Software : Updated: Cool gadgets: The best tech you can buy in 2014

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• Updated: Cool gadgets: The best tech you can buy in 2014
• 64-bit Chrome now available for OS X as a downloader-beware beta
• Microsoft: Windows 8.1 update coming next week, but it's not 'Update 2'
• Instant messaging booming among Brits and it's because we're incorrigible flirts
• Pebble to glow in new blue, pink and green for a limited time

Updated: Cool gadgets: The best tech you can buy in 2014 Posted: Cool Gadgets 2014: the best tech money can buy It's our mission at TechRadar to help you find the tech products that are best for you. That's why we review the specific products we do, while offering a veritable smorgasbord of helpful buying guides and product round-ups to help you find the cool gadgets, perfect play things and workplace wonders. Whether it be an ideal camera phone for your mum or a kick-ass Blu-ray player to pair with your new TV, we've got the experts on hand to offer the very best buying advice on the internet. Here you'll find a comprehensive repository of all that expert knowledge. With buying advice and specific product recommendations, look no further for your best chance of finding all the cool gadgets available today. Phones and tablets Best mobile phones Which one should you buy? We've played with nearly every device on the market and have found the ten best you can spend your money on. It needs to be good, after all, given it will reside in your pocket for the next two years. Our ranking of the best mobile phones available in the UK today celebrates the brilliance of the smartphone: we love handsets that add in functionality to enrich our lives in so many different ways. We also partially take into account the price of the phone too - meaning a low-price handset doesn't always need to have high-spec functions to be in our top 10. Read: 10 best phones in the world today Best Android phones Comparing the best Google phones There's one key way in which Android is massively different from its Apple-branded smartphone competition - the number of phones out there running Google's hot mobile OS. So here they are - the best Android phones money can buy today. For many, many different reasons. Read: Best Android phone 2014 - which one should you buy? Best Windows Phones Which Windows Phone 8 handset is for you? The recently launched Windows Phone 8.1 replicates the popular features of Android and iOS whilst combining the comfort of home computing with the convenience of mobile. We've looked at the Windows Phone devices on offer and picked out the best ones around to guarantee you get the best bang for your buck. Nokia still dominates the list but as a Microsoft entity, that's no surprise. Read: Best Windows Phone 2014 Best cheap phones Testing all the best budget blowers! With the mobile marketplace teeming with a multitude of highly priced smartphones, one might wonder whether cheap phones still have a place in the mobile infrastructure. With massive innovation in both hardware and operating systems, phones now do a lot more than just let you talk and text, with handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5S stealing headlines around the world these days. Sadly all this innovation isn't cheap – and most of it is reserved for high-end contract handsets. So, is there such a thing as the 'best phone on a budget'? Read: Best cheap smartphones 2014 Best phablets They're big, bad mobile machines Our hands might not be getting any bigger but our phones certainly are. As flagships like the LG G3 andOnePlus One creep up to 5.5 inches, phablets are starting to resemble small tablets, arguably filling the roles of both a smartphone and a slate. If you think that one device is better than two, or just have really big hands, then there is a growing selection of phones to suit and these are the ten best. Read: 10 best phablets in the world Best tablets All the top tablets compared Tablets are taking the world by storm. Just a few years ago they were an unknown for many people, but nowadays you've got more choice than you can shake a mildly agitated badger at. And with choice comes decisions - difficult decisions. Do you eschew Apple's high prices, join the Android brigade and find the best iPad alternative? Or jump on board Cupertino's lovetrain, and use one of the most popular tablets on the planet? We've made it easy for you and pulled together the top 10 tablets of the moment available. Read: 10 Best