As promised two weeks ago, Microsoft is today releasing the Windows 10 for phones preview build across a larger set of Lumia phones. In a blog post, the company announces that it is seeding out the Build 10051 of the Windows 10 Technical Preview for phones to the Fast ring today. In addition to bringing support for more smartphones, the new build also brings along a number of new features, including Project Spartan, new Outlook Mail and Calendar apps, and more.

First up, let’s talk about the new features. Project Spartan -- the new browser from the Redmond-based company which recently made its way to the Windows 10 technical preview for desktops -- is now making its debut on Windows Phone handsets. “It uses our new rendering engine to give greater interoperability with the modern mobile web, and includes early versions of Reading View and Reading List”, says Gabe Aul, Windows Insider Guru, Microsoft. Project Spartan will not replace Internet Explorer 11 on your phone as the default browser but will exist side-by-side with it.

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It is my favorite day of the week -- Friday. I've got my comfortable jeans on, while relaxing and listening to Rebecca Black on repeat (which seat should I take?). While the proximity to the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) makes this working day a treat, there are often additional things to brighten it up too, such as Linux distros.

Yes, a new version of a Linux-based operating system on a Friday is awesome, as I can play with it during the entire weekend for fun. Today, Linux Mint Debian Edition 2, dubbed "Betsy", sees a release. The big dilemma for me and my fellow Linux nerds will be deciding on the preferred desktop environment. Will you choose MATE or Cinnamon for LMDE 2?

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Today Apple started taking orders for Apple Watch, and the world is agog. It's online only this time around, so there are no amusing articles about nutters camping outside Apple stores for six months living on noodles and coffee just to be first through the door -- people are, in many cases, buying blind. We've already baulked at the price of the Apple Watch Edition, but today Apple released details of its AppleCare+ extended warranties and, my god, do they make for interesting reading.

There has already been much said about the pricing of the various Apple Watch models -- not least the Apple Watch Edition -- and Apple is sure to make quite a markup on the precious metal version. Not content with raking in the cash through its sales of wrist-bound hardware, Apple is trying to squeeze every last possible cent from its customers. If something goes wrong with your Apple Watch, even if you are covered by the extended warranty, it's going to cost you a pretty penny to get things fixed. If you were foolish (er... lucky) enough to invest in the Edition, the costs are absolutely astronomical.

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Sunday is a massive day for Game of Thrones fans as that’s when the long awaited season 5 begins. During the Apple Watch 'Spring Forward' event, Tim Cook announced HBO NOW, a new and exclusive premium streaming service for Apple TV. The service, naturally, was perfectly timed to ride the latest wave of GoT hype.

But HBO NOW on Apple TV (or iOS) is hardly the only way to catch up on the world’s most pirated TV show. There’s, well, piracy for starters, and for more law abiding TV watchers, other options like Sling TV. If you're not already sorted for watching the show this weekend, here are some of the options available for you (and we'll also tell you how to get a free Game of Thrones game for Android and iOS).

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Open source database solutions specialist MariaDB is launching the latest version of its MariaDB Enterprise product offering high availability, scalability and security capabilities for enterprises.

It's aimed at meeting the requirements of web scale businesses for performance, scalability, disaster recovery and business continuity, along with database solutions that support flexibility including interoperability across SQL and NoSQL.

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So, you want to run Linux on a cutting-edge ultrabook. Chances are you want to get a laptop with Windows on it, format the entire drive, and then install your favorite distribution. But be ready to also waste lots of time trying to get everything working as it should. Even today, you have to be prepared for debugging, installing drivers, making configurations and other things before you pull the plug.

Or, if you want a great Linux-based ultrabook that just works out-of-the-box you should first take a look at Dell's new XPS 13 Developer Edition. It comes with Ubuntu 14.04 LTS (Long-Term Support), and dedicated support from a team of Linux enthusiasts, so if anything goes awry you'll get someone who knows their stuff at the other end of the line. And it's available now.

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Uninstalling one Windows program is easy, but stripping out several can get a little tedious, as you sit around and wait for each uninstaller to finish.

Bulk Crap Uninstaller is a smart alternative to Windows’ own "Programs and Features" applet, a simpler and quicker way to remove multiple programs with their own uninstaller.

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For every ten British adults, seven are seriously concerned about the privacy of their online data and fear it might get stolen by hackers, a new study has revealed.

