Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, has proposed an astronomical price hike for networks using the country's radio spectrum, which in some cases would quadruple fees currently being paid.

On Thursday, the government body announced plans to cover the financial failure of this year's 4G spectrum auction, which brought in £1.2 billion less than chancellor George Osborne had envisioned.

If the plans are approved it could mean EE's licensing costs 4G services on the liberated (meaning available for 4G speeds) 900Mhz and 1800Mhz bands could jump from the current £24.9m to £107.1m.

Vodafone and O2 would face a 432 per cent increase in its fees, from £15.6m to £83.1m, while Three would see its bill raised from £8.3m to £35.7m.

The fee increase, which will undoubtedly be fought by all those affected, comes at a time when all of the four major networks are investing countless millions in upgrading their infrastructure for 4G services.

Footing the bill

However, if Ofcom is successful with its plans, it's unlikely that it'll be the likes of EE and Vodafone eating 100 per cent of the price hike. Consumer experts have warned that any up-charge would probably be passed on to smartphone users.

Adam Kirby of uSwitch.com said: "The size of these figures may come as bad news to the mobile networks, but more worryingly could sound alarm bells for consumers.

"The proposed new costs reflect a huge leap in the amount networks will have to pay the regulator for using the spectrum - our concern is that it will be consumers who are left to foot the bill."

A spokesperson for Vodafone criticised Ofcom's plans, saying it could limit the spread of 4G services around the UK.

The company said: "We are disappointed that Ofcom is proposing a 430% increase in the fees we pay for our existing spectrum at a time when we are investing more than ever in vital national digital infrastructure.

"The regulator should be encouraging such private sector investment in infrastructure and new services like 4G, which will benefit consumers, businesses and the wider British economy for many years to come."

Source : techradar[dot]com

We're currently putting the Sony SmartWatch 2 through its paces in our in-depth review, so check back here soon for the full review!

With all the hoo-ha surrounding the Samsung Galaxy Gear, we've take another close look at the other smartwatch - and one with a more obvious name too.

The Sony Smartwatch 2 doesn't attempt to do as much as the recently-announced Galaxy Gear, but it's a sleeker and more focused beast as a result.

Shorn of the need to speak to your wrist, the Smartwatch 2 instead becomes a companion to smartphones running Android 4.0 and above, offering more basic functionality.

The Smartwatch 2 is decently designed - there are metal and rubber watch straps to choose from, and without the camera that adorns the Gear you've got far more flexibility, as most standard straps fit the watch.

It looks far more like a watch than the Samsung version for one simple reason: it doesn't have to turn off. The power key on the side is there for when you want to fire the display up a notch, but in general standby mode the display will revert to a low-power clock face.

It's a little tricky to hit that side button, but it's chunky and easy to find without twisting your wrist in a rather unnatural way to see where you're pressing.

Otherwise, the design of the Smartwatch 2 ticks all the boxes we could have hoped for, in that it's sleek, light enough to be unobtrusive and looks premium. Most importantly of all, it doesn't look like a geeky smartwatch. It's more something like a fashion house of Diesel's nature might come up with.

The main draw of the Smartwatch 2 (Sony is keen to point out this is actually the third or fourth iteration of its wrist-based gadgetry, but the naming convention took precedence here) is the fact it's not only touchscreen based but runs a heavily cut-down version of its Android overlay.

It's a very simple system to cycle through, with homescreens expanding as you download more apps for your watch. These are increasing all the time, and while there's no specific number to crow about, privately Sony is pretty chirpy about how far ahead of its South Korean watch-rival it is in terms of app numbers.

The screen is 1.6-inches with 220 x 176 resolution, which is smaller and lower res than the Galaxy Gear. It's not high resolution either, and feels like a companion device when flicking through the apps rather than giving the 'headliner' feel that you get with the Gear.

That said, at least Sony's Smartwatch 2 is water resistant, coming in with an IP57 rating to make it something you can keep on the wrist when washing up.

It's also got a much longer battery life, with 6-7 days apparently easy to manage if you only use it to get text notifications and call updates on the arm.

And the final kicker? It's only going to cost around £170. The Gear will be nearly double that.

Early verdict

The Sony Smartwatch 2 is the ideal companion for your Android Ice Cream Sandwich or above smartphone, making it an almost universally appealing device.

It's got sleek lines, a lower price and a decent range of apps available at launch, making it a toy you can legitimately ask for at Christmas and then spend all day playing with.

The Smartwatch 2 doesn't suffer from the lag we've seen with so many other smartwatches, and a long battery life makes it a much better proposition for the charging-naysayer than the Galaxy Gear.

Technologically speaking, it doesn't have the specs to match the Gear, nor does it have the functionality.

