In a startling turn of events for the forthcoming Xbox One console, Microsoft have just announced that they will be significantly changing their stance on used games, DRM, game sharing and internet requirements for their next-gen gaming console.

An almost total about-turn on the console's controversial position that would potentially block used games sales and require a rolling 24-hour internet check in order to access games, it seems Microsoft have bowed down in the face of overwhelming criticism from the gaming community.

What follows is tonight's complete statement from Microsoft's Don Mattrick, president of Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, regarding the new changes:

"Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

"Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year."

An incredible, unprecedented U-turn, I'm sure you'll agree. Has this changed your opinion of the Xbox One, nay, Microsoft? Will you now reconsider your next-gen console purchase, or have you already been burned by Microsoft? Let us know in the comments below!

Exciting stuff, expect plenty more on the Xbox One's new stance in the coming days. It'll be really interesting to see how Sony now respond to this; they seemed the clear leaders in the next-gen race before tonight, with their policies towards internet requirements and used games now mirrored in their entirety by the Xbox One. Gloves are off, fanboys and fangirls!

The cheap, tiny and versatile Raspberry Pi computer gets perhaps its most consumer-friendly bundle yet today in the shape of the XBMC Solution.

Consisting of a Raspberry Pi computer, Ethernet and HDMI cables, a QWERTY-packing controller with touchpad and a bootable SD card which has the Raspbmc software preloaded on it, it's a steal for those looking to put together an affordable streaming kit in their living room.
The XBMC software (or "Xbox Media Centre" to give it its full name) will allow you to input your Xbox Live ID in order to get recommended content suggestions, you can also use it to stream your personal collection of movies and music over networked storage, or plug a USB stick in to playback media content.

Said to be easy to set up within minutes of opening the box, it's available from Element14, and will set you back a pocket-money £45.99.

Apple's "hobby" product, the Apple TV, gets a significant update today, adding HBO GO, WatchESPN Sky News, Crunchyroll and Qello to its streaming line-up.

HBO Go offers subscribers unlimited access to top shows including Game of Thrones, while WatchESPN adds access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line to those who receive ESPN's networks as part of their video subscription from affiliated providers.

Sky News offers 24/7 news coverage from Rupert Murdoch's media empire, while Crunchyroll offers anime flicks and shows, with Qello providing concerts and music documentaries.

"HBO GO and WatchESPN are some of the most popular iOS apps and are sure to be huge hits on Apple TV," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.

"We continue to offer Apple TV users great new programming options, combined with access to all of the incredible content they can purchase from the iTunes Store."

HBO GO, Watch ESPN, SkyNews, Crunchyroll and Qello will require Apple TV software version 5.3 in order to work, available as a free software update for second and third generation Apple TV owners.

There may be a new iPhone model sitting just over the horizon, but its looking unlikely that it will land with an all new industrial design.

Expected to be an iPhone 5S model as opposed to a full-on numbered sequel to the iPhone 5, a new alleged case leak over at FanaticFone shows a faceplate backing up the incremental-upgrade rumours, suggesting the new handset will share much of its design sensibilities with its predecessor.

Expected to land alongside the release of iOS 7 (itself expected to land around September or October), the leak suggests internal components have been moved around a tad, potentially making room for new features such as NFC connectivity.

The leak also suggests that production has already begun for the new phone, which, if true, gives Apple a decent head start over demand for the Autumn-bound smartphone.

In related news, BGR have got their hands on snaps reported to be other components of the forthcoming iPhone 5S. Most intriguingly is a number of different coloured SIM tray units, suggesting the next Apple smartphone may follow in the iPod touch's footsteps by being made available in a variety of colours.

RELATED:
Apple introduce iOS 7 for iPhone and iPad: Features and release date revealed

Name: Gigabyte U2442F

Type: Ultrabook

Review Model Specifications: Click here for full specs

Price: Around £1,050

Gigabyte turn their attention away from motherboards to the ultrabook market with the release of the Gigabyte U2442F. A well-rounded portable machine with dedicated graphics, find out just how well it performs in our full review.

