The future of live events is digital, and soon, your ticket, the way you pay for drinks and even your ability to share the experience on social networks, could all be done with a tap of the wrist.

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) wristbands are set to feature at many festivals and events this summer as an alternative to the NFC smartphone.

Most RFID wristbands contain short-range - typically 3-5cm - passive tags and don't require batteries, but instead, are powered when placed near or 'tapped' against an RFID reader.

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When detecting an RFID wristband, the reader 'agitates' a magnetic field created by a coiled antenna within the tag. The tag then uses this kinetic energy to 'power-up' and send data (held within the tags' memory), back to the reader.

The tags in RFID wristbands can either be personalised with someone's profile (e.g. data is held directly on the chip itself) or they can be used as an access 'key' to a secure database of personal data.

What else can RFID wristbands do?

ID&C is the UK company behind the wristbands at many major festivals including Isle of Wight. The company has also worked with brands such as Adidas.

More than 40 festivals around the world have used RFID wristband technology to offer fast-track entry, cashless payments and perhaps the most exciting bit - integration with social media.

Yes – after buying a ticket online, you'll have the option to link your RFID wristband to your Facebook or Twitter account, enabling you to post, Tweet, share and like all your favourite parts of the festival.

Footage from last year's Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee, show's how RFID wristbands helped generate 1.9 million Facebook likes.

In the UK, wristbands were used at some festivals last summer including the Isle of Wight, Wireless and Wakestock. An estimated 3.5 million festivalgoers around the word have now used them.

What about using NFC smartphones instead?

The problem with using NFC smartphones instead of wristbands is that not everyone has one. This alienates ticket-holders and brings contactless participation down from an achievable 100 per cent if you issue every attendee with an RFID wristband.

Then there's the fact phones run on batteries, and unlike RFID wristbands, will run out at some point during a multi-day festival. And, with limited (sometimes non-existent) ways to re-charge your phone in a field, your e-wallet, e-ticket and the ability to brag to your friends on Facebook, will vanish.

To say there's no place for NFC at festivals is wrong though. The Samsung Galaxy S4 for example, has been used as an RFID reading device and it's a perfect hand-held scanner for smaller events.

It's not just the practical issues mentioned above that affect festival-goers though, but the data integrity and security of any RFID system at a festival crumbles when the contactless device isn't locked to your wrist, synced to your profile and made non-transferable.

You might not see RFID wristbands at every festival this year, but with a reported three million Facebook likes and a billion cashless transactions already made with them, it won't be long until they're everywhere.

Just a few hours after we marked our calendars for its launch on August 1, leak artists have celebrated the Moto X phone's impending 'coming out party' by slipping out an official-looking shot.

Just ten days from the official reveal, prolific Twitter leaker @EvLeaks (via The Unlockr) has gotten his or her mitts on another press render of a Motorola device, following recent Droid family leaks.

Although it's nice to see the phone in its official guise, rather than blurry-cam snapshots or videos, there isn't much new information to bring you beyond the photo.

The homescreen gives us a look at stock Android running on the device, but the transparent menu keys, as Engadget points out, suggests there'll be some minor UI modifications from the Motorola division.

Born in the USA

The 'designed by you' and build in the USA smartphone will be officially presented to the world on August 1, after the company requested RSVPs from the media for an event.

It is thought that smartphone fans will be presented with a host of customisation options, including build materials and personalised engraving.

The device is also expected to be the first to run Android 4.3 out of the box, which most observers expect to be the subject of Google's 'breakfast with Sundar Pichai' event on Wednesday.

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This Moto train is moving fast.

Hours after word surfaced that the Moto X phone could launch on Aug. 26 at American carrier U.S. Cellular and a day after the company tweeted a pic of production getting underway in Texas, Motorola sent out invitations to a New York event on Aug. 1.

The invite - which could double as a clothing brand ad - simply says "Moto X," the date, the place and "RSVP here." The Motorola "M" floats above looking like the Bat signal.

The invitation features two handsets in the hands of two hip women, one in black and one in white, indicating that, like your style, you can customize the phone just the way you want.

That's it?

Black and white may seem a little on the limited side when it comes to creating a phone that matches the unique you, but from what we've heard many, many more options are due with the Moto X.

Motorola's branding for the phone has centered around a "designed by you" mantra, and so far it sounds as though a palette of colors and engravings will be possible. Users are said to be able to create a personalized default wall paper with a picture, while wood, metal, fabric and ceramic are all tipped as optional casing materials in addition to default plastic.

On the operational side of things, the invite shows a camera lens centered roundly on the back of the device, and the flash below. A jack is clearly visible on the top.

We've heard several times that the phone's sensors will be a thing to marvel, so tuned into your surroundings that the phone even knows when you're traveling in a car. The device is believed to house a 1.7GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.

A version running Android 4.2.2 was reportedly in carrier testing, but if Google reveals Android 4.3 next week, perhaps we're in for the updated OS on the Moto X?

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Apple's and Samsung's bitter patent disputes have been widely covered for the past few years, with the biggest blow in the case coming in Apple's favor last summer.

In August 2012, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $1.05 billion (around £688M, AU$1.14B) million in damages, though that hefty price tag was dropped to a mere $450.5 million (£295M, AU$489M) earlier in 2013.

While it appeared Apple and Samsung were content to let the courts decide the fates of the various patents in question, there were some secret negotiations happening behind the scenes as well.

According to new documents released by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), the Cupertino and South Korean companies have been discussing potential settlements as far back as Apple's $1 billion court victory.

Close, but no cigar

In addition to the ITC documents, sources revealed to the Wall Street Journal the ongoing secret settlement discussions have been both hot and cold, though no agreement has been reached as of yet.

Based on the information available in the heavily censored ITC papers, Samsung at one point offered a broad patent cross-licensing deal to Apple, which would have ended all litigation between the two companies.

Obviously Apple didn't take the deal, but it's not very clear from the ITC's report just how seriously Apple took the offer to begin with.

Both companies spent a great deal of time talking terms between December 2012 and March 2013, with some face-to-face meetings happening in January, though by February it appears the talks had broken down.

The ITC paper mentions a March 22 proposal from Samsung to re-open talks, adding that some of its offers were still on the table, however Apple did not respond by the time the ITC ruled.

Despite the massive amount of redactions in the report, it's clear the ITC didn't believe Samsung's offers were unreasonable, though it would seem Apple disagreed with that assessment.

Love-hate relationship

The curious thing is both Apple and Samsung continue to work together in the manufacturing process, as the South Korean company still provides chips for iOS devices.

Apple has entered into an agreement with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to craft new processors for 2014, which would all but cut Samsung out of the picture.

However, there are also reports Apple and Samsung have a deal for Sammy to create chips once again in 2015, so it's still unclear just how strong the partnership between these two smartphone giants really is at this point.

For what it's worth, a memorandum of understanding was supposedly drafted by the two companies in February, which the ITC saw as promising for a potential future deal.

"The fact that representatives for both parties were able to reach a memorandum of understanding indicates Samsung is negotiating in good faith and, to be colloquial, is playing in the same ballpark as Apple," the report read.

With all the redactions in the report, it's impossible to tell just why the possible settlement fell through, but if Apple and Samsung are still talking behind closed doors, there's always a chance the ongoing legal battles could finally come to an end.

Given how this past year has played out however, we won't be holding our breath waiting for Apple and Samsung to start getting along.

• Want to know more about iOS 7? Check out our round-up of all the pertinent details.