But for those looking for a simple device that quietly alerts them to texts, calls and Facebook updates, this could be an ideal candidate to replace the Timex.

Source : techradar[dot]com

The HTC One Max is becoming increasingly more likely as the almost constant stream of rumours, leaks and speculation reaches tipping point - and now it has apparently been spotted in public.

According to a posting on the Chinese social site Weibo, on user managed to snap a picture of the HTC One Max in action while riding on public transport - and it looks huge.

Of course there's no guaranteeing that this picture is legit - it could of course be the work of someone who's a dab hand on Photoshop - but it appears to be consistent with rumours of a 5.9-inch, full HD device with the same stylings as the HTC One.

Fingers at the ready

That's not all though, as Chinese site Ctech has also spotted an image on the same social site which refers to the fingerprint scanner touted for the rear of the One Max.

While there's not a huge amount of detail to be gained here, it appears the HTC One Max will be able to recognise all your fingers, from thumb to pinkie, potentially allowing different digits to perform different tasks.

This could see great functionality over Apple's TouchID system which features on the iPhone 5S - where users can unlock and makes payments with their print, but do little else.

Various reports suggest HTC may be planning a One Max launch event sometime in the next week or so, with October 15 and October 17 being mooted as possible dates.

• What we know so far: HTC One Max release date, news and rumours

Source : techradar[dot]com

Nokia is expected to announce six devices at its October 22 event, and one of them we might be seeing is the Nokia Lumia 1320 Windows phone.

The first we heard was from evleaks, who first tweeted that the "Batman" codename was being used for the Lumia 1320 although didn't elaborate further.

This was followed up when sources speaking to The Verge said that the handset will be the top low-end Windows Phone with specs comparable to the Lumia 625.

It's all part of the plan

Nokia is reportedly packing the 1320 with a large screen in the same vein of the 625, while the Dark Knight will also include a 5MP rear snapper and front-facing VGA camera.

Nokia has done dealings with Batman before with a special bat-themed Lumia 800 to tie in with the release of The Dark Knight Rises - although there's no guarantee of a superhero tie-in come launch.

We're expecting the Nokia Lumia 1520 phablet handset to be unveiled at the big Nokia event later this month, but what else has Nokia got up its sleeve? We'll either die heroes or live long enough to find out.

• Is the Nokia Lumia 1020 the camera phone you deserve, or the one you need right now?

Source : techradar[dot]com

Apple looks set to roll out an iPhone reuse and recycling programme in the UK in the coming months and if it does, it will allow customers to bring an old iPhone into an Apple Store and exchange it for some credit towards a new one.

It's already launched in the US in August, but according to a source who spoke with 9to5Mac, Apple has begun preparing training materials for a UK based version of the iPhone trade in service and has even started training staff in a few stores.

Old for new

The service won't likely launch until staff in all stores are trained up, but when it does you can expect to be offered a price for your old phone based on its condition.

However, assuming the system is the same as that in the US, the credit must be used then and there and can only be used towards a new iPhone, so if you're looking to jump ship this isn't the way to go.

Apple has offered a similar scheme online for a while now and the online version is actually more flexible as you're not limited to just trading in an iPhone or only using your credit on a new iPhone. On the other hand it's a whole lot less convenient as you have to ship your device to Apple.

Whether convenience will win the day here remains to be seen, but it looks like customers will soon at least have the option.

• Has this news got you eyeing up a new iPhone? Then see what we thought of the iPhone 5S.

Source : techradar[dot]com

Word's afoot that Microsoft is supposedly planning on bringing its Windows Phone platform to larger devices - namely tablet computers.

According to Paul Thurrott's Supersite for Windows (yes, that is its actual name), a Microsoft engineer has spilled the beans on plans for the Windows Phone 8.1 update.

The source claims that Windows Phone 8.1 will support screen sizes between 7 and 10 inches, while an update ahead of this - codenamed "GDR3" - will see 5 to 6-inch display support.

GDR3 could potentially arrive alongside the much-hyped Nokia Lumia 1520 at the Nokia World event on October 22 - so keep an eye out for that.

One app fits all

We've already heard that Microsoft is looking to unify its desktop, tablet and smartphone systems, and according to the report Windows Phone 8.1 will allow developers to create one app which works across WP smartphones and Windows RT slates.

If Windows Phone 8.1 does turn up supporting the larger screen sizes mentioned it would be directly challenging all the Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets, which could lead to some serious confusion amongst consumers.

Paul Thurrott himself has noted this information comes from just a single source within Microsoft, and although he says it's "verified", we're not getting carried away just yet.

• Want to know more about Microsoft's mobile OS? Check out our Windows Phone 8 review

Source : techradar[dot]com