‘Serious Small Audio’ is the tagline that accompanies all Ruark Audio products, and it’s something that the British company prides itself on. The R4i is the largest product in the company’s portfolio, but those three words still apply.

Being at the top of the range, the R4i has pretty much everything you’d expect to find in an all-in-one music system; a CD player, USB, iPod dock, AUX in, DAB/DAB+/FM radio and of course, inbuilt speakers. The R4i is not your average iPod dock or DAB radio and features a stylish, modern design and promises a majestic sound, which is reflected in the £549 price tag.

With the R4i you get the choice of three finishes; Rich Walnut, Midnight Black and Dream White. The latter two have a glossy finish whereas the Rich Walnut – which is the version we’ve been using – has a more understated veneer finish to it.

Design

The R4i is designed to be a room feature. It’s not meant to be portable – in fact, you may need a second pair of hands to lift it out of its box as it’s pretty hefty. We were impressed to get that feel of a well-built product the moment we got it out of the box, and that continued throughout our experience with it.

Rectangular in shape, the R4i has two silver legs that prop it up by about 2cms, which is ample room to allow the down-facing sub underneath to boom out the tunes without being muffled. The legs don’t run all the way to the front edge of the system, so from most angles it appears to be floating just off the surface it’s sat on, which we loved.

On the front you have a silver fascia with two front facing speakers covered with contrasting black grilles. Between these you have a small LCD display, slot loading CD drive, USB port, two 3.5mm headphone jacks and a chrome power button. We felt the power button could do with being a little more solid and a little less wobbly, but that’s something that will only bother the biggest of nit-pickers (like this guy).

On top you have the 30 pin iPod dock, which of course has since been superseded by Apple’s new Lightning dock. Thankfully Ruark have developed a very nifty looking adapter and platform so that you can use the iPhone 5 and 5^th generation iPod Touch with the R4i. Docking is solid and there’s plenty of room around the dock to accommodate all sorts of iDevices, which is much nicer than having to fiddle with adapters.

Just in front of the dock sits a conversation starter; the RotoDial controller. This UFO-like remote docks into the top of the device and pops out to be used remotely, offering a large central dial for volume and a host of buttons surrounding that to operate the R4i with. We love the idea of the remote, and its shape fits in the palm nicely, with a soft touch finish to the buttons and dial making it very comfortable and easy to use. One gripe we did have with the controller related to the volume dial – we would have much preferred a constantly rotating dial to make it quicker and easier to increase the volume rather than the old telephone-style system where you rotate to a certain point, return to centre and rotate again. Again we’re being picky and overall the RotoDial controller is unique, innovative and well designed.

Sound

You’ve got a wealth of ways in which to deliver music to the R4i, and all result in the same incredible sound quality. Whether you slide a CD in, dock your iPhone or listen to DAB radio, the R4i delivers a quality of sound that’ll make you understand the price tag. All-in-one music systems tend to do too many things at once, forgetting that sound quality is the most important thing, but that’s exactly where the R4i shines.

If you enjoy acoustic or vocal music then you’re in for a real treat. This system oozes clarity and a beautiful tone that makes vocals shine, with an impressive amount of detail. We decided to pop Frank Ocean – Channel Orange­ into the slot-loading CD player, sit back on a bean bag and dive in, and we didn’t move until the end of the album, such was the captivating sound quality. Vocals really shine through the mix, with backing vocals and subtle effects still well balanced and easily picked out, whereas on other systems they can be lost under too much bass.

In terms of bass, the R4i has just the right amount. The downward firing sub provides a punchy bass that doesn’t interfere, yet helps the system to really fill a room. It’s easy to fill the entire ground floor of a small house or an apartment with sound, and that’s without the need to put the volume up to full. We did notice the mix got a little loose when at the higher end of the volume scale, but in reality you won’t ever need to go that loud – this thing comfortably pumps out quality sound that’ll easily fill your room.

Two sets of audio in jacks on the back of the device allow you to connect it to a TV and use as a soundbar of sorts, which is especially useful these days as TVs get thinner and their inbuilt speakers get tinnier. As with the other inputs, sound quality is equally impressive.

