Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told an audience at Oxford University that convincing the board to sign off on the purchase of Nokia was one of his toughest tasks, during a 14-year spell in charge.

During the lengthy chat, the larger-than-life Baller, who handed over the reins to Satya Nadella last month, said snapping up a phone-maker was a tough sell, given Microsoft's deep roots as a software company.

He said: "It's important because the name of the company is Microsoft," he said "It was a fundamental part of the founding principles: we were a software company.

"And yet: Xbox, Surface and now the phone, and we have a profile that will end up being mixed in the future. That's a pretty fundamental change."

United we stand

Ballmer also owned up to a few mobile missteps during his tenure as Bill Gates' successor, including the company's hesitance to unite the company's hardware and software strategies.

He added: "In the last 10 years, there are things that didn't go so well. We would have had a strong position in the phone market. The thing I regret is that we didn't put hardware and software together quicker."

If you're so inclined, you can watch the full chat below.

• Analysis: Ballmer leaves Microsoft, but in what shape?

Microsoft's Siri-like personal assistant app 'Cortana' is perhaps the most anticipated new coming to Windows Phone 8.1 feature and here it is in its first public appearance in a detailed video clip.

The UnleashThePhones website has posted a two-minute demonstration of the app, which will also be Microsoft's answer to Android's excellent Google Now is shown promising to 'make your life a little easier.'

Upon opening the app users will apparently be required to input a Microsoft account before Cortana - named after a character from the Halo game series - seeks to discover more about its owner.

Users will be asked to choose a nickname, input data about how they like to spend their evenings, what their food preferences are, as well as favourite activities and topics they'd like to stay updated on.

If you Build it...

Once the set up is completed, Cortana will ask users how it can be of assistance, giving Windows Phone fans the opportunity to ask questions, request playlists, set alarms and more.

It seems the app will be accessed from a Start screen Live Tile, but will also be availably by pressing the soft Bing search key beneath the touchscreen.

That's enough from us, though, you can take a peek at Cortana yourself in the video below, although we're sorry to say her voice hasn't been revealed just yet.

Microsoft's Windows Phone 8.1 update is due to arrive next month at the company's Build conference. It has already announced Facebook Messenger and dual-sim functionality will join the party.

The company is also thought to be adding a Swype-like keyboard as well as fingerprint scanning tech.

• Check out the best messaging apps for Windows Phone

The general public is waiting for the iOS 7.1. release date that's supposed to bring new features and fix a bunch of annoying bugs.

Thankfully, this major update is being readied for later this week or early next week, according to Apple enthusiast website Daring Fireball.

This is based on the fact that Apple is said to be requiring iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users to install iOS 7.1 in order to stream its first iTunes Festival in the US at SXSW.

Since the iTunes Festival's US debut is next Tuesday at the Austin music, film and tech conference, Apple is expected to push the major update to iOS users any day now.

iOS 7.1. changes

iOS 7.1 has had a long four-month beta, but it promises to make a few design tweaks and end glitches that drive people crazy.

Its "call" and "end" button icons are small and round instead of large and rectangular. Apple also replaced the ugly reddish-orange Power Off slide bar with a translucent bar and white button.

More important than these UI changes are the bug fixes. Expect the final release notes to finally address the annoying white screen of death issue that randomly soft resets iOS devices.

iOS 7.1 is the first paint job for Apple's fresh coat that was iOS 7. Even bigger changes are expected as part of iOS 8.

Maybe by then we'll see a quick way to access WiFi, Bluetooth and Do Not Disturb setting by holding down their respective icons in Control Center.

• In addition to iOS 8, see what's in store for iPhone 6

Lenovo has sent TechRadar a statement clarifying that actor Ashton Kutcher is not helping the company develop smartphones.

This runs directly contrary to a report last week that claimed the That '70s Show, Punk'd and Jobs star was acting as a product engineer and directly influencing a new line of Lenovo phones.

The news was originally attributed to Lenovo Chief Marketing Officer David Roman, but now it seems he may have been misquoted.

In reality, "the development agreement Lenovo has with Ashton Kutcher is for tablets only, and not for smartphones," Lenovo Executive Director of External Communications Ray Gorman told TechRadar.

Punk'd and confused

Kutcher has been involved with the tech world for some time, having funded some big-name start-ups and co-founded an investment firm for that purpose.

He signed on with Lenovo in 2013 as a spokesperson and product engineer, helping out on the company's Yoga Tablet line.

In last week's report Roman was quoted as saying, "I know on one level, it sounds corny, but it is real … He not only sees himself as an engineer, but he is an engineer. If he sees a problem, he wants to solve it."

It seems that sentiment still applies, but only to Lenovo's tablets and not its smartphones.

We've asked Gorman for further clarification regarding this mix-up and will update here if hear back.

• The Lenovo Vibe Z is the firm's latest smartphone - here's TechRadar's analysis.

