Processors are slower, yet that's not so noticeable for basic tasks such as email,Facebook and weather checks. Video and audio are also enjoyable.

Because you spend so much time with your phone, there's a case for having the best. But those come with a price tag starting at about $650.

So consider how you use your phone and what features will remain most important to you over the next year or two. Before you drain your wallet, here are three solid phones that cover the basics:

ZTE Nubia 5S Mini (Android, Rs.15399)
The Nubia is a slim, light device with a 4.7-inch screen - the same as the iPhone 6. It looks sleek and is comfortable to hold. What's the catch?

The Nubia's display measures 1,280 pixels by 720 pixels, well short of what you get on the latest iPhones and top-end Samsung Galaxy devices. That resolution is adequate for 720p high-definition video, not the sharper 1020p. The camera is OK for taking everyday shots; pricier models deliver better focus and colors and take nicer low-light photos with the flash off.

However, the front camera for selfies is 5 megapixels, better than the typical phone. (The rear camera takes 13 megapixel shots, which is common.) And it comes with 4G connectivity and 16 gigabytes of memory.

Motorola Moto G (Android,Rs. 11162)
Motorola has a $129 Moto E phone, and you get a good device at that price. But I've found photos to be subpar, especially because the camera has a fixed-focus lens, meaning it doesn't compensate for how far away your subject is. Given how much people use the camera on their phones, I recommend spending another $50 for the

The latest Moto G model has a large 5-inch screen that is covered with Corning's Gorilla Glass for durability, something more common in pricier phones. The Moto G's back is curved, which could contribute to a better grip. Like the Nubia, its display is 1,280 pixels by 720 pixels.

The rear camera is 8 megapixels, the same as the iPhone, though shots weren't as good. The front camera is 2 megapixels.

The Moto G's main shortcoming is the lack of 4G LTE cellular connectivity. You're stuck with the slower 3G network. LTE is available for last year's Moto G model, but that screen is only 4.5 inches and the camera's resolution isn't as good. The Moto G also starts with just 8 gigabytes of memory, when many smartphones are starting to offer 32 gigabytes.

Microsoft Lumia 635 (Windows, roughly Rs. 9,500))

This 4.5-inch device doesn't feel as sleek as top-end Lumia phones such as the Icon and the 1520. But it's better than the $79 Lumia 530, which feels like a bar of soap, given its bulk and smaller screen. It's worth getting the 635 instead, especially as some carriers and retailers are offering substantial discounts to bring its price close to the 530's.

The Lumia 635 has a 5 megapixel rear camera, no flash and no front camera. It performed better than the Nubia and the Moto G in low light. Just don't expect shots to match what the 20-megapixel Icon produces. The display resolution is lower than on the Nubia and the Moto G, and the built-in storage is again just 8 gigabytes.But the 635 does have 4G connectivity.

So for those with a tight budget, think again before you get your hands into the costlier smartphones.

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Nokia is a remarkable company. It has walked the long, long road from being a single pulp mill in 1865, to a telecommunications giant in the early 21st century. Named after the small Finnish town of Nokia, the company has gone through a number of tough moments in its history, but it has always found a way to go on and swing its way back to the top.

After nearly 150 years of non-stop entrepreneurship, Nokia is once again facing some tough challenges in its way. It has gone from the world's biggest cell phone maker to an underdog, desperately struggling to turn things around. Its cash piles are being rapidly burned through, as the company's products are no longer as attractive for consumers as they have once been. But how did it come to this, and could this be the end of a legendary company?

MATTERS OF THE HEART

This is how it is in the modern cell phone business. One day you're on top, the other you realize you're standing on a burning platform, and you have to act quickly, otherwise you too will turn into ashes. This isn't some false theory put forth by Stephen Elop, Nokia CEO, it's the way things are, and the way things have been for Nokia for quite a while.

The problem should be that it's hard to be on the top. Not only because it's quite lonely there, but because you have to exert an extraordinary amount of effort, trying to keep your distance from the competition, while continuing to innovate and refine your products or performance. But for how long? No one can do it forever. Eventually, you start to lose your motivation, become tired, and little by little, the feeling that you're being surrounded by a hungry pack of hyenas begins to grow inside you, provoking other unhelpful feelings like fear and shame. These things can easily cloud your judgement and mess with your head, preventing you from being rational and productive, which is what you need to be in order to find your way out of a tough situation.

We guess something similar must have happened with Nokia about 5 years ago, when it was on top, but did not react accordingly to the changes that were taking place inside customers' heads. Did Nokia simply refuse to change itself, firmly convinced in the rightness of its plan, or did it experience those feelings of clouded judgement and fear that prevented it from embracing reality? We'll probably never know, but the fact is that Nokia waited and hesitated when it should have acted.

Finally, Stephen Elop came along in late 2010, announcing that the company was sitting on the burning platform that Symbian was. Indeed, the once innovative and powerful Symbian operating system has now become stale and unattractive for customers, most of whom had already switched their Symbian handsets for iPhones or Androids. Symbian was going the way of the dodo, and Elop had to act. There were four options ahead of him:

1. To continue developing MeeGo and phase Symbian out;
2. To go Android and phase Symbian out;
3. To go Windows Phone and phase Symbian out;
4. To start rebuilding Symbian from the ground up.

