If iOS 7 was a fresh coat of paint for Apple's operating system, then today's iOS 7.1 release is a much-needed touch up six months into the redesign.

This essential software update fixes a number of unresolved bugs that complicated owning an iPhone 5S, iPad Air and iPad mini 2.

iOS 7.1 also features a handful of user interface tweaks that alter the non-skeuomorphic design. They're still flat, but a little rounder than before.

We poured over the official release notes and tested out iOS 7.1 to find that while there aren't a lot of major changes, its ability to remedy iOS 7 glitches makes it worth downloading immediately.

Death to 'the white screen of death'

The most pervasive glitch is what Apple is calling "an occasional Home screen crash bug." Users have more aptly nicknamed it the "white screen of death" glitch.

By either name, it's an annoying software defect that randomly forced iOS devices into a soft reset. A blank screen with the Apple logo would suddenly show up for no apparent reason.

While users have complained about this task-closing glitch since September 2013, Apple hasn't been able to fix it until now. It first acknowledged the problem and promised a solution in January.

The company didn't reveal why this glitch occurred, but it's thankfully gone according to our tests today. Six months is far too long to wait for such a patch.

iOS 7.1 revs up CarPlay

Apple is putting iOS in the Car, even though its infotainment ecosystem doesn't go by that more direct name anymore.

CarPlay is enabled through iOS 7.1 on any iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C or iPhone 5 as long as it's paired with a compatible vehicle.

So far that includes the Volvo XC90 SUV, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the Ferrari FF with more car models and manufacturers to come.

The release notes indicate that CarPlay brings phone, music, maps, messages and third-party audio apps to the hands-free infotainment center.

Users can also control everything through Siri or via the car's touchscreen, knobs and buttons.

Design tweaks

Flat circles are in and skeuomorphic boxes are out, according to Apple's iOS design tweaks. The look and feel of iOS 7.1 makes such alterations to the call and power-off screens.

The answer and end button are now green and red circles. These smaller but more fashionable pair match the caller's round photo icon.

The same treatment was given to the revised power off slide bar. Holding down the sleep button brings up a new white and red button, replacing the ugly reddish-orange bar.

Siri and Touch ID

Siri is easier to operate in iOS 7.1. Before, Apple's personal assistant would often cut you off mid-sentence, complicating it as a hands-free solution.

Now, holding down the home button manually controls Siri so that you can drone on and on without having her interrupting your bloviating commands.

Apple's release notes indicate also that its Touch ID fingerprint recognition system has improved with iOS 7.1. Users have previously complained that the scanner forgets their fingerprints.

The Camera and Calendar apps are the final tweaks Apple is highlighting in iOS 7.1. The iPhone 5S automatically enables HDR photos through the Camera app, while Calendar brings the much-needed ability to view events by month.

All of these upgrades aren't significant and few iPhone users can take advantage of CarPlay, but today's minor update is a step in the right direction as we await bigger changes for iOS 8 this fall.

Vodafone has teamed up with Sony to give away a 32-inch Bravia TV with the first 3,000 pre-orders of the firm's new flagship Xperia Z2 handset.

The network is making the phone available from April 10, but those wishing to reserve the 5.2-inch Android device can register and earn themselves a free telly in the process.

The announcement comes amid a little bit of a backlash over the new device's pricing. Contracts with Vodafone start at a whopping £47 a month.

Users will get a free phone, unlimited calls, texts and 3GB of 4G data on the company's Red 4G plans, but it's still a sizeable outlay over the course of two years.

Worthy improvements

Announced at MWC 2014 last month, The Xperia Z2 brings a host of worthy improvements over its predecessor.

Alongside that 5.2-inch Full HD display, it also packs Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box. It's also one of the first handsets to deploy the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU, which, when combined with 3GB of RAM, makes the device one of the speediest on the market.

Does the offer of a free gogglebox soften the blow of the contract price for you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

• Sony Xperia Z2 release date: Where can I get it?

Ratings in depth

When it comes to the modern smartphone, there are two manufacturers that manage to stand head and shoulders above the rest. Both Apple and Samsung have managed to take the mobile market by storm with their own takes on what should be in your pocket.

