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IFA 2013 has kicked-off, bringing with it a swathe of new gadgets to get excited about. We're seeing updates and new launches left, right and centre. Here we're pulling together the best of the best, the devices you should be getting excited about, the sort of thing you might add to your Christmas list.

We're battling through the press conferences and announcements, bringing you plenty of action from the show floor before the show opens to the public. But the things that really catch our eye you can read about here. We'll be adding to this feature as we get to grips with more exciting tech.

You can follow all our IFA 2013 news via our IFA 2013 homepage, but if you're after the best devices all in one place, you've landed on the right page. 

Sony Xperia Z1

Undoubtedly one of the highlights of the show, the Sony Xperia Z1 takes a great phone and makes it better. The design has been tweaked slightly so its better in the hand and now has a waterproof 3.5mm headphone socket. But it's under the skin where the biggest changes have been made.

Sometimes the rumor mill is a little off the mark. Motorola's Moto X was originally thought to be a high-powered superphone that would make geeks salivate. When the phone actually arrived, though, it brought tame specs and more focus on the user experience. Apple's iPhone 5c was rumored to be an aggressive play at the budget smartphone market. What we actually got there, though, was a phone that was only a little cheaper than Apple's most expensive flagship. Are either of the phones worth taking a look at? Let Gizmag try to help, as we compare the specs and features of the iPhone 5c and Moto X.

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One of the best things about Apple's latest iPhones is the slick new iOS 7software that runs the devices. But that souped-up operating system could end up hurting sales because the free software upgrade will also work on iPhones released since 2010, giving owners of the older models less incentive to buy Apple's newest products.

Perhaps unwittingly, even Apple's software boss Craig Federighi alluded to this potential problem while he was bragging about iOS 7 at the company's unveiling of its new phones Tuesday. He predicted that anyone who elects to install the software will feel "like they're getting an all-new device."

I understood what Federighi meant once I was able to see the iOS 7's improvements in action on Apple's two new iPhones, the 5C and the 5S. Although Apple announced iOS 7 at a conference three months ago, Tuesday marked the first time the company allowed reporters to experience the software hands-on.

Although the iPhone 5C is less expensive than its predecessor, the iPhone 5, iOS 7 almost made it look fancier than previous generations. As an iPhone 5 owner, I was feeling a bit envious until I remembered that I'll be able to spiff up my device, too, when the software is released on Sept. 18. The operating system will work on the iPhone 4 and later models, iPad 2s and subsequent versions, and the iPod Touch that came out late last year.

iOS 7 looks much different than previous versions of the operating system because it no longer displays iPhone apps as three-dimensional, embossed objects meant to mirror their real-world counterparts. The icons instead are flatter and more colorful.

Any significant change in design typically upsets users familiar with the old way of doing things, but I suspect the complaints about iOS 7 will be muted unless there are some terrible bugs in the software that weren't evident during the brief time that I was given to experiment.

I am fairly certain most people who download iOS 7 are going to be pleased. The software makes it easier to navigate around an iPhone and adds some compelling new features.

The additions include the ability to stream music through an advertising-supported service called iTunes Radio and five free apps that used to cost consumers anywhere from 99 cents to $4.99 apiece. The free apps are Apple's photo-editing tool, iPhoto, and video-editing program, iMovie, as well as work-oriented apps called Pages, Numbers and Keynote.

Apple doesn't appear to be removing any popular apps built into the operating system, as best as I could tell. The company did that last year when it replaced Google's mapping app with its own navigation system only to be ridiculed for misguiding users with shoddy directions. Apple isn't bringing back Google Maps with iOS 7, but it is promising that its alternative is getting better.

The software upgrade also will make it easier to take better pictures on the iPhone and automatically sort photos into different categories to denote particular events. I particularly liked a feature that lets you control how the camera operates by toggling between options at the bottom of the screen with the swipe of a finger. Once the camera is open in iOS 7, the choices include taking a square, panoramic or standard photo. The bottom-of-the screen controls also include an option to switch to video mode.

When taking a picture in iOS 7, photographers can also choose a filter to use as they snap the photo rather than waiting to touch up the shot later. When shooting video, shots can be zoomed in while recording. I can't do any of that on my iPhone 5 because it is still powered by iOS 6.

The new system also empowers users to access other open apps more easily by clicking twice on the home button. When you do that, the apps are displayed as tiles that can be scrolled across horizontally so you can more easily see and choose several of them.