The study, conducted by international internet-based market research firm YouGov, surveyed more than 2,000 British adults and found that 72 percent are concerned about their private online information, while 32 percent are willing to pay someone to keep their data safe.

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There's no shortage of ways to turn your phone or tablet into an MP3 player. The days of dedicated devices like the iPod have waned, and most of us simply use a smartphone as the substitute that replaces that bygone era. With a multitude of services at our disposal we can have an endless supply of music on hand as we work and travel, or just relax on the couch.

Amazon is never far from any new trend and it has brought music streaming to its Prime customers to compliment the other benefits that go along with the service. Now the retailer announces that Android customers will have access to the many playlists available through Prime Music on their devices.

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The reports of the printer's death have been greatly exaggerated. True, both business and home users are printing less nowadays, but there are still many situations where a paper copy is needed. Businesses in particular often have requirements where a hard copy must be kept. Not to mention, All-in-One variants are even more useful, as scanning and copying are great values too.

While it isn't easy to get me excited about an All-in-One printer/scanner/copier, Epson has managed to do just that. How? With a name. The company is calling the Expression Home XP-420 a Small-in-One. Get it? "Small" instead of "all"? I found the name to be quite clever, as it takes up very little room. Upon further investigation, I was impressed with the low cost and features of this wireless printer.

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I typically don't pull together review roundups, but bloggers and journalists with early access to Apple Watch and 12-inch MacBook beat the products senseless. Not even Wall Street Journal gives glowing look at the laptop; the pummeling is among the most brutal. Meanwhile, The Verge repeatedly gut-punches the smartwatch. Two themes rise from the many reviews, even those trying to cover up pooh with perfume: The devices are beautiful, but performance is a lumbering beast.

Welcome to the Tim Cook and Jony Ive era of putting form before function, and to a fault. Apple's CEO and design chief may not be the dynamic duo shareholders hoped for. The first truly new products to emerge under Cook's stewardship receive a collective meh, which should scare any intelligent buyer witless. Because if the past means anything, the carefully chosen coven of early reviewers embrace newfangled Apple things like the Devil clings to sinners. But not this week.

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As we get further and further down the road to Windows 10, Microsoft today reveals there will be a major overhaul to the Store. A single unified Store will be used to deliver apps, music, TV shows and movies to everything from desktops and laptops, to mobile devices and Xbox platforms -- the Internet of Things even gets a look in.

Fire up the Store in the Windows 10 Technical Preview and you should now see a Movies & TV section (or Films & TV depending on where you are in the world). This has been present in the beta version of the Store for a while now, but now it actually works. The recently released Music and Video apps will soon be integrated with the Store, and there's more to come.

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Sling TV, a service with the motto "take back TV", has been expanding fast, despite still being in its infancy. With Dish Network behind it the fledgling project has some pull in the industry, getting big name players like ESPN on board. It's also raining on Apple's parade, having secured HBO just in time for the start of season five of Game of Thrones.

Apple recently touted the new HBO NOW app as an exclusive for those willing to purchase its Apple TV set-top box -- a deal I considered, given the lower price and the prospect of not being able to watch one of my favorite shows any other way. However, the Cupertino-based company proceeded to shoot itself in the foot when rumors almost immediately surfaced that the current model would be superseded this June, making a purchase now a bad financial decision.

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Back in November, Microsoft and Dropbox joined forces to bring Office editing capabilities to iOS and Android users. Now the two companies have taken things to the next level, bringing the same capabilities to the web.

New integration between the ever-expanding Office Online and Dropbox means that it is now possible to create files in Microsoft's cloud-based office suite and save them directly to Dropbox. There's also the option of adding your Dropbox account to Office Online to allow for easy access to files ready for editing.

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Firefox is important to me and I hope it is important to you. Even if you do not use the browser, there is value in having an open source browser available that isn't based on WebKit or a fork of it (Blink), as so many are nowadays. Variety is the spice of life, and having only one browser engine is not only sad, but dangerous; competition drives innovation.

If you are an Android user, you probably use Chrome or the stock Android browser and that is OK; both of those browsers are great. With that said, some people, such as myself, prefer Mozilla's Firefox. It is fast, buttery smooth and offers plugins. Today, Mozilla announces that Firefox for Android has been downloaded 100 million times. Whoa.

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