tablets 2014 Best cheap tablets Spend a little, don't spend a lot Tablets are fast replacing laptops as the must-have computing item, and the good news is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get one. While the iPads of this world will always be out of many people's budgets, there are plenty of tablets out there available at much lower prices. We wouldn't recommend spending less than £100 on one - you'd regret it - but here's a round-up of our favourite tablets under £250! Best cheap tablets: top budget options Home Entertainment TV Buying Guide 2014 Choose the right size, screen tech and price There has never been a better time to buy a new TV. Gone are the days when 32-inch TVs weighed 16 tonnes and cost £1,500. These days you can pick up a 50-inch LCD TV for closer to £300. LCD panel technology has well and truly matured, and while brands like Sony and Panasonic push the boundaries of performance, you'll also find names like Toshiba doing very exciting things in the budget TV sector. The practical upshot of this is that no matter what you're after, how big you want to go or how large your budget is, there's a perfect TV out there for you. So which one is right for you, your family and your living space? In this buying guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about being a new TV. Read: Buying Guide: best TVs 2014 Best 32-inch TVs The perfect size for bedroom TVs or sets for smaller rooms Most living rooms can't physically take a TV much bigger than 32-inch, making this size by far the best for a lot of people in the UK. But within this size division, there's plenty of choice. A basic HD-ready set can be found for less than £300 is you search hard, though it's just as easy to spend over £2k on the best ones. There's only one certainty at this size – your new TV will be a LCD TV. If you're lucky it could have LED backlighting, but it won't be a plasma; LG used to make plasmas at this size, but there's not one on sale currently. Read: 10 best 32-inch TVs in the world today Best 40 and 42-inch TVs The sweet spot for plasma TVs offers lots of bang for your buck Once known simply as 'plasma screens' in the collective consciousness, the 40-42-inch size is where the flatscreen dream started in the late 1990s - and where it's still at its most innovative and best. Now a lot more varied, with plasmas rubbing shoulders with (and quickly being outnumbered by) LCD TVs and their ultra-modern LED TV makeover, 40-42 inches is still the sweetspot for anyone not overly concerned with ruining the interior design of their living room. Read: 10 best 40 and 42-inch TVs Best 46 and 47-inch TVs Offering the pinnacle of performance, this is where it gets serious There was a time when plasma screens reigned supreme in the 46-inch TV market. But in much the same way as a meteor strike killed off the dinosaurs, the second coming of the LCD TV is the invasive species that has done for plasma. We're still huge advocates of plasma on TechRadar, don't get us wrong, but the tech is dying out at this size. Old-school CCFL tech has been replaced by LED backlight scanning and technical wizardry to make LCD tech viable in large sizes. Read: 10 best 46 and 47-inch TVs Best 50 and 55-inch TVs Where the home cinema experience begins The size where a home cinema turns from dream to reality, it's also at this 50-55-inch TV screen size that 3D starts to become immersive enough to convince and impress. This size, last year dominated by full HD models, is now being overrun by Ultra HD 4K models. While LED tech has gone a long way towards condemning plasma to a role on the outskirts of the TV industry, at 50-inches and above, plasma really comes into its own if you can find one. Most home cinema buffs still swear by plasma, with its cinematic colours and deep blacks making for a real movie-watcher's paradise. But 2014 sees the first batch of 50-inch LED-backlit panels off the production line, a development that further marginalises plasma technology at one of the sizes it previously dominated. If you're looking for a dream movie-watching experience, check out these home cinema beauties. Read: 10 best 50-inch TVs Best 60-inch TVs and above If you want the best, you'll need to pay the best If you're feeling extravagant or want to furnish your big living room with a similarly big TV, 60 inches or more of television will certainly make a statement. There are some truly massive TVs available these days, withUltra HD-toting 84-inch screens such as the LG 84LM960V, Toshiba 