Microsoft built several Surface phone prototypes to safeguard against a Nokia Lumia Windows Phone failure, according to reports on Friday.

The software and devices giant developed the handsets as a back-up plan if Nokia proved unable to produce the goods with its early Lumia devices.

However, that scheme was put on the back burner, according to The Verge, as Nokia's handsets lived up to expectations and it became apparent that an acquisition might be in the pipeline.

Nokia aside, the company has struggled to convince other manufacturers to dedicate significant support for Windows Phone as the likes of HTC, LG and Samsung focus on better-selling Android offerings.

What if?

The reports surfaced on the same day it was claimed Nokia experimented with the Android OS, before deciding to throw its eggs into the Windows Phone basket.

The New York Times reported that the Finnish company has tested Android on an existing Lumia device and claimed the task of porting the OS to its existing was not "herculean."

The revelations leave Nokia hardware fans - and probably some shareholders - wondering what might have been if the company had pulled the trigger on its Android experiment.

You'd have to think, with Nokia's vastly superior hardware design history, it may have wiped the floor with the plastic-fantastic galaxy offerings from Samsung. Unfortunately, we'll never know.

• Read about Huawei still being on board with WP8 despite the Nokia buyout.

Making fun of Apple is approaching shooting-fish-in-a-barrel territory for the company's rivals, but in a break from the norm, Microsoft's latest effort is actually kind of humorous. Who'd have thunk it?

The clever, two-minute parody video does a pretty decent job of taking the mickey out of Apple's newly-launched iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S handsets, in a fly-on-the-wall style video.

The clip features a "presentation" from fake Apple staff, pitching the merits (or lack thereof) of the new handsets, mocking the colour scheme, "unashamedly" plastic materials and Touch ID fingerprint sensor.

The killer line? "And you know what the beauty part is? We can charge whatever we want, bro!"

Time to switch?

The video, which has been taken down by Microsoft, probably by design, continues to exist on YouTube ends with the hastag #timetoswitch.

It's by no means the first time Microsoft has assumed the position as chief Apple agitator, it's recent Windows 8 vs iPad commercials have had their moments too.

Will it encourage people to switch in the same way Samsung's Next Big Thing commercials managed to make Apple seem uncool?

You can enjoy the latest clip below.

HTC has pledged to resolve an issue with the HTC One's Ultrapixel camera that causes photos to be tinted with red, purple or blue, when photos are shot in low-light conditions.

The Taiwanese company says it is working on the issue, experienced by a not-insignificant number of HTC One owners and will roll-out the solution when it releases Android Jelly Bean 4.3 for the handset.

"My problem is that in night shots and very low light scenes, the camera turns the black into blue (or red in very very dark scenes)," one affected user posted on HTC's support forum.

In a recent poll, reported by Ubergizmo, 323 out of 388 surveyed users revealed they were experiencing such problems with the camera.

Help is on the way

Currently, HTC is advising users to reduce the ISO levels to lessen the impact of the flaw, or return their handset and receive a replacement.

In a statement obtained by Italian blog HDBlog.it, HTC said: "We recently received isolated reports of a purple colour that appears on the images taken with HTC One. After examining the internal relations, we are planning a software update that will improve the contrasts of colour in low light conditions.

"As we work to improve this aspect of the user experience, we would like to thank our customers for their patience. In the meantime, if you are experiencing this issue, we ask you to contact our customer service for assistance."

There's still no word on exactly when the company will drop the Android 4.3 update, so now might be as good as any to freshen up your HTC One handset.

• Have a break, have a read of the latest word surrounding the forthcoming Android 4.4 KitKat update.