Features

• The lazy geek's guide to building a home media center

  Anything less than a DIY digital home entertainment project means making the most of Apple TV

• 2012: The year Android truly challenged iOS

  Android 'Jelly Bean,' Samsung's Notes, and Google's Nexuses finally delivered compelling capabilities as Apple stalled

• In pictures: Google Maps for iOS

  Google has finally released its long-awaited Maps application for iOS.

• Worst security snafus of 2012

  The first half of 2012 was pretty bad - from the embarrassing hack of a conversation between the FBI and Scotland Yard to a plethora of data breaches - and the second half wasn't much better, with events including Symantec's antivirus update mess and periodic attacks from hactivists at Anonymous.

• iPhone 4S 'meets every expectation, and then some'

  On Friday, Apple's new iPhone 4S began to reach the hands of eager buyers -- a record 1 million pre-orders, including mine, were made as soon as the phone went on sale. With a noticeably faster dual-core A5 processor, more storage (up to 64GB), an improved 8-megapixel camera, a revamped antenna design and an artificial intelligence-powered assistant called Siri, the new iPhone promised to be the best Apple phone yet.

• In Pictures: How Aussie is Siri, the iPhone 4S' voice assistant?

  The iPhone 4S hit Australian stores today and one of the most hotly anticipated features is Siri voice control: described by Apple as a voice assistant that lets you talk to perform tasks by talking to your iPhone. How well does it handle our Aussie accent?

• Let's get Siri-ous: iPhone 4S will sell like hotcakes

  Apple unveiled its latest iPhone today, but it didn't unveil the iPhone 5, like many rumours suggested. It unveiled the iPhone 4S -- it looks exactly like an iPhone 4, except it has a faster processor, a better graphics engine and a better camera.

• Apple iOS: Why it's the most secure OS, period

  In June 2007, Apple released the iPhone, and the device quickly took off to become a major brand in the smartphone market. Yet when the iPhone shipped, security on the mobile operating system was nearly nonexistent. Missing from the initial iOS (then called iPhone OS) were many of the security features that modern-day desktop software has as a matter of course, such as data-execution protection (DEP) and address-space layout randomization (ASLR). Apple's cachet lured security researchers to test the platform, and in less than a month, a trio had released details on the first vulnerability: an exploitable flaw in the mobile Safari browser.

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  Android vs. iOS vs. Windows Phone

  The past year has been a remarkable one for smartphones, with the meteoric rise of Google's Android OS, the restart of Microsoft's mobile strategy with its much-ballyhooed release of Windows Phone 7 and the continuing success of Apple's iPhone, buoyed by its new availability to Verizon subscribers. Never has there been so much choice in the smartphone market. As a result, hype and overstatement have been the order of the day.

• Apple iOS 4.3: A guide to getting started

  If you haven't synced your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad in the last 24 hours, you've got a surprise waiting for you: Apple has released iOS 4.3, promising new ways to access iTunes content, a Wi-Fi personal hotspot option and improved browser speeds. If you want to find out how to activate all the new features on your device, here's your getting-started guide to get the most out of iOS 4.3.

• Windows Phone 7: What Microsoft needs next

  The last week has brought nothing but good news for Microsoft and Windows Phone 7. Between Nokia's hardware commitment, Angry Birds on the way and Microsoft's own announcement of a roadmap for vital features such as multitasking, Windows Phone 7 seems to be catching a second wind in 2011.

• iPad 2 and iPhone 5: What's coming?

  Kyle Wiens and his team at iFixit, a Web site that provides free repair manuals and advice forums, are some of the smartest Apple geeks around. They've taken apart countless iPhones, Macs and iPads to see what makes them tick-and, of course, to find out how to repair them.

• iPad copter fun to fly, steep learning curve

  The AR.Drone from France-based Parrot is an exciting, fun-to-fly, four-rotor helicopter that can be piloted over Wi-Fi by an iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone. But flying indoors proves tricky and may frustrate inexperienced pilots. The helicopter goes on sale in the U.S. at Brookstone stores on Sept. 3, 2010, for US$299 and is available for pre-order now.

• Apple's iAd platform: Success or failure?

  The early returns are rolling in on Apple's iAd mobile advertising platform, and so far the results seem mixed.

• On strengths of Linux, Android will win mobile contest

  Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which mobile operating system is fairest of all? That's a common question, given the many contenders in the mobile arena--and the well-publicized glitches that have recently come up.