Lenovo has sent TechRadar a statement clarifying that actor Ashton Kutcher is not helping the company develop smartphones.

This runs directly contrary to a report that last week claimed the That '70s Show, Punk'd and Jobs star was acting as a product engineer and directly influencing a new line of Lenovo phones.

The news was originally attributed to Lenovo Chief Marketing Officer David Roman, but now it seems he may have been misquoted.

In reality, "the development agreement Lenovo has with Ashton Kutcher is for tablets only, and not for smartphones," Lenovo Executive Director of External Communications Ray Gorman told TechRadar.

Punk'd and confused

Kutcher has been involved with the tech world for some time, having funded some big-name start-ups and co-founded an investment firm for that purpose.

He signed on with Lenovo in 2013 as a spokesperson and product engineer, helping out on the company's Yoga Tablet line.

In last week's report Roman was quoted saying, "I know on one level, it sounds corny, but it is real … He not only sees himself as an engineer, but he is an engineer. If he sees a problem, he wants to solve it."

It seems that sentiment still applies, but only to Lenovo's tablets, and not its smartphones.

We've asked Gorman for further clarification regarding this confusion and will update here if hear back.

• The Lenovo Vibe Z is the firm's latest smartphone - here's TechRadar's analysis

Apple has been granted a panted that, among other things, exposes the company's possible plans for a flexible, curved iPhone with virtual buttons.

The patent was originally filed in 2011 and first surfaced in March 2013, but as of now it officially belongs to Apple.

The images from the patent, first seen a year ago, show a curved iPhone with a wraparound display that grants it extra surface area able to display five apps per row.

The hypothetical new iPhone can use multiple cameras to track users' faces and adjust the display accordingly.

Virtual buttons

In addition the patent covers virtual buttons, which would be a first for an Apple mobile.

Apple has long stood by its physical home button, and the volume and lock buttons have always seemed essential as well. But this patent shows that the input configuration of Apple's iPhones may not be as cemented in gospel as one might have thought.

The volume control in this version is still on the left side, but has some added functionality. For example the volume level would be visible at all times, and touching the virtual buttons in a certain way could expand the control to span the entire left side of the phone, giving users finer control.

In addition the lock button's functionality could hypothetically be controlled using touch gesture's on the phone's sides.

Now that Apple's been granted this patent, will we see all these features in the iPhone 6? It seems unlikely, but you never know.

• Here's what TechRadar thought of the iPhone 5C

Now that BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) has successfully made the leap from its home turf to iPhone and Android, what's next? Judging from the latest Beta Zone version of the app, it appears to be advertising.

BerryReview managed to get a peek at the latest Beta Zone update for the Android version of BlackBerry Messenger and tucked away inside the release notes is an entire section devoted to a new "Ad Experience" the company appears to be toying with.

Although users of release versions of BBM are safe for now, there's likely no escaping the fact that ads will eventually turn up there, especially now that BlackBerry Chief Executive Officer John Chen has made it clear the company intends to "monetize" the platform.

For now, that experience appears to be limited to two sections of the BBM Beta Zone app: Sponsored invitations in the Invites section, and sponsored channel posts in the Updates section.

Message from your sponsor

BlackBerry's description of the Ads Experience immediately brings to mind Twitter's Promoted Tweets, relatively harmless paid ads that pop up in a user's timeline on the microblogging service's website and official mobile apps.

The BBM Beta Zone release notes also mention "ads may not appear right away" for all users, stressing that ads will only appear in the latest beta version, at least for now.

Ironically, the pitch for ads is perched atop a handful of actual improvements to the Beta Zone app, which include increasing the size of attachments from 6MB to 16MB, sharing pictures in a multi-person chat and viewing BBM images in both portrait and landscape orientation.

Last but not least, the most recent Beta Zone app allows BBM users to purchase stickers from the new BBM Store, but we're not sure if that should be considered an improvement or another distraction from the app's core functionality.

• Android gets flexible in our review of the LG G Flex smartphone!

The new HTC One is definitely on its way and it appears that pretty much every aspect of the handset has already been leaked, but hot on the heels of the upgraded BoomSound confirmation comes word on that full metal body.

HTC has released its second "technical translation" video, titled "metal unibody", where we're promised that the all new One will be even sleeker than its predecessor.

We've recently seen a 12 minute video leak which claims to reveal the new HTC One in all its glory, and it appears that it does indeed have a sleeker, more rounded design.

We'll find out for sure on March 25, when HTC will take to the stage in London and New York to announce its next generation flagship device.

• All you need to know on the all new HTC One

Nokia isn't giving up on Windows Phone just yet as reports of the Lumia 630 leak out and point towards a 4.5-inch 854 x 480 screen, Snapdragon 400 processor and 1GB of RAM.

This all comes from Winp.cn, which got the information from a user of the Chinese Baidu forum with the handle Nuoji it. As they're not a known tipster it's hard to say how legitimate the information is but nothing about it raises any flags.