Apple is also making it easier to access frequently used controls such as and airplane mode by enabling users to pull up the panel from the bottom of the display screen instead of finding and pressing a settings option.

Other than the new software, the iPhone 5C isn't anything special, as one might expect from a cheaper phone.

The only thing that really distinguishes the 5C from the iPhone 5 is that it's housed in plastic instead of aluminum. Some consumers will no doubt like the plastic alternative because it comes in five colors: green, blue, yellow, pink and white. The price also may be more appealing, with the 5C starting at $99 with a two-year wireless contract, a $100 discount from iPhone models released in previous years.

A higher-end iPhone dubbed the 5S boasts several advantages that aren't available on any other model. The coolest innovation allows you to use your fingerprint to unlock the iPhone 5S instead of relying on a four-digit code that has to be repeatedly typed in. The fingerprint reader can also be used to access Apple's apps and iTunes store instead of a password.

Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks the fingerprint scanner will revolutionize technology security. "There is going to be a whole new generation of kids who grow up not knowing what a password is," Cook predicted during a brief discussion with a small group of reporters after he left the room where Apple was demonstrating its new iPhones.

I found the fingerprint scanner, called "Touch ID," simple to use during my brief test of the 5S. It just took less than a minute for the phone to record the fingerprint on my thumb, instructing me along the way. Once my prints were in the phone's memory bank, all I had to do was lightly press on the home button when the 5S was locked in sleep mode and it quickly opened.

The 5S also contains a faster processor and technological wizardry designed to take sharper pictures and even record slow-motion video. 

Apple has revealing its most colorful of its smartphones to date: the iPhone 5c. Sporting a look that's nearly indistinguishable from the previous iPhone 5 – aside from a much broader color spectrum, that is – Apple's latest smart device was designed especially with the new iOS 7 in mind and boasts a slew of new features.

Here are the highlights of the iPhone 5c:

Where the iPhone 5c fits in

If you were hoping Apple would break from tradition with its latest iPhone, well, today wasn't your lucky day. As expected, the company stuck with its "S-phone every other year" pattern, and pulled back the curtain on the iPhone 5s. Like previous S-series entries, the iPhone 5s looks almost exactly like its predecessor, only with a few upgrades thrown in. Here the big star of the show is the long-anticipated biometric fingerprint sensor, which Apple branded as Touch ID.

Touch ID lets you use your fingerprint to unlock your iPhone 5s. Layered into the home button (which is now covered in sapphire, with a stainless steel ring around it), you just press your thumb there briefly, and your phone will lower its virtual drawbridge and let you in. Anyone without your fingerprint will be out of luck. It's a very nice blend of security and convenience.

You can also use Touch ID to make iTunes purchases (no other payments appear to be supported yet).

Touch ID may be the iPhone 5s' marquee attraction, but it isn't the only upgrade. The new iPhone also gets a speed boost, courtesy of Apple's new A7 system-on-a-chip. It's still dual core, but is now 64-bit, the first of its kind in a smartphone. iOS 7 has also been updated to run both 32-bit and 64-bit apps. According to Apple, the A7's processor and graphics are both twice as fast as those on the iPhone 5. Epic Games demoed Infinity Blade 3 (apparently the last of the trilogy) to help show off the new chip's graphics.

Apple also added a separate chip dedicated to motion-tracking sensors, called the M7. The company says the new chip will measure whether you're exercising, walking, or driving. It will supposedly open the doors to a new generation of fitness apps. Third-party apps will be able to access the M7's sensor data.

The iPhone 5s also has a superior camera to last year's model. It's still 8 megapixels, but – like the HTC One – those pixels are now bigger. "Bigger pixels make better pictures," said Apple's Phil Schiller. The camera also adds auto white balance and auto exposure levels, and has a new flash that Apple dubs "True Tone," which aims to balance color tones. The 5s' camera picks up some digital image stabilization too.

The camera also now uses burst mode to take a series of shots, and iOS automatically chooses the sharpest one to use. It also records video in slow-motion, at 120 frames per second.

Apple didn't ignore the cosmetic either. Though the 5s looks mostly like the iPhone 5, it's also available in a couple of new colors. A well-leaked gold iPhone 5s joins the familiar white model. It also looks like "Space gray" is a new variation on last year's "black and slate" in the iPhone lineup.