Measuring 339mm x 233mm x 19mm, and weighing 1.59kg, the Gigabyte U2442F ultrabook is a modestly attractive laptop - not quite as thin or light as some of the more dazzling ultrabooks, it remains stylish thanks to its reserved brushed aluminium finish, and particularly appealing thanks to its relatively powerful internal components.Our review model came equipped with a 2GHz Intel Core i7-3517U power-efficient processor, 8GB of RAM and an 128GB SSD (an additional 8GB of RAM and as much as a 1TB HDD can also be optionally configured when purchased). Turbo boosting to 3.1GHz, it's a processor not to be sniffed at, even though standard mobile processors can offer a bit more grunt at the expense of power reserves.
The real selling point here then is the dedicated 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 650M. Though now superseded by the GT 700 series of Nvidia laptop GPUs, last year's range still offer superb gaming performance for all but the most demanding of titles. And with ultrabooks usually resting on the integrated graphics capabilities of the Intel chips, this makes the U2442F one to watch for gaming enthusiasts. For instance, we ran Dirt Showdown benchmarking test at High quality at the laptop's native resolution of 1,600 x 900, and saw it average frame rates hovering between 50fps and 60fps. Even the still-demanding Crysis 2 at Ultra quality settings at the same resolution was reasonably playable at 20fps, and dialling the graphics settings back more made for a pleasant play session. All in, very impressive for an ultrabook that doesn't brand itself as a dedicated gaming machine.

With gaming performance like this, you can expect the U2442F to serve you well with everyday computing tasks too. Running Windows 8, its 128GB SSD lets you boot up the machine instantly, waking from sleep just as quickly. That 128GB SSD will fill up fast if you've sizeable media libraries however, or if you're looking to exploit the machine's gaming potential, so consider configuring the machine to include the optional HDD. It is worth noting though that Gigabyte mercifully leave the computer free from bloatware, meaning that you've got a pretty clean install of Windows 8 on here out of the box.There's a good selection of ports around the left and right edges of the machine too, offering up four USB ports (2x 3.0, 2x 2.0), both VGA and HDMI ports, an SD card reader, Ethernet connection for wired web access and both mic and headphone jacks.

Moving onto the keyboard, it's a backlit Chiclet style affair. While the keys themselves have a lightness that makes them feel a tad cheap, they're well spaced, making for a comfortable typing experience. Proving more enticing was the trackpad - offering a slightly textured finish and paired with a single button bar for clicks, it was responsive and made triggering Windows 8's vital gesture controls a breeze.

The 14-inch display, maxing out at a 1600 x 900 resolution won't impress those now sporting full HD resolutions and above, but fits the bill for this reasonably-priced ultrabook well. We must admit however that with Windows 8's focus on touch controls, we're increasingly of the belief that Windows 8 ultrabooks should be equipped with touchscreen displays in order to make the most of the OS.

Gigabyte have opted for a matte finish on the display, making it infinitely more useable outdoors or in rooms with harsh point lighting. The trade off here is in colour vibrancy and brightness, which is reduced compared to glossy LCD displays. Workers will probably find the matte finish very beneficial, while gamers may prefer the more striking richness of a glossy display. Keeping in mind a matte finish is often a premium configuration option though, its again showing the value of the U2442F.

If there's one real weakness here, it's in the speaker array, which sits in a strip just below the screen (in a rather nutty dot-grille pattern, no less). There's a tinny sound from the speakers, and no real sense of stereo direction. Best to pair the machine with a set of headphones for games and multimedia playback then.

In terms of battery life, the U2442F also performed well. We squeezed 5 hours out of the battery with the brightness dialled back to halfway. Considering that included firing up the GPU for a session with XCOM Enemy Unknown, that's not half bad, and those just looking to work through some spreadsheets could expect to get nearly a full working day out of the Gigabyte machine without running to the mains.

Verdict:

A very worthy ultrabook, the Gigabyte U2442F is in the enviable position of being able to provide some decent gaming chops in a portable, fast-booting style. It's not the thinnest, nor the lightest, but its one of the more flexible machines performance-wise, and offers good bang for your buck.

John McAfee was once best known as the founder of the McAfee Antivirus software, but these days the eccentric tech celebrity is better known for the insane life he's recently been living, living on the run from authorities seeking him for questioning in relation to drug and murder cases.

