Having your mobile stolen can be a distressing experience and it's all the worse if the thief then racks up a massive bill that you're left to pay.

But the days of unexpected phone bills could soon be in the past, as EE, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone have made an agreement with the government to cap the amount that customers would have to pay for phone calls made when their handset is stolen.

O2 is the obvious absentee from the list of networks, but the bubbly carrier has told TechRadar that it's waiting for more detailed plans before signing up.

There's no confirmation yet on what that cap will actually be, but early suggestions are that it will be around £50 - much like the current liability cap on stolen debit and credit cards.

Break the contract

This is expected to come into place in spring 2014 and alongside it the same four firms plus BT, Talk Talk and Sky have also agreed to warn customers about mid-contract price hikes and give them the option of breaking the contract without penalty if they'd rather not pay the extra.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller announced the plans, stating that: "Families can be left struggling if carefully planned budgets are blown away by unexpected bills from a stolen mobile or a mid-contract price rise.

"This agreement with the telecoms companies will deliver real benefits to consumers and help ensure people are not hit with shock bills."

Looking further ahead, EE, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone have also pledged to help the government eliminate roaming charges in the EU by 2016, paving the way to a more affordable mobile future.

• This isn't the only project EE's been working up. The network's also been making real strides with 4G.

Source : techradar[dot]com

It's a good time to buy Android phones. With the likes of the Nexus 5, Moto X and HTC One, it's really hard to go wrong. The question is, which phone should you buy?

We're going to compare two of our favorite Android devices - the Nexus 5 and Moto X - because if we had to spend our own cash on an Android smartphone today, it would boil down to those two devices.

Although the phones have their differences, they're also alike in some ways. This might make the decision-making process harder, especially when they're both great devices.

The Nexus 5 is a solid machine with some of the best specs you can find on an Android phone today. It has a sharp, 5-inch 1080p display, Snapdragon 800 with a 2.26GHz CPU, Adreno 330, 2GB RAM and all for a starting price of just $350 unlocked. That is incredible.

On the other hand, the Moto X has a rich 4.7-inch -720p AMOLED display, excellent curvature and customizable design, active notifications and Touchless Control. The latter allows you to speak commands to your phone even if it's asleep, which means the microphone is always on.

Let's take a look at the big features and see how they compare between the two devices.

Nexus 5 vs. Moto X: Display

The Nexus 5 has a 5-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS LCD display, which gives us a density of 445 PPI. Compared to other smartphones, its colors and contrast tend to look more washed out, and the display doesn't get nearly as bright as the HTC One or iPhone 5S, for example.

However, whites look white without having too much of a bluish or cool tint. And the display is very sharp, which makes watching movies and looking at photos a real pleasure.

The Moto X has a 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 AMOLED display, which offers deep blacks, rich colors and contrast and generally warmer hues. It has a density of 316 PPI, so it looks sharp enough when you're holding it at normal viewing distances.

Which display is better? Well, it all becomes a matter of preference. The Moto X's AMOLED display is very rich when it comes to color and contrast, and it also draws less power, which helps the Moto X with its great battery life.

However, we also like the Nexus 5's larger, razor-sharp display. Without another smartphone to compare it to, the colors and brightness are just fine. It's only when you compare it directly with the Moto X or HTC One that you begin to notice its slightly washed out colors and contrast.

It's a toss-up between the two, but many seem to prefer the Moto X's display even though it's not as large or sharp as the Nexus 5's screen.

Nexus 5 vs. Moto X: Camera

At the moment, and until Google fixes the camera on the Nexus 5, we can easily give this one to the Moto X.

The Moto X has a 10MP rear camera, while the Nexus 5 has an 8MP shooter. Of course, megapixel count isn't everything, but it's the way each camera performs along with the native camera interface.

We found that the Moto X had a much easier time focusing in situations where the Nexus 5 struggled to find focus. In fact, the Nexus 5 would sometimes take seconds to focus even in bright, high-contrast scenes.

Moreover, there is a considerable amount of shutter lag on the Nexus 5's camera, whereas the Moto X was quick to start up and take shots and go from shot to shot.

Motorola also updated its camera software recently to allow you to drag its focus indicator to select your focus and metering point.

The Nexus 5's native camera software can be frustrating and confusing, especially for first-time Nexus users. There aren't many settings available, and they're hidden or buried in certain actions that first-time Nexus or Android owners might not find.

One thing we do like about the Nexus 5 camera is PhotoSphere, or the ability to take 360-degree panorama images. The stitching could use some improvement, and generally it's more of a user issue than a software one, but it's a neat trick to have.

