Distill an entire year of products, technologies and experiences into just five ‘best ofs’? Almost impossible, you might think. But nigh-impossible or not, it’s happening. So here are the five ‘things’ I feel had the biggest impact on my 2013. Much gun. Very sword. Such pirate. (Credit: Ubisoft) Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag In cognitive …

Samsung’s purported Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 tablet may have just gotten its first bit of public exposure. A series of FCC documents published on Thursday point to a new device from Samsung with the model number SM-T320. A diagram shows a Wi-Fi-enabled device with a rear camera. One of the documents reveals other details, including a diagonal size for the …

Looking to spend some of that Christmas moolah that came in your cards? Well here’s a ridiculously good deal, courtesy of Amazon. The Nokia Lumia 520 has dropped to just £69.95 on the online retailer, Coolsmartphone reports. In comparison, the 520 is £140 at Argos, £146 at Play.com, and £100 at eGlobal. The Lumia 520 is unlocked and SIM-free too, …

More BlackBerry news, and in keeping with recent form, it’s not good news. Its sales have been so bad of late that the troubled phone firm actually cancelled two handsets it had in the works. These phones were codenamed Café and Kopi, and were intended to launch in developing markets. BlackBerry revealed this info in its earnings report last week, but …

LG is rumoured to be working on a smart watch, and while it hasn’t spilled the beans just yet, it has confirmed that it has some wearable tech up its sleeve. Speaking to Engadget, an LG spokesperson confirmed a “wearable product” is on the way. So what could it be? Well one Korean site has a couple of ideas… According …

If Santa dropped a new mobile in your Christmas stocking you’ll have set it up and got playing with it by the time the turkey came out of the oven. Come Boxing Day though — happy Christmas by the way! — you’re probably looking for more stuff to do. And in the spirit of the season, we’re happy to provide. …

You could soon pay in that Christmas cheque from your granddad without having to go to the bank. Just snap a photo of it with your smart phone, and you could pay it in electronically, no need to brave the cold. Magic. The government will launch a consultation on the idea, the Treasury announced in a press release, with a …

Ex-National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden took the reins of Channel 4’s alternative Christmas message yesterday, and he used the broadcast to urge an end to mass surveillance. Snowden blew the whistle on his ex-employer, the NSA, for spying on US citizens, monitoring their emails, phone calls, and text messages. Here in Blighty, GCHQ was also found to be involved. …

Mike Lazaridis, a BlackBerry co-founder and former co-CEO, has officially ditched his plans to acquire the company through a joint bid with a fellow co-founder. In dissolving the plan, Lazaridis’ stake in the sagging company is now 4.99 percent. Lazaridis made his decision public in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday. Under the now-defunct plan, which was announced …

Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission has fined Apple 20 million New Taiwan dollars — about $666,000 — after determining the company has been illegally interfering with iPhone pricing in the country, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The commission found that Apple was telling Taiwan’s three primary mobile-service providers how much to charge for iPhones. “Through the e-mail correspondence between Apple …

It looks like Nokia has plans for a Norman conquest as new pictures of the rumoured Nokia Normandy Android phone leak — as well as a rumoured Lumia 929 too. The new photo comes courtesy of prolific leaker @evleaks and shows what’s purported to be the Nokia Normandy in an assortment of bright Lumia-like colours. As well as the red …

Here’s some Grinchy news for those of you who put Samsung’s Galaxy S4 on your holiday wish list: Israeli researchers have identified a vulnerability in the smartphone that allegedly allows a hacker to easily intercept secure data. Samsung told CNET and other news outlets that it’s looking into the issues and thus far doesn’t believe the problem is as serious …

Making plans for the new year? The technology industry is, and Asus has given a hint of what we can look forward to with a teaser video suggesting a new tablet that runs both Android and Windows. The teaser sees the Statue of Liberty whip out a tablet that switches between blue and Android green, with the title ‘Green or …

EE has heavily promoted its 4G service this year, and rolled it out to 160 towns and cities across the UK. But that wasn’t enough to stop customers giving the network the thumbs down, the Daily Mail reports. The Mail has had a peek at confidential YouGov data that show EE being rated the worst mobile network in the UK. …

If you’re looking for a bargain this Christmas, you may have just found it. Virgin Mobile has dropped the price of the iPhone 4S to just £19 a month, with no upfront cost for the handset. The next cheapest I can find it for is £22 over at Carphone Warehouse. And £3 a month isn’t to be sniffed at. Though as ever …