The meltdown continues today as McAfee posts this bizarre YouTube video, in which he teaches you (in his underwear) how to uninstall the software which made his name, all the while snorting mountains of "bath salts", being pampered by scantily-dressed ladies and wielding a gun.

Get ready for a truly weird 4 minutes, 26 seconds!

There may be more Samsung Galaxy handsets than you can shake an oversized stick at, but it seems those holding out hope for a Samsung galaxy Facebook model shouldn't hold their breath. The company have revealed they have no intention of making a Facebook-focussed phone while their own TouchWiz UI is on phones shipping so impressively.

According to the Korea Herald, Facebook top dog Mark Zuckerberg met with Samsung's heads on Tuesday to discuss the possibility of a "Facebook-friendly" phone. However, following the meeting key Samsung executives Lee Jay-yong and Shin Jong-kyun indicated that it was not an avenue they were considering pursuing any longer.

The tepid response to the Facebook Home software that the social networking giant released earlier in the year seems to be the most obvious cause here.

With no monetary value associated with implementing the software, Samsung has no need to introduce Facebook Home, especially when it can promote its own services more comprehensively through TouchWiz. Likewise, Samsung have their own Tizen operating system on the back burner, which would prove far more valuable to them if it could be used to shake off the shackles of Google's Android OS.

As for Facebook Home, it still continues to struggle. Available to only five Android devices (with an average Google Play customer review score of just 2.4 stars), sales of the HTC First handset it initially launched with have proved disastrous, with rumours the handset has now been axed and that international launches have been cancelled.

Reports are coming in that the latest software update for Sony's PlayStation 3 (4.45) is causing some user's consoles to stop working.

The update (which was intended to allow gamers to disable trophy notifications in-game) has caused the console for some to never hit the XMB screen after the PS3 boot logo appears. Even unplugging the console from the mains and resetting the system that way results in the same issue. Those that have tried reformatting the console have reported that their machines won't turn on at all after that effort to rectify the matter.

Sony has since pulled the patch to investigate the issue, stating:

"We are aware of reports that the recent PlayStation 3 system software update (version 4.45) has caused the XMB to not display on a small number of PS3 systems.

"We have temporarily taken 4.45 offline and are investigating the cause of the problem. We will announce when the system update is available for download as soon as possible. We apologise for the inconvenience."

However, it's too late for early-birds who have already downloaded the patch, and PlayStation Plus users who saw the update download automatically.

It's unfortunate timing for Sony, who have just gained the confidence of the majority of next-gen console hunters following their gaming-focussed unveiling of the PlayStation 4.

Have you been affected by the patch problems? Have you contacted Sony, and what was their response? Let us know in the comments section below!

The HTC Butterfly S has officially been revealed following a series of leaks over the past few weeks.

Launching in Taiwan and spotted by Engadget, the handset updates the original HTC Butterfly handset with a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor - one even more impressive than the Snapdragon S4 chipset found in the HTC One.

A rich 5-inch Full HD 1080p display sits around the front, while under the hood sits 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, which can be supplemented with microSD expansion cards.

Both the BlinkFeed-packing Sense 5 UI and Zoe camera functions are found within the Butterfly S's reskin of Android Jelly Bean, alongside Stereo BoomSound speakers, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. A sizeable 3,200mAh rounds off the top specs.

Set to cost 22,900 Taiwan New Dollars (around £490), we reckon its unlikely we'll see the phone hit UK shores sadly, given HTC's reluctance to bring their Butterfly-branded handsets to old Blighty in the past.

Huawei has unveiled the Ascend P6 which it claims is the world's slimmest smartphone measuring just 6.18mm. 

The smartphone, which looks very similar to the iPhone 5 especially from the side (see here) features a 1.5GHz quad-core processor and a metallic body. 

Other key features include 4.7-inch high definition in-cell display and  5 megapixel front-facing camera. 

Says Huawei's Richard Yu, Chief Executive Officer, Huawei Consumer Business Group: "Building on the success of our Ascend P series of fashion smartphones, the Huawei Ascend P6 provides unsurpassed technology and a design that is simply stunning."