Conclusion

Quite simply, the R4i from Ruark Audio is the best all in one system we’ve had the pleasure of enjoying, offering an excellent and well detailed sound and a design that screams quality. With its classy design and small form we can see it finding a home in the kitchen or conservatory, offering crisp quality DAB radio by day and offering the same great quality in the evening when you slide in a CD or dock your iPhone/iPod.

If audio systems confuse you then going for an all-in-one is a great option as the format gives you a number of ways to listen and everything is housed in one easy to operate unit – no messy cables and one remote. The R4i embodies the idea of an all-in-one and does it with aplomb.

Within a few weeks HTC will launch a ‘Google Edition’ of the HTC One with stock Android software on board, just as Samsung did at Google I/O earlier this month with the Galaxy S4.

Shortly after Google revealed the Galaxy S4 Google Edition at its event we saw rumours of the same thing happening with the excellent HTC One, and the rumours have refused to die. Now Russell Holly of Geek quotes several sources who say HTC is working on such a device. Russell correctly predicted the Galaxy S4 Google Edition before it was launched, so we’re inclined to sit up and listen.

Sources have confirmed that if eventually launched, the Nexus-style HTC One will launch only in the US to begin with – just as the Galaxy S4 Google Edition has done – and could then go worldwide through Google’s Play Store.

With executives leaving left right and centre in recent weeks and sales of the HTC One being half that of its rival, the Galaxy S4, we would imagine that HTC would be willing to try other avenues to boost profits. The company has always had a strong foothold in the Android developer community, offering unlocked bootloaders with many phones that allow developers and tinkerers alike the chance to install custom software. There’s little that Android fanatics love more than stock Android, either.

On the other side of the coin, HTC would likely forgo a number of software features that it has worked hard on to distinguish its products from other Android phone makers – things like BlinkFeed, Beats Audio software and all the software trickery that adds features like HTC Zoe to the camera. Samsung has done just this with the S4 Google Edition though, so losing unique software features doesn’t seem to be the worst thing in the world.

If HTC does agree to give the HTC One Google Edition the all-clear then Holly’s sources say it will be announced within the next two weeks. No major event is scheduled by either HTC or Google in this time, so it could be a last minute affair.

Would you opt for a HTC One with plain Android, or would you prefer the standard version?

One of the biggest things missing from last week’s Google I/O event was the expected next generation of Google Nexus devices, which did not make an appearance. With the original Google Nexus 7 tablet being announced the year prior at the same event, it was widely expected that Google would be releasing an updated device at the same time a year on.

However, just because Google didn’t show it off at the I/O event it doesn’t mean that the new tablet isn’t coming!.Reports are coming in from Digitimes that claims electronics manufacturer Elan Microelectronics (a Taiwanese supplier of integrated circuitry for touchscreen devices) has started shipping touchscreen circuit boards for the new Nexus 7 devices.

This reportedly is so that Google can have devices ready for a July release this summer!

There have been numerous amounts of new Nexus tablet rumours in recent months and the original Nexus 7 certainly does have room for a few improvements – no micro SD card slot, rear camera or HDMI out), as well as standard processor and screen improvements.

Many also think that the next iteration of the Android OS will also be released on the tablet, whether that’s Jelly Bean 4.3 or the long awaited Key Lime Pie OS.

Obviously there is no word from Google and other than a few leaks and rumours the next generation of Nexus tablets is still all just speculation, but hopefully we will see a new device in July to follow on from Google’s excellent Nexus 7.

A fresh update to the BBC iPlayer app for Android devices has finally brought in full compatibility with 10-inch tablet devices.

Until now, those using the iPlayer app on larger Android tablets such as the Asus Transformer Pad have been lumped with a shortcut to the iPlayer website rather than a native app. Smaller tablets like the Nexus 7 and smartphones have been able to enjoy a full-screen app experience, however.

The new update changes all that, bringing the BBC iPlayer app to Android tablets that feature larger displays, all the way up to 10.1-inches. This means that Beeb fans will now be able to score catch-up telly time on devices like the Nexus 10, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 and others.

