Wayne Williams

Apple certainly didn’t invent the smartwatch, although it does look set to finally bring the product into the mainstream. It performed a similar trick in 2010 when it made tablets popular by introducing the iPad.

Android watches have been available for a while, but even they aren’t the earliest example of wrist-based computing, nor for that matter is the Microsoft smartwatch my colleague Joe Wilcox wrote about recently. The history of smartwatches actually goes back some 15 years.

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This is a big year for YouTube -- it’s ten years old, having first launched back in 2005. A month ago YouTube celebrated its first ever upload, "Me at the Zoo" but today is the video service’s official tenth birthday.

Naturally, Google couldn’t let the milestone pass without some form of celebration, and it’s created an A-Z infographic remembering some of its most famous moments. And, as you might expect, there’s a video as well, and even a web based trivia game.

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Last October, Google introduced a new email app, called Inbox by Gmail. It provided a different way of accessing the search giant's webmail service, and was designed to cut through the crap in a busy inbox and just present you with what was important. You could even snooze emails for a later time.

However, Inbox (like Gmail itself originally) was only available by invite. You needed to sign up and wait, or get invited by someone already using the service. Well today that changes, and if you haven’t already got it, and you want to try it, you now can as it’s open to all. But that’s not the only big news -- Google has made several major improvements to it.

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Google’s annual developer conference kicks off in San Francisco today, starting with a keynote which the search giant traditionally uses to make big announcements. Last year Google showcased Android "L" (which later became Lollipop), Android Auto, Android TV, and Android Wear, as well as a number of updates to Google Services.

So what does the Google I/O 2015 keynote have in store? During past Google I/O conferences Google has unveiled the next version of Android, and there’s every reason to expect we’ll see Android "M" announced this year. It’s possible we’ll see the phoenix-like Glass 2.0 make an appearance too. Google does like to grab headlines after all.

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Home security is getting ever smarter, and Piper.nv (the more expensive night vision version of Piper) is an excellent example of this. It’s a smart camera that you access and control via your smartphone (iOS or Android). It displays 180-degree 1080p HD live video, and automatically switches to night vision when the room gets dark.

There’s much more to Piper than just a camera though. It comes packed with features to ensure your home stays safe when you’re asleep or away, and it’s very easy to set up and use.

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The newly announced Windows 10 Phone Companion App will let you link your Android or iOS devices to Windows 10, but that’s not all. It will also give users of those rival mobile operating systems access to Cortana. I’ve used both Siri and Cortana, and I much prefer Microsoft’s virtual assistant over Apple’s. Having access to both (or Cortana and Google Now, in the case of Android), is great news for consumers.

To make use of Cortana you’ll need to have Windows 10 installed on a PC, and the Cortana app for iOS or Android. These isn’t available yet, but Windows Insiders will be able to try out the Phone Companion app in a future Windows 10 Insider Preview Build which is set to arrive in the coming weeks.

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Windows 10 will run on a range of compatible devices, including PCs, hybrids, tablets, phones, Xbox One, HoloLens, and IoT hardware. Microsoft might be striving for ubiquity, but it knows when it comes to mobile, that the vast majority of people will continue to use Android or iOS phones and tablets.

Announced today, Microsoft’s Phone Companion for Windows 10 App, will let those users access content from whatever device they choose, and also give them access to Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant.

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When Microsoft released the latest Windows 10 build earlier in the week, there was one big known issue which will have put some people off updating. Windows Insiders on systems with AMD GPUs were warned that the new build could lead to stability issues, and problems with Windows Edge (or Spartan as it’s still branded in the current build).

Microsoft did say, however, that AMD was working on new drivers, and the good news is the problem appears to have been fixed.

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After Tim Cook demoed the Apple Watch at the Spring Forward event two months ago I declared I should want an Apple Watch -- but I don't. Despite being an iPhone owner and a watch wearer, I felt the new device was an "unfocused mess" and features like talking to your wrist and sending drawings to fellow Watch-owning friends just didn’t appeal. They were something only a ten year old would be interested in.