Weighing about 120g, the Ascend P6 incorporates Android 4.2.2 operating system, 2000mAh battery, 4.7-inch HD in-cell LCD screen technology and 'MagicTouch' for enhanced screen responsiveness even when wearing gloves.

As well as a 5MP front facing camera which Huawei claims is perfect for 'selfies', the Ascend P6 boasts an 8MP rear-facing BSI camera with F2.0 aperture and 4cm macro view. It also offers full 1080P full HD video recording and playback as well as Huawei's proprietary IMAGESmart software which provides contrast and colour enhancement and auto scene recognition. 

Huawei claims its Automated Discontinuous Reception (ADRX) and Quick Power Control (QPC) battery optimization and power saving technology improves performance by more than 30%, compared with smartphone batteries of equal size. And with its multi-screen AirSharing capability you can connect to a range of devices to boost your productivity at work or play by easily sharing documents or enhance your gaming experience with minimal lag time.

Available in black, white and pink with matching colour cases, it will begin shipping to China from June and to Western Europe from July through Vodafone, Telefonica, Orange, H3G, O2, Carphone Warehouse, TalkTalk, Media Markt & Saturn, TIM and online via Amazon and CDiscount with other markets to follow.

Samsung has become the first TV manufacturer to offer all of the UK's terrestrial TV catch up services in one place with the full complement of players now available across its range of 2011, 2012 and 2013 range of Smart TVs.

In addition to the BBC iPlayer and the ITV Player all of the Smart TV models from 2011 now include 4oD and Five on Demand. With ten percent of UK television viewing now time-shifted, Samsung claims to be setting the agenda for the future of smart content and interaction on televisions.

Another feature on board the range of Smart TVs is Samsung's S Recommendation which suggests what's new to watch based on what you like. It intelligently learns your preferences, responds to your voice and instantly searches live TV, video on-demand services and apps to recommend content tailored to your tastes.

Says Guy Kinnell, Head of TV and AV at Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland: "According to our report 'Samsung Futures: The Future of Smart TV', people now spend an average of 2.7 hours a day watching TV1. We know that more and more people are using catch up services, so demand for our full catch up offering will be high.

"We've also seen content providers such as the BBC meeting this trend by commissioning original dramas for BBC iPlayer while the 'House of Cards' has been streamed exclusively for Netflix subscribers.

"Gone are the days of juggling multiple devices; viewers can enjoy their favourite programmes on the best screen in the house, whenever they want to."

This year is set to be one of the most disruptive 12 months ever for the games industry. Straight from the most fiery E3 conference for some time, we're now just a few short months away from the next generation of gaming consoles.

But, rather than being all sewn up by Microsoft's Xbox One, Sony's PlayStation 4 or Nintendo's Wii U, it's Apple who've just made the real game-changing gaming announcement.

iOS 7 for iPhone and iPad is set to introduce an official controller API.

Apple will now allow gamepads into the MFi program, which green-lights the sort of officially certified accessories you see lining the shelves of brick-and-mortar Apple Stores.

Two controller forms will be accepted: a "standard" model that offers a D-Pad, shoulder buttons and four face buttons, and an "extended" controller that adds an extra pair of trigger buttons and a pair of thumb sticks. Each can be a standalone controller that connects over AirPlay, or can act as a frame to house the iOS device, popping the controls either side of the screen.

On the surface it doesn't sound like a major deal - we've already had iOS gamepads from the likes of iCade and Ion. However, without any standardised API blueprint to work against, games developers had to put the effort in to optimising their titles for each manufacturer's unique hardware control system. For many games devs, it just wasn't worth the extra hassle to add support for a controller that only a few thousand people (at best) may own, especially when the iPhone and iPad's touch controls worked out fine. But with the introduction of a standardised API, whatever Apple-certified gamepad you buy going forward from the release of iOS 7 will adhere to a unified design, a single system that any game dev can easily add support for.

Hardcore iGaming

For years now we've been told that the console business will die out as more and more "casual" gamers turn to the devices in their pockets for their gaming thrills instead. But this has left the "hardcore" gamer, those that prefer their adventures delivered with buttons and thumbsticks instead of swipes and taps, out in the cold.