The BBC also says it has tweaked the app to improve performance on smaller tablets as well as smartphones, so if you’re an avid iPlayer user on any Android device it’s going to be worth updating the app via the Google Play Store.

With mobiles and tablets accounting for 30% of some 272 million iPlayer requests in March alone and tablets accounting for 200,000 more requests than smartphones, it’s about time the Beeb paid attention to tablets of all sizes!

If you’re unsure how to update an installed app then simply head into the Play Store, tap the three dots in the top right corner and select My Apps. Find iPlayer in the list and hit the update button – simple!

With Microsoft’s Xbox One console getting a full reveal this Tuesday it’s now time to take a look at some of the accessories that will be coming with the console, and today Turtle Beach revealed they are working with Microsoft to produce a range of gaming headsets for the incoming console.

Turtle Beach are renowned for their top notch gaming headsets for the Xbox and PlayStation consoles so it’s good news for gamers to see that MS are working closely with Turtle Beach to produce some top notch accessories for the Xbox One.

Turtle Beach will be one of the first companies to launch Microsoft-licensed gaming headsets for the Xbox One and the company have also said that they will be releasing information on their next-gen console headsets “in the coming weeks”.

The release of the Xbox One will see very little backwards compatibility between the Xbox 360 and the One, including games and accessories. The new Xbox One has abandoned the chat cable used currently in the Xbox 360 which means that older accessories from brands like Turtle Beach, Astro Gaming and others cannot be transferred to the new console.

Instead, the Xbox One features Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth connectivity, so there may be a new wireless way for the console and headsets to be connected.

The team up with Turtle Beach will be one of many agreements Microsoft will have to make as the company is reportedly looking to closely manage third-party accessories via a licensing program that would require manufacturers to adhere to strict guidelines in order to support the new platform.

In regard to the partnership, Branden Powell Director of Strategic Alliances Xbox Hardware Group said; “In Turtle Beach we have a partner that can help Microsoft deliver world class gaming audio experiences to our customers,” and that “Turtle Beach has consistently innovated in wireless, surround sound, and other features and we are looking forward to working with them.”

We love the current range of Turtle Beach headsets so we have high hopes for the next generation’s offerings.

After showing off some brand new gameplay footage at the Xbox One event earlier this week, EA Sports has confirmed that FIFA 14 will launch in North America on September 24^th and around the world on September 27^th.

The latest title in the long-standing footy franchise will launch on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, but not Wii U, because as we know, EA has snubbed the console as it will not run its new Ignite game engine.

FIFA 14 will also be coming to next-gen consoles the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, although with both yet to have official release dates, EA has shied away from saying when these versions will be out. Both consoles should be coming out in time for Christmas 2013 though, so we’re expecting FIFA 14 to be a launch title for both.

Pre-orders are now popping up at various retailers around the world, with the likes of GAME and ShopTo already offering deals here in the UK. ShopTo has priced the game at £34.95 and is throwing in 4 Ultimate Team Gold Packs. Pre-orders will come with 24 Ultimate Team Packs as standard, too, so you can build your own team with kits, stickers, players, stadiums and more before taking on the world online.

FIFA 14 features a number of improvements and new features that are said to make the game even more realistic and random – EA doesn’t want it getting stale on you half-way through next season. Pure Shot aims to give a much more realistic ball movement and offers many more different types of shot based on the player’s positioning and balance, which is an area also improved by something EA is calling ‘Real Ball Physics’.

Now that that most football league seasons are drawing to a close football fans will need something to quench their football thirst, so here’s a snippet of the latest FIFA 14 gameplay from the Xbox One launch.

With the BlackBerry 10.1 software update now successfully on the BlackBerry Q10 and rolling out to the Z10, the company has teased a new update which will arrive later this year – BlackBerry 10.2.

BlackBerry’s product manager Michael Clewley spoke to CrackBerry about the forthcoming update, which will arrive on the Z10 and Q10 later on this year. This is the first solid news we’ve had about 10.2, so naturally Clewley was secretive, but he did reveal some features.