Unsurprisingly Samsung is the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world with its Android smartphones covering the high end with the Galaxy S5 and the Galaxy Note 3, but also the low end with the Galaxy Fame and the Galaxy Young handsets.

With a pay as you go (PAYG) price as little as £69.99 (around $115, AU$130) and contract prices of only £7.25 per month in the UK, the Galaxy Young is pitched at the lowest end competing with the likes of the Nokia Asha 503, as well as the Lumia 520 and Huawei Ascend Y300.

This low price tag means that it's not only being pitched at a younger audience (there was a clue in the name), it also appears to make an ideal second phone for emergencies or even as a festival phone.

So what do you get for your money?

Given that Samsung has tied up a large section of the budget market, it stands to reason that there may not be a lot of difference between the Galaxy Young and the Galaxy Fame. That is very much the case.

One of the main areas to look at is the screen. Obviously the likes of the a HD screen have been overlooked, instead a 3.3-inch 320 x 480 screen giving around 176ppi is what you get on the Young.

This means that the Galaxy Young is slightly smaller than the Galaxy Fame but with a slightly higher ppi.

Elsewhere there are a lot more similarities. At measurements of 109.4 x 58.6 x 12.5mm and weighing 112g, the Galaxy Young sits around the same size as the Fame.

I found that the Young sits extremely comfortably in one hand, and I was able to hit the entire screen and the traditional Samsung buttons without issue.

There is little surprise in what Samsung has chosen to build its cheapest handset out of - the plastic construction that has been criticised on Samsung's flagships, but it's very fitting for such a cheap handset.

Storage wise the Galaxy Fame comes along with a rather measly 4GB of which less than 1.5GB is actually available for you to use.

Although you're unlikely to install any massive apps on the Galaxy Young, I still feel that this is pretty poor. Thankfully the addition of microSD support of up to 64GB does ease the pain.

Dropbox also comes preinstalled meaning you can store all your photos and files to the cloud further lessening the stress on the internal memory.

A 1GHz single-core CPU has been provided under the hood, tasked with running Android with the help of 768MB of RAM.

That's slightly more than the 512MB of RAM in the Galaxy Fame, but the larger RAM comes with the trade-off for a smaller 3.2MP camera rather than the 5MP of the Fame. A front facing camera is also missing here.

In all the Galaxy Young is an interesting proposition, with the low price tag giving an incentive to take another look at this lower powered handset, yet the specs won't blow you away.

Apple has unleashed iOS 7.1 into the wild, bringing a number of changes and additions to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users.

Chief among the features riding along with the update is CarPlay, Apple's "iOS experience designed for the car." Partner car makers are limited for now, but those who are in the market for something like a new Ferrari this year will be able to integrate their iPhone with their roadster.

Users will also notice a few UI changes, squished bugs and faster animations and transitions.

More to follow...

Just because Google plans to make its own smartwatch, that's no reason for developers to avoid the Android platform when making their own - a task that will be far easier in just a couple of short weeks.

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Google is planning to release a software development kit (SDK) later this month that will make it easier for manufacturers to power their future smartwatches with Android.

During his South by Southwest conference speech yesterday, Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai announced the search giant's intentions to dominate the wearables market much in the same way they have smartphones.

To accomplish this task, Google plans to borrow from its own Android playbook by making a free SDK available to manufacturers and developers, part of the company's "vision" for a wearables market where its mobile OS is on everyone's wrist.

Feedback welcome

Google is reportedly working on its own smartwatch to be manufactured by LG Electronics that could debut in June, but Pichai calls the early release of an SDK based on Android an opportunity to get "plenty of feedback" in advance of the annual Google I/O conference.

But smartwatches may be only the beginning, as Pichai teased the possibility of other wearables such as a "smart jacket," which could incorporate a variety of sensors for a variety of unspecified uses.

Pichai also told SXSW attendees that Google's Chromecast will soon branch out to countries other than the US after racking up sales "in the millions" there.

The Android, Chrome and apps executive also answered a query about Google's recent Nest Labs acquisition, which could deliver a future "mesh layer" of software designed to make devices interact with each other.

• Check out our review of the first wearable from Mountain View, Google Glass!