When it comes to image quality, we will give the edge to the Nexus 5 despite its huge shortcomings in the actual shooting department. Images just seem less noisy and not oversharpened on the Nexus 5.

Another thing the Nexus 5 does better than the Moto X is HDR, or what's called HDR+ on the Nexus 5. It does a good job of retaining details in highlights and in shadows without making them look too cartoony, or giving a halo effect around edges. The Moto X tends to overdo the HDR effect, especially in scenes where the dark and light areas are extreme.

In the end, getting the shot, and preferably in a timely manner, is what matters to us. The Moto X does that a little better than the Nexus 5, and the X's camera software is a little more manageable, too.

Nexus 5 vs. Moto X: Battery life

Initial reviews of the Nexus 5 weren't so forgiving when it came to assessing its battery performance. However, we've found that over time, the Nexus 5's batter isn't bad at all, and it's very much comparable to other high-end Android devices like the HTC One.

However, it still doesn't quite keep up with the Moto X, whose battery can easily last an entire day and then some depending on your usage.

If we had to estimate just how much more life, on average, the Moto X gets over the Nexus 5 in terms of juice, we'd say that the Moto X can get up to 4-8 hours more on a single charge than the Nexus 5.

At the low end, it might not sound like a huge difference, but those few hours between getting home from work and going to sleep is big - especially if you're going to spend those hours being out on the town.

If you're considering either phone and battery life is a dealbreaker for you, we'd highly recommend getting the Moto X.

Nexus 5 vs. Moto X: Performance

In day to day use, performance differences between the two devices are surprisingly negligible. One would imagine that the Nexus 5, with a 2.26 GHz Snapdragon 800, would easily blaze by the Moto X's 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro.

Numbers and specs don't tell the whole story, as we've learned over time. There were some cases when the Moto X was just slightly faster than the Nexus 5, and vice versa. In the end, it's a toss up between the two for most uses.

Similarities in performance can also be attributed to the device's displays, where the Moto X has fewer pixels to push than the Nexus 5.

When we opened and ran apps side by side, they were both roughly the same. In situations where the Moto X was faster, we were slightly surprised. A few examples are within Chrome and YouTube: in Chrome, some web pages loaded up faster than on the Moto X, and in YouTube some videos were ready to play on the Moto X, too.

The Nexus 5 was definitely faster in some cases, like when we we loaded up Asphalt 8 and played through one round of the game.

One would think that the Nexus 5 would have the clear edge in performance because of its spec sheet, but real-life daily use tells another story. Between the two, it's honestly a toss-up.

Nexus 5 vs. Moto X: Perks and features

One of the nice things about both phones is having voice control options. For the Moto X, you simply have to train it to recognize your voice via Touchless Control. Its microphone is always on, so whenever you say "OK Google Now," the phone will be ready for your next command.

The downside is that it will require you to unlock your phone if you have a passcode PIN or pattern, which we always recommend, so its usefulness is hampered.

The Nexus 5 will recognize the phrase "OK Google" when you're already in Google Now, and from there you can give it similar commands to ones you'd make for the Moto X.

When it comes to being touchless, we would give the Moto X the edge for its ability to hear your voice even when the phone isn't active. It also has a feature that knows when you're driving, so you can have your messages read to you.

Another huge feature, at least for us, is the Moto X's Active Notifications. Without having to touch your phone, the Moto X will display your notifications if it detects sound or movement, so you can glance at the time and all of your missed notifications without having to unlock your phone.

You can also attend to certain notifications right away, and the difference is simply between swiping up or down from the lock screen.

It might sound like Active Notifications are for the lazy, but it certainly helps manage distractions. When the Nexus 5 buzzes, you have to reach for your phone and unlock it to see whether you have to attend to something or not.

With the Moto X, when you get a notification, they all remain on your Active Notifications display, so you can decide when to get to them.

For the Nexus 5, having Google Now always on and just a swipe to the left is convenient if you like Google Now. You'll always have real-time info when it comes to weather, your calendar events, travel and transit times and options, sports scores and more. Of course, the Moto X has Google Now, too, but the Nexus 5 gets a dedicated home screen for it.

Nexus 5 vs. Moto X: Which should you buy?

After comparing a few of the big differences and features between the two devices, it's time to decide which one to buy.

Of course, this is only a decision you can make for yourself. We're hoping that we've provided you with enough info to know which one is right for you.

The Nexus 5 will likely be one step ahead when it comes to getting Android updates from Google. Its specs make it future proof, the display is gorgeous, and it's the cheapest high-end smartphone you can buy unlocked and off contract.