84L9300, Sony KD-84X9005A and Samsung UE85S9ST. But for most of us, 65 inches of screen space is luxurious enough, while still being manageable. So what's the best 60-65-inch TV for you? Read: 10 best 60-inch TVs in the world today Best 4K Ultra HD TVs The latest big thing in big screens Everyone wants an Ultra HD 4K TV! Yes, okay, we all know there isn't much 4K source material to properly showcase the stunning picture quality, but Netflix has at least started to offer 4K content. There could also still be a 4K Blu-ray format later this year, and before you know it there'll be test transmissions and perhaps even a 4K TV channel from Sky or the BBC. It's all about future-proofing, though there's slightly more to it than that; some of the first batch of Ultra HD TVs pump out best-ever Blu-ray images, thanks to some wonderfully adept upscaling tech. The birth of 4K could also lead to the re-birth of 3D – it just looks so much better at this higher resolution. The big stumbling block – as always – is money, but already there are relative bargains to be had and, better still, some sumptuous designs stuffed with new innovations. The race for 3840x2160 pixels is on. Read: 10 best 4K TVs in the world today Best Blu-ray players From cheap BDPs to UHD players When big and bulky Blu-ray players first appeared on the shelves nearly 10 years ago they were all about high definition. Back then, simply getting HD content into your HD-ready TV was the hottest ticket in town - and it came at a high price. Those first-gen players are buried in the distant past now, leaving us with super-slim machines with loading times in single figure seconds, 3D Blu-ray playback, 2D-to-3D conversion, apps, streaming to and from smartphones and tablets, home networking, and upscaling to Ultra HD 4K resolutions even before Ultra HD TVs are common. Here are 12 of the best Blu-ray players to help you make your buying decision! Read: 12 best Blu-ray players 2014 Computing and Laptops Laptop Buying Guide 2014 Choose the best type of laptop for your needs With Windows 8.1 here and Windows 9 on the way, Ultrabooks taking off in popularity and laptop-tablet hybrids seeing more releases, choosing the right laptop is even more confusing than ever. Cheap laptops, like Chromebooks, are more powerful and capable than ever, while high-end devices are often perfectly good replacements for your desktop computer, able to cope with more intensive programs. Those after a fast boot up time and a lightweight machine to carry might drool over an Ultrabook. While there are lots of options for gamers too. With this guide, you'll find not only that, but which is the absolute best. Read: Buying Guide: Best laptops 2014 Best Ultrabooks The most premium computing experiences around with the price tags to match Ultrabooks tend to be made with design in mind, so they come in more expensive than most mid-range home laptops. They tend to start from around $999 (about £584, AU$1,063) in the lower end, going to nearly $2,000 (around £1,169, AU$2,129) at the very high end. You're likely to ultimately spend between $899 and $1,500 for a newer model, though you can get some older models for even lower prices. Read: Best Ultrabooks 2014 Best Chromebooks Google's Chrome-packed computers make for an unbeatable budget buy Chromebooks focus on what computing has been all about since the late '90s, the web browser, through Google's Chrome operating system. What should you look out for in a Chromebook? The majority of these Google laptops use either the same or similar low-power components. This is largely what is behind the unquestionable affordability of these mobile rigs – most of which start under $300 (about £175, AU$319). Read: Best Chromebooks 2014 Best gaming laptops These machines excel in pixel-pushing performance with panache Focused on real-time, 3D image rendering for the latest games, these laptops almost always come with a premium attached. If you want (at least something close to) the PC gaming experience with the flexibility to move around the house, the asking price generally starts at $1,300 (about £760, AU$1,384) at the low end and maxes out at around $3,000 (around £1,753, AU$ 3,194). Read: Best gaming laptops 2014 Best 2-in-1 laptops Business up front, party in the back – the mullets of the computing world Otherwise known as hybrid laptops, these devices generally sit in the same price range as Ultrabooks, given their mission to serve as two devices in one. That generally gets you a Windows 8 