Release date, pricing

Some companies like to unveil new products in dramatic fashion, only to leave pricing and release date hanging in the air, to be determined at a later date. Not Apple. The iPhone 5s releases on September 20. As of now, it doesn't look like there will be pre-orders available ahead of time. It will be priced at US$200 (for the 16 GB model), with a new two-year contract.

In what is surely the mobile phone handset story of the day, UK electronics company Binatone has unveiled the aptly named Brick (strictly speaking, The Brick) mobile phone which boasts up to 3 months of standby time, 28 hours of talk time and an integrated flashlight, all wrapped up in an extremely compact form factor … for 1991.

Clearly Binatone's tongue is wedged firmly in its cheek (and hoping that prospective buyers will be poised to do the same) by offering a mobile phone design similar to 1992's Motorola International 3200, which just predates the first mass produced mobile handsets.

Specification, too, is straight out of the 1990s. This is a 2G GSM/GPRS handset complete with a 1.8-in TFT display with a (don't laugh) 128 x 160 resolution.

There are one or two slightly less ancient characteristics about the thing, though. Bluetooth is built in, so that the device can be used as a handset for an iPhone or Android smartphone should you too embarrassed to pull something so diminutive out of your pocket. There's also a Micro-USB port for connecting peripherals such as headsets and a Micro SD card slot for the playback of music in MP3, AAC, AMR or WAV formats which, alas, can be played out loud from the phone's speaker.

Oh, and you can play Snake on it.

As for its main selling point, the extensive 3-month standby time and 28-hour talk time, that depends on your opting for the Power addition with its 2,000-mAh battery. This version of the phone can be used to charge another mobile device via the Micro-USB connection. The regular Brick instead comes with a 1,000-mAh battery good for a month's standby and 14 hours of yak. A separate XXL Brick battery is said to extend standby time to 6 months.

The Brick is set to hit the UK market in early October, with the regular version priced at £50 and the Power edition at £80 (which translate to US$78 and $126 respectively). A similarly-styled Brick4Home home telephone, with a claimed range of up to 1 km from the base station, is planned for launch at the same time.

Although smartphone cameras are getting better and better, the one place many of them still lack is the flash. Generally, the flash on the iPhone leads to washed-out images with hard shadows. A new product called Nova is designed to fix that. It's a portable flash that wirelessly syncs with an iPhone, and it's small enough to carry in a wallet.

Nova connects to iPhones through Bluetooth, so it has an approximate range of 20 feet (6 meters). This means you can actually take the photo from farther away, while still positioning the flash to light up the subject – just as long as the phone and the flash are within range of one another.

The portable flash features different light settings so it can optimize the shot based on the conditions and the subject. It can do soft (which is the dimmest setting), warm, and brilliant. It also comes with a custom mode that allows users to blend the three base lighting methods for more interesting shots.

There are 40 points of light diffused behind the white panel. This is designed to make looking at the light less blinding, and as such, should help create better photos of people.

The flash is small enough to fit inside a wallet and comes with about the exact dimensions of a standard credit card, only thicker. Between that and the included application, having the flash ready when a photo opportunity happens should not be a problem.

Joe Walnes and Alex Lukashevich are seeking funding for Nova on Kickstarter. The project has already met its US$25,000 goal. Backers interested in purchasing a flash for themselves can do so for a minimum pledge of $54. The funds will go towards brighter LEDs, improved battery life, and other tweaks when the final product ships in February.

 

Featuring Windows Phone 8, Nokia's Lumia line of devices are the flagship phones for Microsoft. If you’re invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, adding a Lumia or other Windows Phone 8 completes the circle quite nicely. If you’re moving from a feature phone, Android, BlackBerry, or iPhone to Windows Phone, here are some helpful tips to get you started.

Customize the lock screen and set a password

The first thing you'll want to do after setting up your service is secure your phone with a password. To do so, go to settings > lock screen then scroll down and turn the password switch on. You'll then be prompted to enter in a password twice. In settings you can also set up how much time passes before the screen locks itself and a password is required.

 

Customizing the lock screen is easy too. Launch settings and under system, tap lock screen. Here you have several different options you can combine to make a truly unique lock screen. You can set the background as a static photo, the Bing image of the day, or show the band or artist while music is playing. You can also select which apps you want to show quick status notifications for, such as the calendar, email, or weather.