For starters, emojis will be brought in to allow ‘Berry users to add colourful smilies and icons to texts, BBMs and emails. The Clock app will gain the ability to set multiple alarms, reminders can be set for a specific time and there will also be “level 1 notifications”. With this feature BlackBerry users can flag a message as ‘level 1’ so they appear on the recipient’s BlackBerry differently.

BlackBerry 10.2 will go out to developers for testing this June as an SDK, with a public release taking place sometime later in the year. We don’t know when 10.2 will drop but Mr Clewley assures it will be sometime this calendar year.

At present BlackBerry 10.1 is rolling out to the Z10, bringing a number of improvements and features including a HDR camera mode, configurable alerts and a number of other minor changes.

This week Microsoft finally revealed its next generation Xbox in an event in Seattle. The new Xbox is called the Xbox One and offers a compelling blend of game-playing acumen and media capabilities. Now that both console’s capabilities have been mostly revealed, let’s compare the two consoles and see which looks the best.

Hardware

The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One are much more similar to one another than we saw with the PS3 and Xbox 360 last generation. This time around, both consoles use a similar AMD chipset, with an 8-core Jaguar CPU and an AMD GPU. The difference is that Sony has invested more in graphics, with a 1152 core GPU, while Microsoft opted for the same GPU with only 768 cores, resulting in 50% less raw horsepower.

Sony also takes the lead when we look at memory, with 8 GB of extremely high speed GDDR5 memory versus the cheaper and slower 8 GB of DDR3 used in the Xbox One. Microsoft has included 32 MB of embedded memory to make up for this shortcoming, but the simpler and stronger choice still seems to be the PS4.

One area that the Xbox One does lead is in heat and power usage, which should be lower overall thanks to its less powerful GPU and clever voltage and frequency throttling.

Neither console is backwards-compatible with the previous generation of games (due to the change in architecture from PowerPC to x86), but Sony has said it is looking into allowing that functionality through their streaming service, Gaikai.

Winner: PlayStation 4. Low-power and low heat for the Xbox One is nice, but that extra graphical grunt should make for more better looking and smoother running games on PS4. A little bit of backwards compatibility is nice too, even if it isn’t achieved in hardware.

Software

Microsoft has differentiated itself in the software side of the equation – while Sony seems to have gone for more of the same, Microsoft has made a big investment in TV and streaming video. Their Xbox One includes an extra HDMI in port, allowing the Xbox One to show cable or satellite TV. The Xbox One includes its own program guide and can control other devices via an IR remote. This functionality will only be available in the US initially, though.

The Xbox One also runs three operating systems simultaneously – the Xbox OS for playing games, a Windows 8 kernel for apps like TV, Skype and Netflix, and a third connector OS for switching between these. That setup reportedly provides a near instantaneous switching experience, allowing you to multi-task by switching between tasks or even running both on screen at once.

The upgraded Kinect also is a big part of the X1, allowing voice and gesture commands to be used. Whilst Sony also has Move, it seems much less of a focus.

Both operating systems seem to offer similar in-game options, including the ability to play games as they’re downloading, instantly switch to a low power mode without losing game progress and share clips of cool gameplay moments. Sony seems to have gone further with this last point, allowing for friends to take over from you mid-game and also live stream your gameplay sessions.

Winner: Xbox One. While people that only play games will likely find more features on the PlayStation 4, the Xbox One is a more general media machine that should offer a lot more utility in the living room.

Hot Button Issues

A lot of online commentary has focused around three hot-button issues: how used games are handled, whether the console must be online, and whether indie developers can publish their own games.

The used game front is probably the most confusing. Initial reports from Microsoft indicate that they’re still formulating a solution, but they seem to be favouring removing the utility of used games by tying games to a single user account and requiring a fee for the game to be transferred elsewhere. Sony has said that they’ll allow used games by default but publishers may be able to block them.

It’s a little more clear for the always-online issue. Microsoft seems to have the wrong end of the stick here, with a Microsoft executive announcing that the console has to phone home once a day, but won’t kick you out of a game for a momentary connection loss. Sony has said that it won’t require an always-on connection at all.

