Apple Watch: App submissions now open

Apple throws open doors to developers ahead of launch.

Apple has started accepting submissions for Apple Watch apps, a little more than three weeks before the device is due to go on sale.

The Cupertino company has updated its website with guidelines for developers who have used its WatchKit tools to create apps for the smartwatch. It means that third-party apps are likely to start appearing in the App Store within days. http://adf.ly/1MxZ1W

Last week, a number of high profile companies’ Apple Watch apps were given the green light and placed in the App Store ahead of schedule.

Evernote, the Wall Street Journal and New York Times were placed in the store early, with a view to allowing reviewers and those trying out the watch in store to access non–Apple software on the device. http://adf.ly/1MxZ1W

The Apple Watch will be on display in stores from April 10th, before going on sale two weeks later.

Word is that punters will not be able to walk in and buy the watch. Instead, it’s thought potential customers will either need to make a prior appointment or buy online.

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Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is outselling standard Galaxy S6, despite premium price

Phone-maker rewarded for taking a risk with phone design?

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge variant is selling faster than the standard Galaxy S6, with tech fans seemingly happy to pay extra for a handset that stands out amid a sea of identikit, slab-shaped smartphones.

Of pre-orders taken by uSwitch Tech for the Galaxy S6 since it became available on March 20th, 53% are for the more costly sloped screen-toting Edge iteration.

To put that in some kind of context in terms of comparative pricing, the cheapest Galaxy S6 Edge contracts that include a free phone start at £48.50 per month.

If you want the Galaxy S6 on a free-phone deal, though, you’re looking at minimum outlay of £34.50 per month.

That works out at a difference of £336 over the course of a two-year contract. A not inconsiderable sum by anyone’s measure, right?

So what to read into this?

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EE handing out Power Bar free portable charger to customers

Network will let you refill device at any store.

EE is looking to snare more customers and ensure it doesn’t haemorrhage old ones with a savvy new offer: a free portable charger.

Dubbed the EE Power Bar, it’s available to all of the network’s customers and will hold enough juice for a full phone charge.

What’s more, if the Power Bar itself dies and you’re near an EE shop, you can go in and swap it for a fully charged one without having to pay.

There are, of course, caveats. Pay as you go customers need to have been with EE for three months in order to qualify and you’ll need to send a text to activate the device, which will cost 35p.

However, phone and broadband customers are eligible, so those aren’t exactly the worst hurdles to clear.

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iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus set to be joined by new smaller model

iPhone 6C looks set to replace current iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C models.

Apple will release a new 4–inch iPhone later this year to sit alongside the already rumoured iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus models.

The smaller phone, dubbed the iPhone 6C by supply chain sources, will rock the same 4–inch screen as the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, but looks set to replace those older editions, which were first revealed in 2013.

Interestingly, the insiders say that the iPhone 6C will feature Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanning tech, which is missing from the entry level iPhone 5C.

The device is set to use Apple’s A8 chipset, while the higher end iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus will come packing a newer A9 version.

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Apple officially launches smartphone trade–in programme

Swap your old Samsung, BlackBerry and Nokia devices for store credit.

Apple has officially launched a smartphone trade–in programme, weeks after stories emerged about the company’s plans.

The new service lets would-be Apple device owners exchange a series of top–end rival smartphones, either for store credit to go towards a new iPhone, or for cash via a bank transfer.

Handsets Apple receives will be recycled in an eco–friendly manner, something that services such as Envirofone already offer. The programme is open both online and in Apple's high street shops throughout the UK.

We played around with Apple’s site and were offered £108 in store credit for a good condition Sony Xperia Z3 Compact.

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New Moto G second-generation 4G: Five things you need to know

Cheap-as-chips smartphone gets a speed boost.

The Moto G is one of our favourite budget handsets.

When it first launched back in 2013, it set a new standard for affordable smartphones and prompted other manufacturers to get their acts together.

The second-generation model arrived in September last year, and now there's finally the option of a 4G edition. Tempted? Here's all you need to know.

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Exclusive: Moto G 4G (2015) is coming soon

Speedy version of budget phone incoming.

Motorola has confirmed plans for a 4G version of the second-generation Moto G, in keeping with its marketing model for last year's model.

The original first-gen Moto G was available in 3G and 4G options. The 4G edition also improved on the 3G version by offering expandable storage by microSD.

Those two handsets were then superseded late last year by a second-gen Moto G phone with better specs but 3G support only.

And the good news for fans of affordable but pretty impressively specc'd Android phones is that a 4G edition of the second-gen Moto G is on the way soon.

Asked if a 4G version of the Moto G (2014) model is coming this year, Magnus Ahlqvist, Corporate Vice President of EMEA & APAC at Motorola, said: "Yes. It is coming to Europe, so stay tuned for details on that one.

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MWC 2015: The five best phones ranked and rated by 3dmobileworld Tech

The best and brightest from Barcelona.

MWC 2015 has seen its fair share of slick new devices, not to mention some major plans for how we’re going to use our phones in the future.

So, what has been the pick of the Barcelona show?

Is Samsung’s new Galaxy range enough to see off the ongoing threat of Apple’s iPhone?

And can HTC continue to make progress with its promising new One M9?

Ranked and rated, here are our five favourite new devices from MWC 2015.

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Three and O2 merger: we answer your FAQs

What happens next? Will you lose out? Ask us anything.

The landscape of the UK mobile industry is changing underfoot. Everywhere you look, carriers are eyeing rivals for takeover bids in what could be one of the biggest transition periods for the market for aeons.

Amid all the changes, today's big news is Three's mooted takeover of O2, which has sparked understandable concern from their subscribers.

Here, we aim to answer any questions we think you're likely to have about how it'll affect you.

If you've got a question of your own, leave it in the comments section and we'll endeavour to answer it.

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