 

Customize live tiles

Customizing the live tiles is a lot like customizing them in Windows 8.1. Tap and hold a tile until you see icons overlaid on the lower and upper right corners. Tap the arrow icon to change the size, or the tack icon to pin the tile to the main screen. You can change some tiles between small, medium, and large, and others only allow small or medium. While in this mode, you can move the tiles around on your phone too. Moving tiles to the top allows you to see the data that’s most important to you at a glance.

 

Add a microSD Card for more storage

If you want to increase storage on your Windows phone, you'll need to install a microSD card. A 64 GB card should set you back around US$50. To install it, power off the phone and remove the back and the battery. Then insert the card into the appropriate slot.

 

After inserting the card, put the battery back in and pop the back into place. When you turn on your Windows Phone you'll see the following message that a card has been found, tap "Yes." Then to monitor the card storage space go to settings > phone storage and see how much storage space is being used. Here you can also change where media is stored.

 

Remove useless carrier and manufacturer apps

It's great when you purchase a new Windows computer at a cheap price, but the savings come with a caveat – tons of junkware apps loaded on the system. That is the case with smartphones too. Luckily, getting rid of extra apps you don’t need or want on Windows Phone is easier than on a PC. From the list of installed apps, press and hold the app you want to get rid of. When the menu pops up, tap "Uninstall," then verify you want to get rid of it.

 

Enable kid's corner

Getting back to phone security, Microsoft added a helpful feature for parents called kids corner. This lets you create a sandboxed profile for your kids with their own start screen, so they can only access child friendly games, and other items that you specify. Plus, no matter what they hit on the phone, it won’t screw up your important settings. To enable it, go to settings > kid's corner. Then go in to each category and check only the items you want them to use.

 

After setting it up, you can get to it by swiping left from your lock screen. Then to leave it, just press the power button.

 

 

Lenovo today launched the Vibe X smartphone with a 1080p display and the S5000 Android tablet at IFA in Berlin. Besides these two new devices, the company has also launched an updated version of its previously launched K900 smartphone with several new features including new colors and storage options of 16GB or 32GB.

In terms of features, measuring merely phone 6.9mm in thickness and weighing 121 grams, the Lenovo Vibe X smartphone is among the thinnest and lightest phones in the market. The phone comes with a 5-inch full HD (1290X1080p) IPS display with Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The Vibe X runs on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Other features in the phone include a quad-core MediaTek (6589T) processor ticking at 1.5GHz with 2GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear camera with auto-focus and LED flash, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera, and 16GB of internal storage.

The S5000 tablet comes a 7-inch HD display with 1280×800 pixels resolution, and measures 7.9mm thin and weighs 246 grams. The tablet runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by a quad-core MediaTek 8389 processor clocked at 1.2GHz. It comes with a 5-megapixel rear camera, a 1.6-megapixel front-facing camera, supports 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and packs in 3,450mAh battery.

Though there is no word on pricing, in terms of availability, the Lenovo Vibe X smartphone will first be launched in China in October, and will be available across the world, ironically except Europe, in December. The new updated K900 smartphone will now be available in black and orange color variants with either 16GB or 32GB storage later this year in countries where Lenovo smartphones are available. The S5000 tablet will also be available sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.

With Samsung's announcement of the Galaxy Note 3, owners of the Note 2 might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Is it worth the upgrade? Or should you snag the older model if your local carrier discounts it to clear stock? Let Gizmag try to help, as we compare the specs and features of 2013's Galaxy Note 3 and 2012's Galaxy Note 2.

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Intex today launched the Aqua i7 Android smartphone in India. The phone features a 5-inch full HD display, a quad-core processor and will be available for Rs 21,900.

On the specifications front, the Aqua i7 will come with a 5-inch full HD display with Corning Gorilla Glass, a quad-core MediaTek processor clocked at 1.5GHz, 2GB of RAM and a 13-megapixel camera on the rear and 5-megapixel camera on the front. It will run on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

The phone will include a massive 32GB of on-board storage along with 5GB of additional storage space on Intex cloud. It does not have a microSD card slot. Connectivity-wise it will support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 3G, and GPS. The sensors in the phone will include a g-sensor, proximity sensor and light sensor. It will pack in a 2,000mAh battery.

The Aqua i7 will be available in pearl white and pearl black colors, and will come with free accessories including a flip cover and screen guard. There will be a limited edition of this phone, which will come with Farhan Akhtar’s autographed pen and keychain with it.