Finally, indie developers have complained that thus far Microsoft hasn’t made any mention of how they’ll be able to contribute their games to the platform, whilst Sony has been very involved with the indie community to ensure that those games can be self-published on the PS4.

Winner: PlayStation 4.

Conclusion

Both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 look like solid upgrades over the previous generation, which was kicked off nearly eight years ago. While the PlayStation 4 looks like a better pure games machine and the Xbox One looks like more of a better media centre option, both consoles should handle both sides of the coin competently.

If the hot-button issues don’t bother you then just decide based on the games, which we’ll see at E3 in three weeks. I’m leaning towards getting both personally, though if I had to choose I’d go with the PlayStation 4 – I’m planning on picking up a Samsung HomeSync to augment my Galaxy S4, so media playback is less of an issue!

Which way are you going to go? Let us know in the comments below!

Huawei’s super-sized Ascend Mate 6.1-inch smartphone is incoming for us folks in the UK and with its mammoth screen and great specs it’s also got a shockingly cheap price tag upon its release.

The 6.1-inch Android beast is looking set to land in the UK in July and pre-orders for the handset have just gone live on online smartphone store Expansys for the bargain price of just £335. This pricing is a serious drop if you compare it to some of its closest rivals such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 which sells SIM-free for well over £500.

Samsung’s own super screened phone, the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3, will also go on sale in July, priced at over £100 more than the Ascend Mate at £460.

The Ascend Mate was originally launched to the world at the CES show in Las Vegas this January and it’s a bit of a beast. It has a quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel camera and the Android 4.1 operating system to boot.

Whilst the screen is a huge 6.1 inches, the display has 1,280 x 720 pixels which works out at a density of 240 ppi, so it’s not at the Full HD level of displays we’ve seen recently from the Galaxy S4 and HTC One, but it’s still decent to look at.

The sheer size of the smartphone puts it in comparison to both Android phones and tablets but we can see the Huawei Ascend Mate finding a following somewhere just because of its size and low price.

There will be black and white versions available when the handset hits shops in July.

The powerful pocket computers we carry around called smartphones continue to evolve at an amazing rate. Bigger screens and more powerful processors mean that the tasks they can carry out are getting more complex all the time, so one of the most annoying things that can happen is to find that your battery has run out of juice just when you need it most.

Although improvements in battery technology are making devices lighter and batteries themselves hold charge for longer, the power demands of the devices themselves and the way we use them means it is always useful to know a few handy tips which help prolong battery life in-between charges.

Here are some of the best tips to help you get the most out of your phone:

Background apps

Multi-tasking made for a great improvement in functionality over early models but having several apps running at the same time obviously uses up more battery power. By closing background apps that you are not using you can make quite a difference to power consumption in an easy way. For example, on an iPhone, double click the home button and then tap and hold an icon to reveal crosses – tap these to close each app.

Phone connection

Although it might sound strange to suggest turning your phone’s ‘phone’ off, it can be something people don’t think of. A smartphone is used for much more than making calls, so if you are using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth connections you can save power by turning the cellular data connection off. Use ‘airplane mode’ to do this easily.

Wi-Fi

When the Wi-Fi on your phone is enabled and not connected to a network your device will constantly be searching for something to connect to. This can be a major source of battery drain so if you are not using Wi-Fi to access your internet connection then turn it off.

Remember to consider all forms of internet connection you use – whether that’s a mobile internet service or a home broadband connection which you’re accessing via your phone. Firms like Virgin Media offer a range of these options alongside their TV and landline call packages so it may be worth evaluating what deals they can do for you.

Bluetooth

The same goes for Bluetooth connections because, although they generally consume less power than a Wi-Fi connection, it is still a power drain if you are not actively using it. Turn it off in the settings menu of your phone.

Location services

Built-in GPS revolutionised smartphone functionality and allowed us to use many sophisticated mapping, location and information services. However, they are another optional extra that can save power by being turned off when not needed.

Auto-brightness

Many devices have a light sensor that can adapt itself to the ambient light in the environment and alter screen brightness to save power- giving us a nice change with a power-saving tip that involves switching something on.