Apple is placing greater emphasis than ever on battery technology to enable it's mobile devices to be charged via solar, inductive and motion-powered means, reports have claimed.

The New York Times claims the Cupertino-based company is working hard on building a 'smarter' battery for it's iOS devices and perhaps even the long awaited iWatch smartwatch.

Multiple ex-Apple executives told the paper that solar, in particular, continues to be a major focus for Apple engineers.

In terms of the iWatch, solar, inductive and motion charging would allow users to wear the device for longer periods without needing to charge so often.

Going inductive

The company is particularly concerned with inductive charging for the iWatch, which we've seen in the Google Nexus 4 and Nokia Lumia 920 in recent times.

Those handsets charge the device by placing the devices on a wireless plate, but Apple is working on tech that would allow the charging to take place wirelessly via electromagnetic fields.

The iWatch is expected to arrive at some point this year. Will Apple introduce some new battery tech? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

• The solution may be on the way, but are battery woes scuppering Apple's iWatch plans?

The rumoured red edition of the Google Nexus 5 appears to be a step closer to reality following the leak of an official-looking press render.

Following multiple blurry-cam and unboxing leaks over the last couple of weeks, that man @evleaks appears to have gotten hold of the best look yet.

The images shows the device with a red rear casing and earpiece, but the faceplate itself retains its black bezel.

The Red Nexus 5 has been tipped to launch on February 4, following the leak of an internal document from U.S. network Sprint.

Strong

The Nexus 5, crafted by LG and and also available in black and white, has been a big success for Google, continuing its growing hardware momentum.

It was Google's best-selling device of the last quarter with the company citing "very strong" sales in last week's earnings call.

It has proved an attractive option for smartphone because of its agreeable price-point compared to handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

Nexus 5 has also proved popular among Android enthusiasts who value the raw version of the software and the immediate updates when Google refreshes the operating system.

• What else is on Google's agenda in 2014? Here's what do expect...

French mobile manufacturer Archos plans to throw its beret in to the Windows Phone arena.

CEO Loic Poirier said the company will launch a handset on Microsoft's gradually improving platform, joining its budget offerings on Android.

Nokia is currently earning a whopping 90 per cent of Windows Phone sales, with big hitters like LG, Samsung and HTC focusing all of their attentions on the Android operating system.

That means a potential opportunity for manufacturers a little lower on the totem pole, like Archos, outside of the densely populated Android market.

New breed rising

"We will launch a Windows Phone handset when the time is right," he told TrustedReviews before explaining its primary focus would remain with Android.

"Before anything else we are focussed on Google," he added.

Other manufacturers like Alcatel and ZTE are also planning to jump in on Windows Phone. Could we be seeing a new breed of handset makers rising on Windows Phone?

• Have you checked out Archos' latest range of budget Android tablets?