The way Watch was being retailed -- online only, with crazy delays -- didn’t impress me either. In fact, I called Apple’s launch a brand-damaging botch job. I still stand by that statement, but here’s the thing. Despite all that Apple Watch negativity, after I went into an Apple Store to look at the device I ended up buying one. I know, talk about easily swayed.

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There are risks involved with running any early versions of programs. They’re not finished, sometimes they are far from finished, and could be riddled with bugs. You might not encounter any problems, or then again you might. You take your chances. If you’re a Windows Insider, you get to try Windows 10, in the knowledge you might encounter issues with the OS. If you’re in the Fast ring, that’s even more likely.

The latest build being rolled out to Insiders now being a good case in point. Build 10122 has a known issue with AMD GPUs which causes Microsoft Edge (or rather Spartan, as it's still branded in this build) to crash frequently. Microsoft could have held this back until a fix was available, but Windows Insiders voted for it to be released, and so here it is. When the next new build arrives on the Slow ring, this issue should have been fixed (AMD is working on new drivers), so if you have a PC with an AMD GPU you may wish to skip this build, avoid using Edge, or try the OS in a virtual environment, using VirtualBox. So that’s the main problem with the new build, but what about changes and improvements?

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It’s no secret that Microsoft has an app problem. The Windows Store is full of unexciting knock-offs, and it’s rare for quality releases to appear there these days. While many Windows Phone devotees will claim the "app gap" is a myth, and the only apps Microsoft’s mobile platform doesn’t have are rubbish ones that no one wants ("thousands of games and flashlight apps" as I’ve seen iOS’s superiority dismissed previously), that’s simply not true.

Microsoft is more than aware of the problem, and past efforts to get developers to port their apps to its ecosystem simply haven’t worked. That’s why with Windows 10 Microsoft is doing things differently. Universal apps can run on any Windows 10 device, from PCs to phones, and Microsoft has also made it incredibly simple for developers to port Android and iOS apps to Windows 10. But will that be enough?

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In 2012 a controversial video went viral on YouTube that angered Muslims across the Middle East, sparking riots and leading to several deaths. The Innocence of Muslims is a 74 minute piece of junk (that I watched), which shows the prophet Muhammad as a fool, a fraud, insane, and a sexual deviant. Unsurprisingly it was blocked in numerous countries, including Libya, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Russia. Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, even went so far as to ban YouTube entirely.

Despite mounting pressure, including from the White House, Google refused to remove the film from YouTube, because it didn’t violate its policies. However, The Innocence of Muslims fell victim to a specious copyright claim, and ended up being removed anyway.

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When choosing a portable Bluetooth speaker you’re probably swayed by several factors -- size and brand being chief among them. I own a Cambridge Audio Minx Go, and the Cambridge Audio name was definitely one of the reasons I considered that speaker in the first place.

Sond Audio probably isn’t a name you’re familiar with. It’s actually Ebuyer’s own audio brand, and products under that label include speakers, headphones and soundbars. The Sond Audio portable NFC speaker is the first Sond product I’ve tried, so is it a hit or miss?

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Microsoft doesn’t seem to know exactly what to call its version of Windows 10 for smartphones. It was called "Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones", and then yesterday, when unveiling the different editions of the new operating system, Microsoft called it "Windows 10 Mobile".

Today, however, it’s back to "Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones", although in the official blog post announcing the latest release -- Build 10080 -- it’s also called "Windows 10 Insider Preview for phone". I guess you just have to take your pick. Hopefully the tech giant will have decided on an official name when it releases the finished version later in the year.

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All models of the Raspberry Pi have always been very affordable -- that’s a big part of the appeal. When the B+ launched 10 months ago it was priced at $35 dollars -- which was the same as the regular B model, despite improvements which include additional USB 2.0 ports, lower power consumption, and better audio.

However, three months ago the Raspberry Pi 2 arrived, and that was also priced at $35. Suddenly, the B+ seemed like a bad deal in comparison. But not anymore.

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