WIN! A G-Technology G-RAID hard drive worth £299

If you are having trouble viewing this email Click here to view the browser friendly version.

www.techradar.com Week in Tech Bye-bye Ballmer, hello high-speed data If you had to describe monkey-dancing Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in a single word it wouldn't be "retiring" - but he is, in news that we suspect surprised him as much as it surprised the rest of us. Ballmer will step down within the next 12 months.  The other big news this week was that O2 and Vodafone have finally joined the 4G party. As John McCann reports, the rollout is still limited and it might be worth waiting for Three's service to launch before signing up. To find out which 4G network is best, check out our updated guide. You can't use the new Nexus 7 on 4G yet - it's only shipping in 16GB and 32GB Wi-Fi versions for the time being, although an LTE version is coming - but that's unlikely to stop it from selling squillions. As Phil Lavelle reports in his review, "this is one beautiful piece of equipment... Google has taken what made the original such a belter, corrected almost every niggle… if you're looking for a 7-inch tablet... there is no better alternative on the market right now." Read the full story     In this week ■ Week in Tech: Bye-bye Ballmer, hello high-speed data ■ Talking points: Amazing smartphone uses, the gamers' verdict on Gamescom, iPhone 5S and the case against curves ■ Competition: WIN! A G-Technology G-RAID hard drive worth £299 ■ The week's best buys: Nikon 1 V1, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 and Archos 80 Titanium ■ Top 10: The world's top 10 tablets   Talking points 1 10 amazing things you never knew a smartphone could do Smartphones are blank canvases that we can transform into musical instruments or games consoles, business machines or cat video players. But who knew that they make pretty good satellites too?  Read more       2 Why the PS4 is for stupid people and the Xbox One loves the NSA Last week saw Gamescom in Germany [writes Gary Cutlack], where both PS4 and Xbox One attempted to win favour with gamers ahead of launch. But what did the trench-dwelling hardcore internet warriors with avatars drawn on their helmets, make of the game giants' showings?  Read more       3 Apple A7 chipset to make iPhone 5S 31% faster than iPhone 5? A Fox News anchor claims that the A7 chipset inside the upcoming iPhone 5S will offer a 31% speed boost over the current iPhone 5. But given the A6 doubled the performance of the previous chipset, a 31% boost is not quite as big a step up. Read more       4 Why curved OLED TVs are a bad idea The advent of 4K Ultra HD has sparked plenty of debate of late, but the arrival of curved OLED TVs is likely to prompt even more consternation [writes Steve May]. Yep, for the first time since the advent of widescreen, TVs are changing shape. Marketeers are cockahoop, but buyers should be more circumspect. Read more       Competition WIN! A G-Technology G-RAID hard drive worth £299   Capable of delivering up to 250MB/S transfer rates when connected to a USB 3.0 interface, the G-RAID also looks the part with a handsome and durable all-aluminium case. Enter competition   WIN! A Canon EOS 650D with lens Enter competition       WIN! A Medion ERAZER laptop Enter competition         Your tweets this week       The week's best buys Nikon 1 V1 The higher resolution screen, EVF, hotshoe and choice of shutter types mean that the Nikon V1 is likely to attract the attention of the enthusiast. Image quality is good and noise is nicely controlled. The sensor is small enough to allow a small camera body, but large enough to enable control over depth of field. View offer Read review       Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 As far as mid-range Android tablets go, this hits the nail on the head. It's pleasing to see Ice Cream Sandwich making it onto devices out of the box these days, and though the Tab 2 10.1 doesn't offer any great surprises, everything it does, it does well - and at a good price. View offer Read review       Archos 80 Titanium In many areas, this out-performs its heftily-priced rival to the extent that anyone thinking of purchasing a small tablet should seriously consider whether spending more than this is really necessary. Bravo to Archos and its great-looking, awesome value 8-inch Titanium tablet. View offer Read review       Should Windows 8 have been touch only? @SenseiRemo Should've stayed on tablets and phones only.     @Jaredlancaster Rubbish... It's fine with a mouse. And I own a Surface Pro.     @bob_moss Would've put quite a premium on hardware price.       Top   tablets in the world Just a few years ago, tablets were an unknown for many people, but nowadays you've got more choice than you can shake a mildly agitated badger at. Luckily we've made the choice easy for you with our list of the top 10 tablets available in the UK.   Sony Xperia Tablet Z       Google Nexus 7       iPad mini View top 10           TechRadar Promotion TechRadar deal of the week: 40% off the Canon Powershot SX150 IS This week, our pick of the deals pack is this 12x zoom compact camera, available from Argos at 40% off RRP. We called it "a serious contender as one of the best travel compact cameras" when we reviewed it. Find even more great offers in our latest selection of deals. View promotion 64GB Microsoft Surface Pro Microsoft has taken another £80 off the price of the 64GB Surface Pro. Giving it 4.5 stars out of 5 in our review, we said it was a "great machine" that combined the best of a hybrid PC and a tablet in a single device: lightweight, long lasting and with all the flexibility that Windows users expect. View promotion  New issue out now This month, T3 features 101 gadgets you can't live without. Plus a look at Sony's new 65-inch next-gen TV and the super-sharp Nokia Lumia 1020. Download now         www.techradar.com

Future is AOP and PPA Consumer Digital Publisher of the Year. TechRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. ©  Future Publishing Limited. Reg No. 2008885 England. 30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW. Future Publishing Limited is a member of the Direct Marketing Association. To unsubscribe from this email please click here.