Xi3 Corporation is now accepting pre-orders for their Piston Console, a cube-shaped PC built using modular construction. Perhaps more importantly, however, it’s the same system that Value’s upcoming Steam Box is based on. The company has set a pre-order price of $999 on the console although if you order between now and the end of SXSW on March 17, Xi3 will knock $100 off the price tag.

Founder, president and CEO of Xi3 Corporation Jason A. Sullivan said that given the amount of awards, media attention and gamer interest that the Piston Console has garnered since it was unveiled at CES 2013, his company is seriously becoming concerned that they might not be able to meet demand for the system this year. As such, they decided to begin accepting pre-orders at the start of the SXSW Gaming Expo.

As an aside, the Piston Console was on display at SXSW this past weekend. If you happened to be in the Austin, Texas area, you could have stopped by the event to be one of the first to see the system in action.

So, what exactly do you get for your investment? At this point, we know the Piston Console includes a 3.2GHz quad-core processor, 8GB of RAM and a 128GB. Other key specifications like the GPU have not yet been revealed – perhaps a tough sell if you aren’t willing to disclose the system’s full specs. We are told that users can upgrade to a 256GB SSD for $340 more or a 512GB drive for an extra $750.

The SimCity fiasco is closing in on a full week now as the game has been plagued with server issues since the moment it became available. According to EA, they are doing everything possible to rectify the issue but if you’re the game’s publisher, you know by now that simply isn’t enough.

Maxis general manager Lucy Bradshaw recently said on a company blog post that the server issue has improved significantly but some users are still experiencing response and stability problems. The simple answer for what went wrong is that a lot more people logged on than anticipated. She said more people played in ways that were never seen during the beta.

To help make amends, Maxis is going to offer SimCity players a free PC game download from the EA portfolio. Bradshaw didn’t specifically say what game would be offered or if gamers would get to choose any title from EA’s catalog. Furthermore, we are told that on March 18, SimCity players who have activated their game will receive an e-mail telling them how to redeem their free game.

Pay close attention to the wording here as Maxis’ general manager didn’t specifically say that anyone who purchases and registers the game before March 18 will get a free game. In fact, no real stipulations were mentioned at all. For all we know, EA / Maxis could limit the free game offer to users that were affected by server problems within the first week. Or perhaps it’s just a poor choice of words and anyone that buys and registers SimCity before March 18 can get a free game.

As bring your own device (BYOD) infiltrates SMBs' IT strategies, Google's Android operating system (OS) is becoming more widely used at work. There are productivity gains in its wide range of apps, so it is fast becoming an option for firms that don't want to spend a fortune on mobile devices.

The low cost of Android smartphones compared with those running other OSs such as BlackBerry's is one attraction, and their lead in the consumer market ensures they are familiar to many users.

But BlackBerry is still most prominent in the workplace as many CEOs are worried about integrating Android into their businesses because of concerns that it is insecure. With 99% of malware created for the OS, it's important that if Android is adopted, a clear internal strategy is in place.

Apps ecosystem

Android can be easily customised to provide some interesting and useful enterprise applications.

"There is a huge ecosystem of productivity applications and software readily available for Android, as well as native support for Java based sites and improved security measures," says Ernest Doku, Product Relations Manager at price comparison firm Uswitch Communications.

"The OS is fast becoming a good bet for those businesses looking for a stronger infrastructure and fewer overheads," he adds.

In addition to the choice of apps, surfing the web is often easier on an Android device than a BlackBerry, and there is often less lag time when using instant messaging apps such as Skype on Android.

But it's difficult to leave behind what is familiar. BlackBerry is still thought of as the business staple, and the Balance software on the new BB10 operating system allows a partition to be created between work and personal applications and data. BB10 provides tools for delivering work apps to mobile devices, solving many of the issues associated with the BYOD trend.

At the moment, Android does not have the equivalent to Balance but, if managed properly, the OS can be partitioned using third party software so that work and consumer apps and information remain separate.

