The Nexus 9, Nexus 7 and Nexus Player will run on Google’s new Android Lollipop OS

Google has taken the wraps of its latest flagship Nexus devices – as well as the next version of its Android operating system.

The Nexus 9 tablet – built by HTC - will offer a 2.3GHz NVIDIA K1 processor, 2GB of RAM, an 8MP camera and a 9″ screen. It will come with 16GB or 32GB of storage, with preorders for the device starting on 17 October.

The Nexus 6 smartphone – made by Motorola – will have a 5.9″ HD screen, a 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor and a 13-megapixel camera. Preorders for that device will open later this month (in the US at least).

Coming somewhat out of left field is the Nexus Player – an Android-based device for playing content on your TV.

It will allow access to the standard streaming options like Netflix and YouTube, while a separate controller will allow the device to be used as a games console. Preorders for that start on 17 October too – with a price-point somewhere in the Apple TV region.

All of these devices will run on the new Android 5.0 operating system – which has been officially named Lollipop.

The OS will become available to other Nexus devices in the near future, as well as many Google Play edition tablets and smartphones. The exact release schedule of that is not yet known, however, and it may take some time to hit certain devices depending on the manufacturer.

Windows 10 will try to make up some of the ground lost by its much maligned predecessor

Microsoft has given the world its first look at its next operating system – which will be called Windows 10.

The company says the new software – due for release in 2015 – will be used on all devices, including smartphones and tablets.

With the infamous ‘Metro’ interface of Windows 8 having gotten a fairly luke-warm reception from users, the company is returning to the classic Start menu and toolbar in its next release… albeit with a slight twist.

Users will now see a number of customisable ‘live tiles’ when they hit Start, along with the kind of application and file links you’d tend to find in an older version of the Windows platform.

Full screen apps and a toned-down version of the Windows 8 home screen will also be available in certain instances, with the OS designed to switch to ‘tablet’ mode when a keyboard and mouse is no longer attached.

Microsoft also hopes its unified store will give it an edge with developers, and in turn users, as it technically allows for one app to be created to run on mobile, tablet, PC and even games console.

Other new features in the software – which Microsoft stressed is still in its infancy – include the ability to get web results in the Start menu’s search bar and improved multi-tasking functions.

Deezer makes millions of songs available for streaming

UPC is making music streaming app Deezer available to its Horizon customers.

Deezer offers more than 35 million songs to stream on demand, and can already be accessed online or via its dedicated mobile app.

The service is free to use – as long as you can put up with ads – while a monthly subscription of €10 (currently €5 for a limited time) will give you the “unlimited” and ad-free experience.

UPC’s Horizon service is designed to give added functionality to your television, above and beyond the standard cable package.

Users can watch TV on other devices, stream videos from their mobile to their television and access other online services through the set-top-box.

Just Dance Now is the first mobile version of the popular game

Ubisoft has given Just Dance Now – the mobile version of its popular dance game – an Irish release date.

The new game will be available free to iOS and Android customers from 25 September, letting people connect and play with any number of users online.

Players will be able to watch the dance action on an internet-connected screen – like a computer or tablet – while using their smartphone as the controller.

Ubisoft promises around 40 tracks at first, with additional songs being added over time.

iCloud Drive lets users store all types of files in Apple’s cloud

Hot on the heels of iOS 8 being made available to iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch users, iCloud Drive has been added to the company’s iCloud website.

The new iCloud Drive feature acts as a hub for a user’s documents and photos, making it easier for them to sync their files across multiple devices.

In practice, it means that an iPad user will be able to save a file on their tablet and then access it on their desktop computer or phone without having to manually send it from one to the other. Having the Drive available on iCloud.com means the same files will be accessible on any PC – even if it isn’t yours – as long as it has an internet connection and a modern browser.

To begin storing files through iCloud Drive, users will need to upgrade their iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch to iOS 8 – or upgrade their Mac to OS X Yosemite (which is not yet officially available).

The new operating system for Apple’s mobile devices has a range of new features

The latest version of Apple’s operating system for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch is about to go live – but if past launches are anything to go by, it can be a bit of an ordeal to update.

But there are a few simple measures you can take to make the process a little bit smoother – especially if you want to get your hands on iOS 8 as soon as possible:

Check your compatibility

Before you do anything, you need to make sure your device will work with iOS 8.

If you have an iPhone 4 or older, the original iPad, or an iPod Touch bought before September 2012, you won’t be able to use the new software. Any newer iOS device should be good to go, though.

If you’re not sure what model your device is, plug it in to your computer and have a look in iTunes. Alternatively, use Apple’s guide to match up the listed model numbers with what’s etched on the back of your gadget.

Have a back-up plan

All going to plan, updating your operating system shouldn’t have an impact on all of the information stored on the device – but there is a chance that things go wrong.

