features a rotatable bracket for watching videos comfortably. Good for 6 hours of on-the-go playback, it also ships with a protective pouch to keep the speaker safe when travelling.

Last up is the smaller RDP-M5iP, with just a 2W+2W ouput. It still however squeezes in two 50mm loudspeakers with bass reflex just like its M15iP sibling, but runs off four AAA batteries and is equipped with a handle.

The RDP-X60iP and the RDP-M5iP will be available in June, with the RDP-M15iP following a little later in July. As ever with Sony gear, prices are yet to be announced.

Last week we had the chance to check out Altec Lansing's latest iPhone/iPod friendly device, the Octiv 650. Now I know what your thinking... not another iPod dock, but Altec have done a great job refreshing this 'classic' device.

First off the dock delivers a seriously impressive rich sound, with its two 3" full range drivers and a nested 4" subwoofer. It also has component and composite video out jacks, which enable the user to output Youtube and iPlayer streams right to their TV from the dock, all with enhanced sound quality.

To coincide with the launch of this new dock, Altec is offering a free Music Mood app, which delivers an analog looking interface which allows gives users access to a 7 band graphic equaliser as well as multiple pre-sets. Additionally, it has the Ambient Sound & Visual Generator, which allows you to play ambient videos and sounds such as a crackling fireplace, ocean waves, and gentle rainfall.

The Altec Lansing Octiv 650 will be available at the end of April for £169.99.

JBL's latest speaker dock, the OnBeat, has the rare distinction of being compatible with iPods, iPhones and iPads.

Shipping with a range of docking clamps, any of the Apple media devices will work with the dock, while a 3.5mm aux-in connection will let you play about with other PMPs too. Elsewhere there's a USB connection for syncing with your iTunes library, as well as composite video output for displaying content on a big screen.

The stereo speakers themselves are 7.5 watt numbers, with plenty of DSP tech fine-tuning the outputted sound.

"Imagine what moviegoers must have felt when they heard sound paired with film for the first time in history. This is what we hope to accomplish for the next era of entertainment experiences with products such as the JBL OnBeat for the iPad, iPhone and more," said David Slump, president of the HARMAN Consumer Division, the umbrella company under which JBL reside.

"Our goal is to awaken our senses to the power that great sound and music can have on bringing media to life through the most cutting-edge devices out on the market right now."

Due out in April, click here for some more info.

Scroll down for some more images

Brighton-based artist Ben Allen has teamed up with the iPhone case pros over at Proporta to launch snazzy new range of Jesus Phone coverings. Allen (whose work has been bought by celebrities including Richard Branson, Stephen Dorff and Jade Jagger) will initially launch two iPhone 4 cases, Skull and Zebra, before expanding the range later in the year.

Drawing influence from as wide-ranging sources as comic book covers to Mexico's "Day of the Dead", Allen's colourful designs look set to give the iPhone's sleek lines an edgy makeover.

"This is a great project and I am excited not only to be working with Proporta, but also to see the reaction to my designs and how they translate onto these products," Allen commented.

Lynnette Prigmore, Head of Products for Proporta, was equally enthusiastic; "We're really pleased to introduce Ben Allen as part of the new 'Proporta Collaborates' collection. Not only is Ben a fellow Brighton local, but his paintings have also been exhibited in galleries and venues worldwide. We anticipate that this new collection will be very well received. Our customers are becoming much more design focused and want to accessorise, as well as protect, their mobile gadgets."

You can grab the cases direct from Proporta by clicking here, priced £24.99.

Manufacturers spend billions designing the sleekest, smallest phones to slip in our pockets, with some smartphones about the size of a matchbox. But as they say in Texas, bigger is better, so lets introduce the Thumbs Up iPhone case that'll turn your blower into a retro 80's yuppie brick.

Turning iPhone 2Gs, 3Gs and iPhone 4s into an oversized prop straight out of Saved By The Bell, , you'll never lose your phone down the side of the sofa ever again. Namely because it wont fit in your rucksack, let alone under a cushion without some sort of princess-and-mobile-sized-pea wailing session.

It's all a bit Trigger Happy TV, isn't it?

Wojtek Kolan, Business Development Director and Co-founder of Thumbs Up said: "There is nothing more iconic than Gordon Geckko, the moneyman hero of the eighties, and Del Boy, TV's most popular wheeler dealer, wielding their status symbol mobile brick. Technology may have advanced to create tiny phones but it was only a matter of time before BIG was BIG again."

The Thumbs Up case will be available soon, priced £12.99

Looking to give your iPhone a retro makeover? Then look no further than this awesome new Polaroid iPhone Decal from Photojojo. The decal will have your iPhone looking like an old Rainbow OneStep Polaroid Land camera in no time. For optimal effects, pair with retro apps such as the Hipstamatic.

Available for $6

"Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, your iPhone should be wearing a silly iPhone hat".

OK, so that's not quite how the festive saying goes, but there are so many mad iPhone gadgets and add-ons out there that we totally wouldn't put it past some nutcase having made a Jesus Phone bobble-hat somewhere down the line.

Mostly cheap and always cheerful, here are some great stocking-filling ideas for the iPhone owner in your life this Christmas.

Pioneer are launching a new micro Hi-Fi system called the X-HM50 built "with the intention to satisfy music enthusiasts that value classic design and solid build quality".

Featuring an iPhone/iPod docking station, CD player, FM/AM radio and support for USB and auxiliary line inputs, it could pretty much stand as a one-stop solution for all your music formats.

Sound quality looks as though it'd be pretty reasonable too. Bass-reflex stereo speakers with 120 mm woofers and 20 mm soft dome tweeters pump out 50 watts of output per channel, with 6 equalizer presets (Flat/Game/Classic/Pops/Vocal/Jazz) to suit most tastes.

"The new X-HM50 is designed to meet the needs of iPhone and iPod users as well as CD devotees who enjoy listening to their favourite music in outstanding quality at home. Thanks to Pioneer's advanced sound concept, the space-saving system delivers room-filling hi-fi sound," explains Philippe Coppens, Manager, Pioneer Europe. "Our engineers' design efforts resulted in a sophisticated blend of style and advanced technology that adds a touch of class to any interior and will delight the most discerning listeners."

Grab the Pioneer X-HM50 now for £299.

Here are the key features, according to Pioneer themselves.

· iPhone/iPod docking station with charging facility

· Available in black