With the introduction of a standardised controller, the iPad can now be considered a genuine portable hardcore gaming console, among its many other techy roles.

And the hardcore gaming experiences for iOS devices are now coming in thick and fast. The recently released Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic port went down a storm, while the likes of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and the Modern Combat series are as far removed from the likes of Angry Birds as is possible.

Again, console stalwarts will point to the fact that some of the "hardcore" titles I've highlighted here are ports of older console titles. But with the knowledge that a traditional controller is now available to work with, more console-like games will certainly make their way to Apple's devices, perhaps even day-and-date iPad editions of games that would once have been the reserve of Sony and Microsoft's consoles.

And, unlike the uncharted waters of the next generation of consoles, there's already an installed iOS userbase of well over 500 million. 500 million! Of course, iOS 7 adoption is needed to support the gamepads, and older iOS devices won't be able to run iOS 7. But if even just under half of that number update to the new version of Apple's mobile operating system, that would eclipse even the mighty PlayStation 2's 155 million owners. And in penny-pinching times, you're not asking gamers to invest hundreds of pounds on new hardware, just in an inexpensive add-on for their already-capable device.

In terms of software, games like SW:TOR are proving gamers are willing to pay a premium for hardcore games on iOS devices, pushing app margins higher for developers. It's a market struggling games developers can't ignore.

Taking on the big three

Of course, this isn't quite a fair fight when you look at the hardware; the Xbox One and PS4 will be able to deliver incredibly detailed worlds, verging on the photo-real, with experiences exclusive to their platforms.

But mobile graphics are catching up rapidly. Apple's full-fat iPads already offer high resolution graphics through their Retina displays, and according to some mobile GPU vendors, the gap between mobile graphics chips and home gaming ones are shrinking.

Gamers are already turning against the Xbox One for what many feel are draconian anti-piracy measures. By encouraging digital downloads and licensed "ownership", Microsoft are effectively chasing the model set by Apple's revolutionary App Store. The difference of course is that people have accepted the App Store model, even if they can't trade the items they purchase through it. In the App Store, Apple delivered a disruptive platform through disruptive devices - the iPad and iPhone. The Xbox One is looking to introduce disruptive ownership systems in a traditional console market, and the two just don't gel together well in consumer's minds. Apple's App Store has succeeded, and with the 50 billionth app download confirmed on Monday, the Cupertino company are reaping the rewards. As are developers, who've pocketed $10 billion in the process.

But what of Nintendo's Wii U, selling so poorly that games publishing powerhouse EA look to be ceasing development for it altogether, and that many developers feel is hamstrung by its relatively low specs? The API announcement is arguably the final nail in the Wii U's coffin - with an integrated high resolution touchscreen and the addition of physical controls, what's the iPad but a more powerful Wii U gamepad, minus a certain moustachioed plumber? If the console fails and Nintendo are forced begrudgingly to license their properties out to mobile platforms, Apple will be first in line to pick up the pieces, possibly signing up their own valuable exclusives, and Nintendo will finally have a D-Pad to guide Mario around with.

The big sell

The stickler of course will be pricing and marketing. A £50 iPad controller isn't going to sell. A line of £10-£15 controllers though from multiple manufacturers, with Apple's in-store marketing magic behind it? Bundled in with an iPad or iPhone (however unlikely that particular scenario seems)? Now you're cooking with fire.

And then of course there's the Apple TV - with this announcement you're just a step away from pairing a controller with that and calling it the iGame.

Though a quiet announcement, Apple are now taking gaming seriously. And gamers should be taking Apple seriously now too.

Love watching the Jeremy Kyle show on your tablet, but can't stand the ITV Player app's adverts butting in just before we find out exactly why the UK's very own skeletor, Mad Dog Deon, tattooed his face up? Then you'll be (possibly) pleased to hear that ITV are introducing a subscription offering for their iOS app that will cut the commercials.

The premium upgrade will cost £3.99 a month, letting you watch uninterrupted streams of all ITV and ITV2, ITV3 and ITV4 shows, as well as offering simulcasts of ITV3 and ITV4 over 3G and Wi-Fi.