David Emm, Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab, says: "Android can be attractive because it is so easily customisable and if you have the software in place you can partition it."

He adds: "There is nothing intrinsically insecure about Android OS, it's the open strategy."

Android partitioning

In addition, enterprise users will soon be able to partition Android in the same way as BB10 using Knox software, which Samsung announced at Mobile World Congress in February. The company is hoping to take on BlackBerry and bolster the adoption of its Android devices in business by offering a more secure version of the OS, which separates business and personal information on smartphones.

The Knox software runs a security enhanced version of Android, which has been developed by the National Security Agency (NSA), and users get enterprise-focused tools such as email, browser, contacts, calendars, file sharing, collaboration, CRM and business intelligence applications.

Whether a business decides to use Android, BlackBerry or Apple's iOS, the security measures are crucial. "When you have confidential business data you need to make sure it is secured," says Emm.

A well planned strategy is needed, involving measures such as remote wiping if a phone is lost or stolen, and a code of practice for employees that includes rules on multiple use.

"If you haven't thought about what would happen if a device is lost or stolen you could run into more problems," Emms says.

Effectively it's about management. "You create sandboxing, looking at what is on there if, for example, you lost a device. You can then remote wipe it. That's attractive to companies as they can wipe a phone."

With tightening budgets, BYOD and a business requirement for advanced capabilities, it is likely that many SMBs will look to Android as a mobile OS, especially with the signs from Knox that more secure software is on the way. BlackBerry could struggle to maintain its lead in the enterprise.

Doku says: "As the Android market continues to expand and iOS bleeds into the corporate space from consumer popularity, BlackBerry may have a tough task on its hands remaining relevant in the SMB space."

Once there a security strategy in place, Android can provide benefits to many SMBs.

"Android has the benefit of flexibility but you must have a strategy in place," says Emm.

There is one more twist to the plot, with BlackBerry's recent indications that it is working on a secure workspace for Android and iOS apps on its phones. This could make it a little harder for the business user to decide which of the two they should choose.

Said to be the dual-SIM Galaxy S4, pictures of a mysterious Samsung device have been posted over on Chinese forum 52Samsung.

The handset is labelled with the S4's model number GT-I9502 and, while appearing similar to the Galaxy S3 in its design, appears to be packed full of juicy S4-looking features.

Some of the images show the S4's specs, with the 1080 x 1920 display and quad-core processor certainly chiming with previously leaks we've seen.

This time there's nothing to be seen in the way of eye-scrolling features and no way to be sure if this is the 4.99" screen we've been expecting, but the new images do show the handset running Android 4.2.1. with 2GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel camera.

Screen dream

Real or fake? It could all be an expert Photoshop job, or Samsung using a fake case to throw us off the scent like it did in the run-up to the S3 launch. We have to say that the design surprises us a little, given that we were expecting a return to the more squared look of the S2.

Whatever the case, there's not long to wait now to find out, with Samsung's "Unpacked" event happening on March 14. We'll be in New York to give you the first word when it all spills out the box.

LG announced its Optimus L5 2 at MWC 2013 as yet another entry-level smartphone from the Korean firm in its bafflingly-named low-to-mid-range line-up.

We knew the UK would be getting the handset at some point between April and June, but LG has now confirmed that it will be coming to South and Central America, Europe, Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Africa too, with some regions getting a dual-SIM model.

The company hasn't confirmed the LG Optimus L5 II's international pricing yet, but we're expecting it to land for around £120 SIM-free ($180/AU$175) or around £10 a month on a contract.

Middle child syndrome

The successor to the LG Optimus L5, the II comes with a 4-inch IPS screen and a battery that LG reckons you'll only need to charge after two full days of use.

It's running Android Jelly Bean but comes with only a single-core 1GHz chip and 512MB of RAM.

When we got our mitts on one at MWC, leading us to brand it "a stylish, well-equipped proposition" for the price, so if you're after a cheap and cheerful Android it's definitely worth a look.

Stay tuned for our full LG Optimus L5 II review coming soon.