The Moto X has a little more soul, something other powerful smartphones like the LG G2 lacks, and its physical design seems a little more human-friendly. Its UI still makes it feel like a Google-y phone, and its battery life is excellent.

You can also customize the Moto X to your liking, with many color, name and engraving options. The Nexus 5, on the other hand, comes in only black or white.

We're always left feeling unsatisfied when we read or write comparisons that end in, "It's so hard to decide, they're both great," but that's exactly how we're going to end this. You really can't go wrong with either device, and both have their perks and faults.

In the end, what matters to you is what's going to guide your decision. Need great battery life? Get the Moto X. Want a big display? Get the Nexus 5. That can go on and on, so good luck with your purchase decision and try not to sweat it so much!

Source : techradar[dot]com

All Microsoft probably wants for Christmas is rapid regulatory approval (alongside stellar Surface and Xbox One sales), and so far at least some of its Xmas wishes are coming true.

The US Department of Justice has approved the company's plan to purchase Nokia's device and services division, moving the $7-billion-plus deal closer to completion. Straight conversions put the deal at about £4.2 billion, AU$7.6 billion.

The DOJ actually bestowed its blessing on Black Friday, and Microsoft expressed its pleasure that the department "cleared the deal unconditionally."

The next major hurdle for the acquisition lays in wait at the EU, which is expected to make a decision by December 4. However, the European Commission can lengthen its deadline by up to 10 business days if it needs more time to mull potential Microsoft concessions.

No-No-Nokia, No-No-Nokia, Nokia all the way

Nokia shareholders overwhelmingly approved Microsoft's purchase plans last month, and with authorities from the US to India giving the A-OK, the deal is all but a lock.

Of course, the EU may find the deal violates antitrust policies, which would stick a Lumia 1520-sized wrench in the buyout. No conditions are expected, but the EU could be feeling particularly cheeky that day.

Even after the inevitable happens and Redmond and Espoo can finally ride off into the high-gloss yellow sunset together, questions still remain just how Microsoft will meld Nokia's products with its own.

Source : techradar[dot]com

Think the world can't possibly accommodate any more smartphones? You think wrong.

Despite the fact that our planet currently contains more unique designs of mobile phone than there are visually identifiable snowflake forms, we're about to be hit by a deluge of new mobiles. Make a date in your diary for February 24, 2014, when the plastic-formers and die-casters of the world will unleash their next-generation models at Mobile World Congress 2014.

MWC is the annual mobile tech event where pretty much every major phone hardware company shows off its new flagship models for the following spring/summer contract renewal market.

MWC 2014 no-shows

There have been a few exceptions, though. Samsung opted to demonstrate its Galaxy S4 at a separate event in 2013, while Sony tried to get a head start on the competition by unveiling its Xperia Z at January's CES tech show last year instead.

The MWC 2013 event was all about larger displays and quad-core hardware. This year will be about even bigger displays and, as we've already seen from the LG G Flex and Samsung Galaxy Round, there may be some interesting new tech on display in the form of bendable screens and yet more takes on the emerging smartwatch trend.

All of the major manufacturers featured below are down to attend (with the exception of BlackBerry) and, thanks to the recent Big Bag explosion of Android, previously modest handset makers like ZTE and Huawei look set to make the most noise with rafts of cheaper phones that still deliver a decent experience.

Nokia at MWC 2014

Windows Phone has had a pretty triumphant few months, with Microsoft's partnership with Nokia finally bearing fruit and WP's market share slowly increasing. IDC's recent numbers put it at 3.6% (Q3 2013), compared to 2% in Q3 2012 - a healthy 156% increase.

People seem to be remembering that they used to like Nokia, and although the company has released the likes of the Lumia 1520 and Lumia 2520 tablet in recent weeks, there may be more to come. Recently, the Lumia 1820 and Lumia 2020 have been rumored, with the latter likely to be a new flagship 8-inch tablet.

We should also see the first hardware set to launch with the Windows Phone 8.1 Blue software pre-loaded at MWC 2014, an OS update that's expected to massively overhaul WP's notification system, boost the multitasking options and incorporate a voice-based personal assistant feature. Because everyone's got to have a Siri function, even if no one ever uses it.

Samsung at MWC 2014

Rumor has it that Samsung is again saving its Galaxy S5 announcement for a separate event, just like it did last year with the bizarre Galaxy S4 launch in New York. But that doesn't mean its booth will be any less heaving with new stuff

The Samsung Galaxy Note 12.2 mega-tablet is expected to be on show, plus there are likely to be KitKat versions of older handsets and updates of the Galaxy Note 8.0 to thrill nerds with too. There's also the chance of something extremely random like the Galaxy Gear 2 or perhaps even a hint of a phone running the Tizen OS that Samsung's been working on.