"As ITV Player on mobile devices continues to grow - over 7 million downloads on iOS to date - it is important we deliver innovative business models and adapt the product to the evolving market," Steven Power, Product Manager for ITV Player on Mobile.

"I'm genuinely excited that we're the first commercial broadcaster to offer viewers the choice to watch content with or without advertising."

The update should be live now for iPhone and iPad users. No word on an Android version yet though.

Sure, I get that we're in the grip of a 1990s revival period at the moment, but Panasonic must seriously be having a laugh with the look of their new SC-MAX650 home stereo.

Calling it "the ultimate party system" its illuminated neon highlights and exposed woofers and tweeters would make for a radical grand prize on Fun House (were it not out of the show's budget at $1,199 / £765).

"The SC-MAX650 is our most powerful audio system yet," said David Fisher, Product Manager, Panasonic Consumer Marketing Company of North America.

"From its aesthetic design to its sound capabilities, we have created this system to be a showstopper and truly bring a party to life through music."

At least it promises to sound as bombastic as it looks: imagine blasting the Pugwall theme tune out of a 2300W system, equipped with four-way floor-standing speakers which house 15" and 7-7/8" Super Woofers, a 4" Woofer and a 2-3/8" Tweeter. It's even got a MIC Jack if you're looking to throw a karaoke house party.

For more on the stereo, visit www.shop.panasonic.com, where the SC-MAX650 will land in June.

Whatever you think of the SC-MAX650, I'll forever be thankful to this Panasonic release for reminding me of this slice of early 90's cartoon gold:

Bringing a whole new meaning to the term "Hot Pants", check out Vodafone's prototype Power Shorts, which harvest thermal energy to give your mobile devices an extra bit of juice when away from a charger.

Using what Vodafone are calling "smart fabrics", the shorts contain a "Power Pocket" that capitalises on the Seebeck effect, a process that produces a voltage from the temperature differences across a thermoelectric module. The shorts also gather kinetic energy, with ferroelectret materials that build voltage as they are squashed and deformed as you walk. According to Vodafone, "these foam-like materials contain voids - the surfaces of which are permanently charged. As the size and shape of the voids changes, a net charge is produced at the surface of the material."

A days worth of walking about should give a smartphone an extra four hours of charge.

"We are exploring two specific technologies to charge the Power Pocket: thermoelectrics and kinetic energy harvesting," said Stephen Beeby, Professor of Electronic Systems at the University of Southampton.

"Both represent cutting edge research around smart fabrics and we are looking to integrate these into consumer products, in this case, a sleeping bag and a pair of denim shorts."

Vodafone will also be testing out the Recharge Sleeping Bag at festivals over the summer, which works on similar principles to the Power Shorts. An eight hour sleep in the bag can deliver as much as an extra 11 hours of power to a smartphone.

"Our ambition was to create a practical but exciting solution to the charging-related issues experienced by many at outdoor events," Vodafone UK's Director of Communications, Christian Cull

"We hope that people harness the power in their pocket to keep them chatting, texting, browsing and photographing throughout their entire festival season!"

Here comes a Samsung Galaxy smartphone with a real difference; taking its cues from last year's Samsung Galaxy Camera, the Galaxy S4 Zoom straps a giant 16MP CMOS sensor and 10x optical zoom onto the back of a Galaxy-S4-alike for some true cameraphone chops.

A few unique hardware controls offer quick access to camera-specific functions. A "Zoom ring" lets you instantly share snapped photos from a social network, as well as booting straight to the camera from sleep. There's no optical zoom hardware control though, so that's a touchscreen tap slider you'll be dragging around.

With optical image stabilisation and a Xenon flash, the S4 Zoom also introduces a new feature called Photo Suggest, which taps into an online library of images to help give you a better idea of composition for your own shots, and also suggests notable photo spots in your locality. All the standard Galaxy S4 camera features will return too.
Running Android 4.2, the compact-camera-come-smartphone uses Samsung's TouchWiz UI, but is powered by a less powerful 1.5GHz dual core chip than its quad or octo-core Galaxy S4 stablemates.

Rather than using the Galaxy S4's 1080p screen, the Zoom uses a 4.3-inch 960 x 540 Super AMOLED.