touchscreen device that either flips around its hinge to become a tablet or detaches from its included keyboard accessory (which hopefully doubles as an extra battery). Read: Best 2-in-1 laptops 2014 Best laptops for students The tech you need to help you land the career you want Whether you're a freshman in liberals arts or an MBA looking to rock the business world, you need a laptop that will best enable you for the perfect price. While some will naturally be more expensive than others, these are the clamshells best suited for your field of study and, ultimately, your budget. Read: best laptops for students 2014 Cameras and photography Camera Buying Guide 2014 The camera buying advice you need When it comes to buying a camera, you're really spoiled for choice. The range is massive, stretching from cheap and cheerful compact models competing with your smartphone, right through to professional-spec SLRs that cost as much as a decent used car. In this jargon-free overview, we'll discuss the main types of camera out there, to help you make a wise buying decision. You don't want to pay top dollar for features you won't need, but you also don't want to be stuck with a frustratingly basic camera you'll soon outgrow. We're going to concentrate on three main types of camera in this overview – compact, compact system (or mirrorless) camera and SLR. Read: Buying Guide: Best camera 2014 SLR Buying Guide Choose the best type of DSLR for your skills and needs Ever since the arrival of the first commercially viable digital SLRs in the 1990s, there's been a steady stream of technological breakthroughs and new releases. Sales of digital SLRs remain robust, as it's this 'quality' end of the market that is most immune from the threat of ever-improving smartphones; however good smartphones are, if a pro wedding or sports photographer turned up wielding one, they'd get shown the door. There are SLR cameras suitable for every type of photographer, from novices to professionals, but which one is right for you? Read: Best SLR 2014 SLRs for beginners Lost of options for the wannabe photographer If you're a beginner or less experienced photographer who's keen to develop your skills, it's a great time to be buying an SLR – there's a wide choice of keenly priced cameras competing for your custom. Makers are eager to attract beginners in the hope of building loyalty, particularly as SLR users tend to upgrade their lenses eventually, or buy flashguns and other extras. Ideally, you want an SLR that is easy to use, but one that you won't quickly outgrow as your skills and confidence develop. Read: 10 best SLRs for beginners SLRs for enthusiasts You're not a pro but you still want a nice camera While compact system (mirrorless) cameras have eaten into their market share to an extent, SLRs remain the weapon of choice for many enthusiast photographers. It's not hard to understand why; enthusiast-level SLRs offer near pro-levels of performance at an affordable price, are relatively to easy to use, and give access to a massive range of lenses and accessories. Indeed, some enthusiast SLRs rival pro-spec models, blurring the boundary between the two. Read: 10 best SLRs for enthusiasts SLRs for professionals The best photographers have the best cameras As you'd expect from a camera costing the same as a decent used car, higher-end SLRs have myriad autofocus options, impressive ISO performance and often (but not always) fast continuous shooting. They tend to be built like tanks too, since they have to meet the demands of professional press, sports and adventure photographers, who are often working in demanding, deadline-driven environments. When it comes to choosing a top-end SLR, the biggest decision is whether to go for a full-blown pro model, such as theNikon D4S, or to save money by opting for a camera that also appeals to advanced enthusiasts and semi pros. Read: 10 best top-end SLR Best compact cameras Get the best mini snapper for your needs There are hundreds of digital compact cameras on the market, with advanced, superzoom and rugged camera options all being available, which makes finding the right one quite tricky. The right choice, of course, depends on what you want from your compact digital camera. Maybe you're looking for a high-end compact camera to take the place of your SLR, or perhaps you want something more basic to get a few snaps on holiday. Whichever type you are looking for, we've pulled together a selection of what we believe are the best compact cameras on the market