To make sure you’re not caught out, make sure to create a backup of each device before you start the update process. You might already have your device set to automatically send some the most vital information to Apple’s iCloud, but there’s no harm in creating a full backup on your computer to be on the safe side.

To do so, plug your iOS device into your computer and open up iTunes. In the ‘Summary’ tab for the device you should see a section called ‘Manually Back Up and Restore’ – which has a ‘Back Up Now’ button. Hit this and, after a little while, you’ll have a copy of everything safely stored on your hard drive, available to you should anything get deleted later on.

Make some space

The new version of iOS is about 1GB in size – but you’ll need a lot more space than that on your phone to install it.

That’s because you need to download the file in full before it replaces the old OS – there also needs to be some room on there for things to get duplicated and moved around in the installation process.

If you’re using a 16GB device this may prove a little tricky – but it is doable.

Worst case scenario, you could always delete some of your bigger apps and reinstall them after iOS 8 is in place. The same goes for any photos or music (most of which should either be backed up on iTunes or iCloud).

To find out which apps are biggest, open Settings, click on General and then tap into ‘Usage’. It will take a minute, but all your apps – ranked by size – should appear in here. Chances are your Photos and Music will top the list, with everything else coming after. Now you can get a clear idea of what to delete first.

Wired or wireless?

In recent years, Apple has made it possible to update the operating system ‘over the air’ – meaning the device can be upgraded without being plugged into a computer.

To do this, you just need a decent WiFi connection – connection to a power source is also recommended, as you don’t want the battery running out of juice in the middle of the process.

Alternatively, you can tether it to your computer and update via iTunes – you’ll find the option to do this in the same place as the aforementioned back-up option.

As long as you have a stable WiFi connection, it doesn’t really make a difference which method you choose.

Good things come to those who wait

The whole world will be getting access to iOS 8 at roughly the same time – so Apple’s servers are likely to be under a lot of pressure tonight and even into tomorrow.

As well as that, the update process can take a while to complete even after everything has been downloaded.

In other words, you could be waiting a while to update and your device of choice will be pretty much out of action for the duration.

So before you update – especially when it comes to your phone – make sure you can afford the downtime and you don’t have anywhere else to be (including your bed) for at least the next hour… maybe even longer.

If you can’t be sure you’ll have time to spare, maybe put off the update for a day or two. At that stage it should be quicker to download the software from Apple – which will make the whole process a bit quicker overall.

Be prepared for a bumpy ride

Previous iOS upgrades have been met with a lot of frustration from Apple customers – particularly because of problems with getting the software from their servers.

Hopefully things will go well tonight, but be prepared for downloads to fail mid-stream, and updates to crash to a halt randomly.

Enjoy – oh, and turn on automatic updates for apps

Once you’ve downloaded your software and applied it to your device(s), you can sit back and enjoy all the new features iOS 8 has to offer.

A lot of apps have already updated to make the most of the software’s new features, and over the next few days and weeks a lot more will do the same. Some developers may have to push out additional updates as they spot bugs and problems that tend to be associated with new software.

For that reason, it might be an idea to turn on automatic updates to the app store – this will mean that all of these annoying updates will be taken care of for you (and only when you’re in a WiFi zone – so it won’t eat into your data). The alternative is having to go into the App Store on a regular basis to manually update each app for the foreseeable future.

This feature can be activated by going to Settings, scrolling down to ‘iTunes & App Store’ and switching on Automatic Downloads for Updates.

Microsoft will hope Minecraft can provide a boost to its mobile platform

Microsoft has bought Mojang – the Swedish firm behind the hit game Minecraft – for $2.5bn.

However the man most associated with the title - Markus Persson (aka Notch) – has announced that he is to leave the firm once the deal is complete.

In a statement on Microsoft’s website, head of Xbox Phil Spencer said Minecraft would continue to be available on non-Microsoft platforms, including Sony’s Playstation, Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android.

He also said the firm would respect the “brand and independent spirit that has made Minecraft great”, while also allowing it to better tap in to Microsoft services like Xbox Live.

Minecraft has around 100m users, and has developed a loyal community of fans and followers.

But the game will have to continue without its founder Notch, who plans to leave once Microsoft has taken control.

In a post on his website, he said he did not see himself as a games developer or entrepreneur and had decided to focus on his game-making competition Ludum Dares and “small web experiments”.

The Irish telecom has announced a new ‘charge to mobile’ service, which will let people buy apps, games, books or music without a credit card or voucher.

Pre-pay customers will have the cost taken from their credit, while those on bill pay will have the purchase charged to their monthly bill.

The ‘charge to mobile’ service already allows users to buy items from the likes of Donedeal.ie, Facebook and Xbox through their phone.

The Guinness Plus app offers Guinness-themed prizes – like a party at their Storehouse or tickets to Guinness-sponsored rugby matches – with each check-in a user makes increasing their odds of success.

By way of a more immediate reward, those who download can also avail of a free pint in any of the 6,500 participating pubs on the island of Ireland.