Win! A pair of Scandyna SmallPod speakers worth £599

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www.techradar.com Week in Tech From Windows 1 to Xbox One Microsoft's Xbox One drops today, and it's more expensive that its Sony rival. Is the Xbox One worth the extra cash? As Alex Roth points out, it hasn’t had the most spectacular start, but "thanks to a strong launch line-up and more than a bit of damage control, the Xbox One is repairing its reputation." Microsoft's ambitions are as massive as the console. The Xbox One wants to be your home entertainment hub, your social networking hub and your one-stop shop for every conceivable kind of media. So which should you buy, the Xbox One or the PS4? Matt Swider’s done the comparison, but the smart buying advice might be simply to wait. How things have changed for Microsoft: back in 1985, Windows 1.0 was cutting-edge technology. But however many amazing things Microsoft has made, it wasn't cool in 1985 and it isn't any cooler now - and stunts like its horribly unfunny anti-Google mugs don't help. The Keep Calm parody ("Keep Calm While We Steal Your Data") has been widely mocked online, and deservedly so - but are we mocking the messenger instead of paying attention to the message? Read the full story     In this week ■ Week in Tech: From Windows 1 to Xbox One ■ Talking points: Skype improves, Linux desktops, YouTube flame wars, Samsung pulls Android update ■ Competition: Win! A pair of Scandyna SmallPod speakers worth £599 ■ The week's best buys: HTC One, Canon EOS 70D, Apple iPad mini 2 ■ Top 10: The world's top 10 tablets   Talking points 1 5 ways Skype is about to get a whole lot better Microsoft has been working hard to integrate Skype and Lync over the past few months, yet there are still a number of advantages that Lync continues to hold over the big blue cloud. The good news is that Skype told us that it's busy working on a number of these projects, and we could see them transported to Skype in the near future. Here are five ways that it might be about to get a whole lot better. Read more       2 Best Linux desktop: which is ideal for you? Linux is about choice, or so the popular mantra goes, and nothing represents this more than the plethora of desktop environments on offer. We look at some of the most popular (and some of the more esoteric) desktop choices to find out which one you should be using. Read more       3 YouTubers bring out the big guns in response to Google+ madness You'd think that after years of the YouTube comment section being home to the worst people in the world, YouTubers might like the fact that Google's trying to clean up the bottom half of the video site. But no. Something even worse and more unwelcome than YouTube commenters has moved in: Google+. Read more       4 Samsung pulls Android 4.3 for UK Galaxy S3, S4 update withdrawn stateside Samsung has temporarily withdrawn the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update for its Galaxy S3 handset in the UK following complaints. Read more       Competition WIN! A pair of Scandyna SmallPod speakers worth £599   We've teamed up with Danish audio and design specialist Scandyna to give away a pair of its wireless SmallPod speakers, which come in both aptX Bluetooth and Apple AirPlay editions. Enter competition   WIN! A Nikon J3 worth £579.99 Enter competition       WIN! A BlackBerry Q10 with case and battery pack Enter competition       WIN! £10,000 worth of gadgets in the Great Gadget Giveaway Enter competition       Your tweets this week       The week's best buys HTC One This is the best HTC phone ever. But we'll go one better: it's the best phone on the market full stop. For sheer level of functionality, innovation and just overall effect it has in the hand, we can't help but recommend the HTC One to anyone looking to buy a new smartphone. View offer Read review       Canon EOS 70D Canon has produced a very well rounded camera for enthusiast photographers. It has all the specifications that we expect, along with a few modern niceties in a body that feels well made and comfortable in the hand. A very desirable camera capable of producing superb results. View offer Read review       Apple iPad mini 2 with Retina display The iPad mini 2 is almost flawless in so many ways. The rich App catalog mean it's a device that will grow with you, and the 64-bit A7 chip and Retina display are certainly future-proofing users from an outdated device. The design is still the best in the tablet category, and iOS 7 is a step forward. View offer Read review       Would you want a bigger iPad? @sisiliaalin Nope.     @Deanouk73 Wouldn't be a bad thing for watching Movies, TV or sports. I would be interested in a 12.9-inch iPad.     @CruizingComet Yes please... As long as it's as thin and as light as the iPad Air.       Top   tablets in the world With choice comes decisions - difficult decisions. We've put the new iPad mini 2 with Retina Display and LG G Pad 8.3 through our in-depth review process, so check our rankings to see where they land in the list.   Apple iPad Air       Apple iPad mini 2       Sony Xperia Tablet Z View top 10           TechRadar Promotion Discover Canon's Project1709 platform Canon's Project1709 platform is a new cloud-based photo management service that offers a number of sophisticated features for photographers who want to stay on top of their growing photo collection. With Project1709 you can catalogue, file and filter your images, upload them with ease and even share them to your followers on Flickr and Facebook. What's more, you can even win a new Canon DSLR! View promotion TechRadar and Carphone Warehouse bring you Smart Choice Make the right choice with Smart Choice, brought to you by TechRadar in association with Carphone Warehouse. From self-healing phones that actually work to the latest Android update, you'll find all the info you need to get the most from your mobile. View promotion  Christmas gift guide From consoles and phones to kitchen and garden gadgets, here's our bumper selection of gift ideas for tech lovers. Whoever you're buying for, we've got you covered. Read now         www.techradar.com

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