There's also a slight RAM drop to 1.5GB, but the real stickler is onboard storage - offering just 8GB built-in with microSD support, you're really going to have to invest in a memory card if you plan on using this device as a true compact camera replacement.

Like big butts and cannot lie? Good, 'cos the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom has got quite the rump on it in order to accommodate that optical zoom, measuring 125.5 x 63.5 x 15.4 mm and weighing 208g. Still, if that sensor is up to scratch it may mean you can leave your compact at home, so that extra heft will actually be saving space in the long run.

No price of release date set yet, but Samsung have said to expect a release at some point through the summer.

Not holding their own press conference at this year's E3, Nintendo used their now-familiar Nintendo Direct video showcase to tout their upcoming wares today instead.

Among the the new Wii U titles revealed were Super Mario 3D World (a take on the similarly named 3DS title), the gravity-defying Mario Kart 8, side-scrolling Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze and a pair of Super Smash Bros titles for Wii U and the 3DS handheld.

While all the games on show promise to deliver the Nintendo fun and frolics we've come to expect from the company, there remains a worrying lack of third-party titles attached to the Wii U. With the notable exception of Bayonetta 2, nearly every other third-party title in the presentation is a multi-format offering - not the sort of games you need to sell systems.

More worrying still is that many of Nintendo's own big party titles on show in the presentation don't have firm release dates set and look unlikely to be ready in time for the Christmas holiday rush - the most lucrative period of the year when Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One will be duking it out.

Only a fool would write Nintendo off, given the constant creativity their hardware and games offer, but there seems little in the company's current gaming launch strategy that looks set to reverse the current shaky footing the Wii U console is on anytime soon.

Watch the entire presentation in the video above.

Design-conscious camera kings, Leica have today revealed the Leica X Vario.

Featuring a 16.5MP (effective 16.1), APS-C format, CMOS image sensor, its zoom lens capabilities give it a range of focal lengths from 28mm to 70mm (35mm equivalent). It's also the world's first compact to combine a large APS-C format CMOS sensor with a zoom lens.

"The X Vario features an intuitive handling concept with clearly laid out functions. The user-friendly operation of the menu interface guarantees rapid access to an impressive range of automatic and versatile manual setting options," says Leica.

It's also a bit of a looker too, finished with luxury leather and built with an aluminium chassis. Manual dial controls will let you tweak shutter speed and aperture, while there's a 3-inch monitor for checking out previews of snaps and any Full HD videos you record with the camera.

The camera will cost a whopping £2,250 when it launches in the UK in the coming weeks. A free copy of Adobe Lightroom 5 will sweeten the deal a tad though.

Name: Creative Airwave HD

Type: Wireless Bluetooth speaker with NFC

Specifications: Click here for full specs

Price as reviewed: £129.99

Can NFC functionality and stellar battery life elevate the Creative Airwave HD above the masses of Bluetooth speakers available? Read our full review to find out!

Rather than the opting for the standard boxy shape of most Bluetooth speakers, the Creative Airwave HD instead has a triangular, prism shape. It's not unlike a Toblerone, with two curvy recesses at either end. On the front is a plastic non-removable grille that continues the triangular aesthetic. While the design looks a little bland on the black version we tested, a red version we've also seen is actually very bold and attractive, where the shadowing on the grille results in a more distinct and pleasing pattern.Along the top of the device you'll find the Airwave HD's controls, including a power slider, a volume rocker (which has an annoyingly large number of minuscule volume steps, taking an age before jumping to the top decibel levels) and a Bluetooth pairing button. You'll also find a battery/Bluetooth indicator light here, as well as an opening for an integrated microphone. Around the rear in a recess you'll find the microUSB charging port (which will work with basically any microUSB charger and can be used for adding juice from the speaker to a mobile device too) and an Aux-in port, next to a cavity for improving bass response.