HTC at MWC 2014

HTC is a Mobile World Congress banker, always using the event to launch its newest models. Last year it unveiled the HTC One, the year before it was the HTC One S and the HTC One X.

This year we expect it to be a model currently known under the development name of HTC M8, which rumors suggest will be a device with a 5-inch 1080p display, quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and Android 4.4 as its launch OS beneath an updated HTC Sense 6.0 user interface.

This sounds rather like... most phones nowadays. Still, if HTC can whack in the same sort of top-drawer speakers and camera as the HTC One, we'll be buying it and eBaying last year's model, as ever.

Huawei at MWC 2014

The Chinese phone maker is rumored to be preparing an update to the decent Huawei Ascend P6 and is, rather unsurprisingly, sticking the fashionable letter "S" on the end of the model name to signify that it's newer and better. The Ascend P6S is said to arrive running a full octa-core processor supplied by MediaTek, which ought to get the core enthusiasts happy.

ZTE at MWC 2014

ZTE polarized phone fans at MWC 2013, revealing the flashy 5.7-inch Grand Memo and the weird little ZTE Open, running the Firefox OS.

It's recently announced the small and affordable Nubia Z5S and Z5S mini models, but rumors suggest it has a secret higher tier on the way - a 6.44-inch ZTE Nubia Z7 could be its forthcoming "phablet" flagship and the one it wants to shout about at MWC 2014

ZTE is also said to be planning a smartwatch for release in 2014, but then so is everyone, so that's hardly news.

LG at MWC 2014

LG is back on the smartphone A-list thanks to its successes with the excellent Nexus 4 and the more than adequate Nexus 5, both of which have encouraged people to consider its own-brand efforts like the LG G2 more than they perhaps might have done before Google salvaged its reputation.

Last year LG revealed the Optimus G Pro and the updated affordable L series range at MWC 2013, so we expect a similar mixture of a high-end banger and a few cheaper hangers-on to appear in 2014.

There are two key LG rumours that may be resolved at MWC (or sooner). LG is said to be Google's hardware partner for an updated Nexus 10 tablet, plus it's also recently registered the trademark "Glasstic" -- which may be some sort of Google Glass competitor.

Sony at MWC 2014

With the Xperia Z1 only just launched, we wouldn't forgive Sony for taking it easy and just bringing along a couple of those for people to play on and some t-shirts to give away. Surely it can't be preparing to release another flagship smartphone already

One thing we are expecting to see is something along the lines of a Sony Xperia Z1S, a smaller version of 2013's Z1 model. Taking your current hero device and making it a bit smaller and cheaper is the cool thing to do.

Google at MWC 2014

Google is on the list of MWC 2014 exhibitors, although it's likely to spend most of its time and square footage pushing the general Android ethos and giving away stickers than actually revealing any new Nexus hardware.

That said, we're expecting a new Nexus 10 to appear any day now, so if that one doesn't pop before Christmas, perhaps it could be saved as an MWC headline-stealer to detract from the stacks of enhanced tablets that Samsung is bound to show up with.

Source : techradar[dot]com

The successor to the Alcatel Idol X might be joined by a couple of wearable pals if the latest rumours are anything to go by.

The new handset, currently going by the name Alcatel Idol X+, will reportedly run on MediaRek's flashy new eight-core MT6592 processor.

But in an image on Chinese site MTKSJ, the silhouette of the handset appears sandwiched between a smartwatch and what appears to be a smart bracelet or fitness tracker of sorts.

We do have to throw a fair bit of doubt on the image though – that bracelet looks an awful lot like a Fitbit Force, and the watch is a little Galaxy Gear in our opinion.

Smart move?

That's not to say it's all Photoshop lies, but we don't reckon that these are actual representations of the final products, should anything emerge.

If it weren't for the huge number of companies getting in on this market right now then we'd probably be a little more skeptical. But anyone who's anyone has big plans for wearable tech these days, so it makes sense for TCL, the company that owns Alcatel, to join in as well.

We're expecting the Alcatel Idol X+to come with a 5-inch full HD display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal memory and a 13-megapixel rear camera.

As for a possible smartwatch, we'd bet money on that running Android too.

• We're not hugely impressed with the smartwatch just yet - can Apple and Google give it the kick it needs?

Source : techradar[dot]com