now. Read: 38 best compact cameras 2014 Best high-end compact cameras The best back-ups to an SLR The downside of even the latest and greatest DSLR bodies and weighty collections of top-quality glass is that, when a fantastic photo opportunity presents itself, your kit is fast asleep in its gadget bag back at home. In contrast, compact cameras are small and slimline enough to fit into a spare pocket, the glove box of the car, or just about anywhere else. Weighing in at 200-400g (0.4-0.9lbs), these cameras are lighter than most DSLR lenses without a camera attached, but can they really deliver in terms of image quality and creativity? Read: 10 best high-end compact cameras Best compact system cameras Get the best CSC for your budget DSLRs have long-held the title as the most versatile cameras on the market, capable of delivering the highest quality images, robust build quality and advanced functionality, not to mention speed. With compacts and bridge models providing a set of stepping stones up to the traditional DSLR, manufacturers noticed a gap in between that was waiting to be filled: the CSC (Compact System Camera) was born. Fast forward to today and we have an ever-increasing array of CSCs available with varying levels of functionality. Read: 28 best compact system cameras 2014 Gadgets and lifestyle Best sat navs Find your way from A to B with minimum fuss Could the car sat nav boast the shortest lifespan of any technology yet? Surely our GPS-supporting phones are more than capable of handling our daily car sat nav needs? Not so fast - there's still plenty of life left in dedicated devices. Apart from offering the kind of focus that is only available from a dedicated device, true sat navs offer proper mounting systems that aren't fiddly plastic nightmares and also pack voice options that entertain and inform. That's not to say that you should leave your phone at home. Phone apps are catching up quickly, and they don't cost the earth either. In fact, some of the most interesting projects are only on phones right now. Read: Best sat navs 2014 Netflix vs Amazon Which movie streamer is best for you and yours? The battle of the big American movie streaming services is getting serious: the Amazon-owned LoveFilm is no more, replaced by the new and heavily-promoted Amazon Prime Instant Video. Is Amazon UK finally taking streaming seriously? CanNetflix hold on to its crown as our favourite streaming service? Let's find out. Read: Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: which is best for you? Netflix 1-month free trial Amazon Prime 1-month free trial PS4 vs Xbox One Which next-gen console is best? It's a little more even in the PS4 vs Xbox One debate now that E3 2014 has come and gone and we're seven months into the next-generation of video games. Sure, Sony's new console is ahead, pushing toward 8 million systems sold compared to Microsoft's 5 million "shipped to stores" number. But those are sales statistics. Read: PS4 vs Xbox One: which is best? Best printers Top inkjet and laser printers compared In choosing the best printer your first decision is whether to go for a standard printer, or a multi-function device which includes a scanner and which can also work as a standalone copier. These aren't much larger than regular printers, but they're a whole lot more versatile, especially when you need to keep a copy of a letter, a bill or any other important document, so our first list includes the best inkjet printers and best multi-function devices. You should also think carefully about whether to invest in an inkjet or a laser. Lasers are usually associated with office environments, where they produce sharp, smudge-free printouts quickly, quietly and economically, but this can be just as useful at home or in a home office. Read: 16 best printers 2014 Best Spotify Connect systems Control your music wirelessly with Spotify Connect Spotify is gradually supplanting digital downloads as the dominant way that we listen to music, with 10 million subscribers and 40 million active users across 56 countries listening to its 30 million tracks. With Spotify adding more than 20,000 new songs daily, it's definitely time for Spotify Connect, a new badge for hi-fi gear that enables effortless control of music across a phone, tablet and speakers. Allowing music to be sent direct from the Spotify app to any of these systems, Spotify Connect is a streamer's dream. Read: Best Spotify Connect systems Anything we've missed that you'd like to see? Let us know!