The Creative Airwave HD measures 3.8 x 10.3 x 3.8 inches and weighs 980g. It's not the tiniest portable speaker out there then, but its extra heft does allow it room for components to push its volume levels strikingly loud, and for a capacious battery; two things we'd happily accept in a trade off against size.Pairing is incredibly simple with the Creative Airwave HD thanks to built-in NFC connectivity - simply switch the feature on on your smartphone, place the mobile against the rear of the speaker and the two become music-sharing buddies. It's great, and far more reliable than sometimes-finicky standard Bluetooth pairing, and we wish it was available in every wireless speaker. If you don't have an NFC-enabled device, you can pair the speaker in the standard Bluetooth fashion by holding down a button on the top of the Airwave HD and selecting the speaker from the Bluetooth menu on your music player. And, of course, there's always the option of a wired connection through the Aux-in port on the rear.The wireless systems employed here also have a few other neat features. An integrated microphone will allow you to wirelessly take calls with the speaker (so long as you don't mind your call being broadcast to anyone within earshot), while multipoint Bluetooth connectivity will allow two devices to connect to the speaker wirelessly at once. It's a useful feature for when playing tune-tennis with a pal - as soon as one user pauses their music and the other's starts, the speaker knows exactly which device's sound it should be pumping out.In terms of sound, the Creative Airwave HD is a mixed bag. Though cranking up incredibly loudly thanks to an integrated Creative Super Charged amplifier (loud enough to wind up every other person in the park that we tested it in), it's not the most elegant sounding system out there. Trying every genre from classic 70s rock through to the glacial electronic sounds of Alex Metric, the Creative Airwave HD's sound is firmly footed in the mid-range. There's a bit of kick to the bass end, but no warmth to the tone, and treble is harsh rather than detailed. It's not a bad sounding speaker by any means, and sits just behind the better portable systems we've heard, but it's overall a bit flat, and not a patch on the best audiophile home hi-fi's you'll hear. In terms of its soundstage, its size and triangular shape allows for a wider dispersal of sound than similar speakers, though it's still lacking the width of a wider stereo speaker set up, meaning pans get lost in the mix. To get overly particular on whether or not the Airwave HD will please audiophiles is sort of missing the point though too - the speaker is intended for outdoor, drunken tunes without hassle, and in one key area its got this totally sewn up: its best feature of all is the incredibly impressive battery life. Though the company state 7 hours of playback on their website, that seems a conservative statistic. Running the speaker constantly, streaming a lengthy Spotify playlist to the Airwave HD, we sailed right past the 8 hour mark with the volume levels fairly loud throughout. We wouldn't be surprised if you could squeeze 9 or more hours out of the speaker from one charge if you dialled the volume down a little lower. Great stuff.

Verdict:

There's lots to like about the Creative Airwave HD. It's got a punchy sound that hits incredibly high volume levels and, in the red version at least, an interesting and eye-catching design that's portable enough to take with you to a picnic or beach party without too much strain. Though its overall sound lacks detail and elegance, it more than makes up for it with a pain-free NFC pairing system and incredible battery life that will see you dancing away into the wee hours.

Last night during the WWDC 2013 keynote Apple revealed their long-awaited music streaming offering, iTunes Music, giving iOS users a new "music discovery" tool, turning tastes and artists into curated stations, offering both ad-funded and an ad-free version for iTunes Match subscribers.

Not everyone was impressed however, most notably Nokia executive Jyrki Rosenberg, who felt Apple were late to the music streaming party.

"We launched our streaming radio service in 2011," said Rosenberg, VP, Nokia Entertainment.

"It's interesting to see Apple react now and it seems they continue to play catch up. Nokia Music will stay true to our mobile-first approach and continue to deliver an extremely simple, personalised and contextual way to discover and enjoy music on the go.

"Our fully automated personalisation and the ability to save your favourite playlists for offline use combined with no requirement for registration, no payment and no ads continues to resonate with listeners around the world."

Certainly, the Nokia Music scheme was really intriguing when it first launched, especially the Comes With Music all-you-can-eat download service.I had it on a Nokia X6 "back in the day" and was totally in love with it. Until it failed to sync my licenses that is, preventing me from accessing my sizeable music library and making me skeptical of all things Nokia Music related for some time to come.

Still Rosenberg's point is valid - Apple are late to the game here. Is iTunes Radio enough to get you to turn your back on Spotify or Pandora, or for that matter Nokia Music? Let us know in the comments section below.


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