Microsoft is set to announce a Windows 8 tablet later today — but new rumours suggest it’ll involve US bookseller Barnes & Noble. Does that mean it’ll be a rival to the Amazon Kindle Fire rather than the iPad — and does it mean it won’t come to the UK? We were expecting a Microsoft-branded …

Judging from some of the Facebook status updates that I have the misfortune of seeing every day, many people don’t do nearly enough to keep their phones secure. Considering how much personal information is stored on our smart phones, from text messages to emails and social networks, security should be at the top of everyone’s priority list, and fortunately it …

Though it’s listed as out of stock on its own Web site, iLuv tells me that it’s begun shipping its Mo’Beats iSP245 portable stereo Bluetooth speaker stand. Since it uses Bluetooth for wireless audio streaming, you can use the Mo’Beats with any Bluetooth-enabled tablet, smartphone, or laptop, though it’s more ideally suited for tablets. It has a built-in rechargeable battery …

On paper, a smart phone will beat a regular phone in every single area except for one — battery life. At least there are a few things that you can do to improve your Samsung Galaxy S3’s staying power and extend your fun time with your cherished new mobile. That big, bright, show-off screen and beefy processor will have your …

Much as I like the idea behind Apple’s Smart Cover for iPad, I never much cared for the execution. That’s because it’s no good at holding the iPad in portrait orientation for reading books and magazines, and it offers only two positions for landscape viewing — one that’s too high, and one that’s too low for anything but typing. The …

If you have extra cash in your pocket, Nokia and Amazon are ready to bring your Nokia 808 PureView jealousy to an end. Today, Nokia announced that it will sell the Symbian OS phone, famous for its jaw-dropping 41-megapixel camera, via Amazon to U.S. customers. It’ll cost you $699.99 for the unlocked handset, in addition to the cost of a …

The LG Optimus L5 will be out in the UK this month, sashaying into shops with a 4-inch display, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. LG has confirmed the mid-range mobile will be making its debut here before July, also arriving in Germany and France, following the more powerful quad-core LG Optimus 4X HD. Along with the latest version of …

Sharp today announced that it has partnered with design firm Frog to create a new user experience for the next wave of Aquos smartphones. Expected to arrive this summer, the Feel UX promises to have a highly customizable interface that integrates features like a personalized lock screen and widgets with real-time weather. Admittedly, Feel UX sounds identical to other custom …

Samsung Electronics’ new CEO called for the company to redouble its focus on software, which could hint at a move away from Android and toward its own proprietary operating system. Samsung has long desired to push its own integrated hardware and software experience, investing in its Bada operating system and selling devices in select markets. But the popularity of Android, …

commentary Raise your hand if you know what Symbian is. Now keep it raised if you ever expected to see another phone running Nokia’s mostly defunct OS in the U.S. It may be “popular demand” that’s bringing the Nokia 808 PureView smartphone to the U.S. by way of Amazon, but it sure as shooting isn’t because of its operating system. …

In the last century, while Steve Jobs was anguishing over the look of a bevel on the Macintosh, Bill Gates, rocking back and forth, figured out how to achieve world domination for Windows. Gates handily won, applying his business-friendly, partner-with-PC-makers formula to render Apple a bit player. Even today, Microsoft has more than 90 percent market share of desktops, compared …

Specs have surfaced for a 7-inch Microsoft tablet dubbed Xbox Surface, which looks to work with a second ‘stationary computing device’. The mysterious specification sheet appeared on Shifted2u, with additional information cropping up on Liveside.net. The leaks detail an Xbox tablet, and come shortly ahead of a ‘major’ Microsoft announcement this evening. The ‘Tablet Computing Device’ mentioned in the spec …

Developers can’t wait for iOS 6 and Facebook to show up on Apple’s mobile devices. That’s according to Matt Gillis, who spent much of last week chatting with developers at Apple’s WWDC event. As the head of global monetization for mobile advertising company Millennial Media, he’s tapped into the developer community. The key verdict from WWDC: a lot of excitement …

What’s this popping up on Nokia’s Facebook page? It’s a teaser for something happening on 18 June — that’s Monday. The image shows a satellite picture of Hawaii with Nokia maps controls over the top. And it followed this with a grainy snap of a Roland TR-808 drum machine. While Monday is the same day as Microsoft’s much-hyped tablet unveiling, …

As much as millions of people worldwide love their iPhones, there are some who wish that Apple would hand over some of the control. The iPhone is built on a solid software platform, but there is limited room to customise the phone beyond the basic options offered in the settings. If you want more control, or the option to install …