64-bit Chrome now available for OS X as a downloader-beware beta Posted: Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users have been happily using 64-bit beta version of the Chrome for the past two months, and now OS X users can download their own beta version 64-bit web browser. Google has quietly swapped out the developer-focused version of Chrome Canary to a 64-bit version anyone can download. As with the Windows version users can expect a slight speed increase now that the application is better optimized to work with 64-bit processors. Also improved ASLR support coupled with better heap partitioning should add an extra dash of security. But for now we wouldn't suggest managing your finances or looking at any sensitive materials with this yet-to-be finalized browser for now. At your own risk While the experimental browser is available for anyone daring enough to use it, Google strongly warns users the application can "sometimes break down completely" as it has been designed for developers and early adopters. Ultimately it's a good sign there's a 64-bit version of Chrome rolling out at all as it will lead to more finalized beta and stable releases that will be more reliable for everyone to use. The search company launched its 64-bit browser into developer and Canary channels for Microsoft's operating systems. After that Google eventually released the experimental build onto its beta channel for adventurous users several weeks later on July 30. Stay tuned to this space as we will post more news when stable versions hit the net. Get more speed out of your internet connection

Microsoft: Windows 8.1 update coming next week, but it's not 'Update 2' Posted: The gang in Redmond is gearing up to unleash a big Windows update next week, but "big" appears to be a relative term, given it won't be the "Update 2" many pundits have been expecting. Microsoft announced on its Blogging Windows portal that the next update to Windows 8.1 will arrive as an over-the-air download next Tuesday, August 12, but the company is tempering user expectations accordingly. "Despite rumors and speculation, we are not planning to deliver a Windows 8.1 'Update 2'," the blog post elaborated, a comment presumably targeted at journalists and rumor websites who have been touting a forthcoming so-called "Update 2" in recent weeks. Instead, next week's update is more along the lines of Microsoft's usual monthly patches, which include "more frequent improvements" along with the traditional security updates provided by the company's "Update Tuesday" releases. Modest expectations Microsoft did take the time to outline three "new features and improvements" coming on August 12, beginning with improvements to the touchpad made possible by three new settings, along with new Wi-Fi direct APIs to enable compatibility with a Miracast receiver. With the former feature, Windows PC and tablet users can now choose to leave their touchpad active when a mouse is connected, allow right-clicks on the touchpad itself or double-tap to drag an item when using the touchpad; the update also adds a "Keep me signed in" option to minimize login prompts with SharePoint Online. Current Windows 8.1 users will start seeing the patch roll out sometime after next Tuesday if automatic updates have been enabled, but it can also be manually installed via Windows Update beginning Tuesday. Microsoft also plans to deliver similar modest improvements to Windows Server 2012 R2 starting next week, and plans to continue rolling out smaller patches rather than waiting to bundle everything into less-frequent releases such as last April's Windows 8.1 Update. Take a peek at our expansive Microsoft Surface Pro 3 review!

Instant messaging booming among Brits and it's because we're incorrigible flirts Posted: The use of instant messaging applications is set to double in the UK in 2014, according to new research claiming some tap-happy users are sending up to 100,000 messages a year. The study from Deloitte claims Brits could send a total of 300 billion messages by the time Christmas is over, up from the 160 billion sent across the nation in 2013. And, according to the experts, the surge comes as users are increasingly relying on 'free' services like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat and iMessage to further their romantic interests. "A constant among humans is courting and they use different tools to do it. It used to be hanging on the phone, now it's instant messaging," said Deloitte technology, media and telecoms research chief Paul Lee. Texting in decline The volume of IMs, which often include messages consisting only of emoji, being sent now far outweighs traditional text (SMS) messaging in the UK. Deloitte reckons British smartphone users send 7 text messages a day, while racking up 46 instant messages via web-connected services. This year texting is forecast to fall for the first time since its invention in 1992, dropping from 145bn in 2013 to 140bn this year. Do you find yourself doing most of your flirting via instant messaging? Or do you keep it retro with the text? Share your methods in the comments section below. Why did Facebook buy WhatsApp for £11.4bn?

Pebble to glow in new blue, pink and green for a limited time Posted: After releasing well over a year ago the Pebble smartwatch has been long over due for a makeover, and now it's available in three new bright colors for a limited time. Pebble launched its inaugural wearable in three previously unreleased shades called TFresh Green, Hot Pink, and Fly Blue. Other than the swanky new colors these Pebble smartwatches still offer up the same functionality and $150 (about £88, AU$161) price point. Act fast though. Pebble told TechRadar these colorful bands will only be available for a limited time until supplies last. After they're gone buyers will have to go back with to the old black, grey, red, white, and orange colors. Alternatively, users looking for a more professional band could go for the Pebble Steel, essentially the metal version of the smartwatch. Swanky Along with the new color options Pebble also announced it has added the Weather Channel to its growing app store, which is already stocked with apps like ESPN, Mercedes cars, Yelp and Pandora. Lastly a Reading Rainbow time face featuring the likeness of LeVar Burton in an 8-bit style is rumored to arrive later this year. How does Android Wear fare in the wearable world?

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