The most interesting aspect of the Nokia Lumia 630 is perhaps the fact that it will apparently be one of the first devices to run Windows Phone 8.1, which is set to include Microsoft's Cortana virtual assistant among other things.

Slicker than the 620

All in all it looks like a fairly low end device but it should still be a substantial upgrade over the Nokia Lumia 620, as that only had 512MB of RAM and a 3.8-inch 480 x 800 display.

It still managed to impress us with surprisingly slick performance and an affordable price tag, so hopefully Nokia can repeat the trick with the Lumia 630.

We should know soon enough as Winp.cn claims the handset will launch in China in mid-April, at around the same time as Nokia hands its Devices and Services division over to Microsoft.

• The Nokia XL is big, affordable and runs Android.

As rumours continue to swirl around the new HTC One it appears the Taiwanese firm may have let the naming cat out of the bag after a poster appeared in the window of London store Selfridges.

The poster reads "the all new HTC One" and then hints at another premium body by adding "Feel it" in big letters.

HTC's UK twitter account posted the picture with the message "Something is happening in Selfridges. 25/03/14" - the same day as HTC's big event at London Olympia and in New York.

Big tease

That's not the only teaser HTC has released, with another image hitting the web with six photos of pairs - potentially hinting at the dual-camera setup rumoured to feature on the rear on the new One.

HTC slipped this collage onto Twitter with the caption "On March 25th, life will become twice as beautiful."

As if that wasn't enough, a HTC device with six different variants has also passed through the FCC in the US, and four of those models are apparently set up to work on the four major carriers in America.

• Hands on with the HTC Desire 816

The iPro Lens comes to us as iPhoneography is now being helped with lens accessories and attachments. And if you're looking to expand the capabilities of your iPhone 5 or 5S' camera, you could do with the likes of iPro Lens.

Similar to Olloclip, you slap lens attachments over your iPhone's camera, and you've either got telephoto, macro or wide angle capabilities.

There's something to be said about working within the confines of the iPhone camera's natural field of view and how it forces us to be more creative within that space. But if you've been pushing those limits for years now, the iPro Lens can help you take your art to another level.

Hardware

First, let's start with the hardware. Most iPhone lens attachments come with cases or clips that allow the lenses to be affixed to the phone. In the case of the iPro Lens, you have to use the case that comes with the package.

The case has a mount right over the iPhone's camera that allows quick mounting and changing of lenses. Its design allows lenses to be mounted with just a short twist, rather than having screw threads that make you screw on the lens attachments.

The mount for the lenses feels secure, so I really appreciate its simplicity and the ease with which I can change lenses.

The lenses themselves mount into their casing the same way, and the casing comes in a tube shape that separates and screws together to form a handle. When screwed together, the handle can be screwed into the case on the iPhone, giving you a makeshift grip for shooting videos and more.

Photos of the accessory probably do a better job describing what the thing actually looks like.

Overall, the pieces fit together really well and it's lightweight and easy to carry around. Of course, the handle containing the lenses is a little bulky, so you'll need large pockets, such as the ones found on a jacket, or a bag or purse.

My main concern was that the iPhone case itself with scratch or nick the iPhone edges, especially since they're susceptible to that sort of thing, but it went on and off without any problems.

Lastly, the glass on the lenses seem solid and scratch-resistant. They're also coated to prevent lens flare, but I'm sure you can achieve some flare if you try hard enough - assuming you're going for that look, of course.

Image quality

If we're talking lens attachments on the iPhone, the best they can do is either improve image quality, or at the very least not degrade it.

The set of iPro lenses we tested are made of optical quality glass, and they're coated with anti-glare materials.

It's hard to say whether images actually look better in terms of color and sharpness with the iPro Lens attachments, but I can say with confidence that the iPro Lens system doesn't degrade the iPhone camera's native quality.

The only thing you may want to take into consideration is slight chromatic aberration or fringing in the telephoto lens, and distortion in the wide-angle lenses. Distortion for wide-angle lenses is expected, and sometimes the effect is even desired. The sample images will show you what it's like.

Usage and handling

Using the iPro Lens system is self-explanatory and intuitive. Storing, changing, mounting the casing and lenses is a piece of cake.

Moreover, the fact that the lens storage unit doubles as a grip for the iPhone is a nice touch. It helps gets your hands out of camera shots, and your hands shouldn't muffle, cup or modify sound as it's being recorded by video.

A few things to note is how different focal lengths will affect your photos. When you're shooting macro or telephoto shots, for example, the shakiness of your hands will be exacerbated. Small movements will appear large on your screen, and your likelihood of creating blurry photos is heightened.

When you're shooting with the macro or telephoto attachments, you want to be sure to keep a very steady hand. In cameras with manual controls, the solution for this is to raise shutter speed. However, since the iPhone's camera doesn't allow you to do that, you'll just have to keep the jitters down. Maybe ease up on the coffee.

To see sample images taken with the iPro Lens system, head on over to the next page.