Love it or hate it, the man decided to go with what he felt closest to his heart, and that was Microsoft. It was what he knew, and what he felt could be taken most advantage of, due to his previous position. The problem with this was that at the time, Windows Phone was even smaller than Symbian itself. Sure, this is Microsoft we're talking about, so there were reasons to believe this will eventually change, but still, the move had "risk" written all over it. More than a year and a half later, Nokia is still waiting for the fruits of this partnership to grow. 

THE BURNING PLATFORM

One clear and unusually calm night, Nokia packed its stuff, walked to the edge of its burning platform, took a last look back, and then there it was, the next moment, falling towards the freezing waters of the Baltic Sea. With an audible thump that almost pierced the night, it fell right onto the Microsoft life-boat - a large, slow-moving vessel that was sure to reach its destination much later than the other boats. However, one of the things that attracted Nokia's attention was the unusually small crew of the boat. What an opportunity for Nokia this was! With so few people on board, it could easily stand out and earn itself a prominent position. The position that has been taken away from it... Surely this was a great opportunity to make use of its many talents. Soon, people were once again going to be talking about it, about Nokia, and this night would remain nothing but a distant memory, an event from its past that simply pushed it towards greatness once again.

Well, we presume it might not have been anything like that, and has been more like Stephen Elop just sitting on his desk, going through a bunch of boring papers and making a few phone calls, but anyways, this should be pretty close to explaining what Nokia saw in the Windows Phone OS. A fresh system with a solid base, and a strong partner in Microsoft, which was going to take care of the nasty stuff like building a developer community and creating an ecosystem of content. This way, it could just focus on what it did best - wonderful devices, and be the brightest star in the sky, for there were neither that many other starts, nor such that could shine as brightly.

Although we wouldn't completely reject the "Trojan horse" theory of Elop entering the system only to convert Nokia into Microsoft's manufacturing arm, we do believe that the state of MeeGo back then wasn't very promising. Yes, it was an almost complete platform which could run just fine, but at the end of the day, what more could it provide than the basic experience one could already get from a Symbian handset. And as it was already evident, that wasn't nearly enough for the new mobile user - the mobile user who wanted a fast, sleek device with a modern UI, loads of applications, service integration, regular software support, rich content ecosystem... The game had changed, and apparently Elop discovered that Nokia cannot learn the new rules quickly enough, so he decided to seek help from his previous employer.

Sure, Nokia could have jumped in the Google life-boat instead, but for some reason the management reached the conclusion that this wouldn't be a better decision in the long run. When you think about it, the Android manufacturers that are profitable and really successful aren't that many. Even HTC, which is a company that has this rare ability to just come up with lovely stuff, is having great difficulties. Android would have allowed Nokia to produce cheap handsets for the developing markets, one of Nokia's last strongholds, but history has shown that there's not much money in this, not enough for a giant company like Nokia, who wants to be up there with the best.

But there's usually loads of money where Microsoft is. Windows Phone is a long-term game. A game that is expected to pick up once Windows 8 is out. Using its substantial presence in the computer market, Microsoft will quickly introduce Windows 8, and so a certain extent Windows Phone 8 as well, since they have so much in common, which will suddenly change Windows Phone's status from a peculiar and young platform to a well-known, integrated experience. Coupled with Nokia's wonderful devices, this might just do it. Windows Phone should become the third biggest mobile platform with a relative ease. Whether or not there will be enough momentum in order to surpass what's going to be waiting ahead, though, is a tough question that only time can answer. We can be sure about one thing - what has a beginning, has an end. And just like Apple (iOS) and Google (Android) have once fought their way to the top, a time will come when they will have to make way for the new leader, just like Nokia had to step aside. Could this be Nokia again, riding on the wings of Windows Phone? We can go on and on with these questions, but there will be no answers.

The burning platform has now fallen, and where Nokia's business was once flourishing, other companies have found new ways of being successful. But as history has shown many times, Nokia will transform, rebuild its platform, better and stronger than before, and rise again. For to reach the top, you must start from the bottom.

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Nokia has started building up hype for its forthcoming Nokia World Event and has placed massive banners outside its shuttered Nokia Store in Helsinki announcing 'something amazing is coming' on September 7. It's notable Nokia World is scheduled to be held in the same city on September 5 and 6.

My Nokia Blog has posted an image of the store that has a QR Code that leads to NokiaGraffiti.me, a website which allows one to turn a picture into a graffiti-like image. Nokia also promises to disclose more next week. The Nokia teaser has triggered all sorts of speculations on the web.

It's speculated that the teaser could be related to products that will be unveiled at the event. Nokiacould announce a new Windows Phone 8 handset on the 5th and make it available on the 7th.

However, speculations include the possibility the teaser could be unrelated to any product launch and is just the date of the launch of the store, which looks to be under renovation. Also, it's unlikely that a product will start shipping within a couple of days of the launch.

The Next Web in its report speculates Nokia might update its Lumia line of smartphones by adding much needed support for the new Windows Phone 8. 

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Google, Apple, Microsoft, and RIM each made a play for the domination -- or survival -- of their mobile OS that will manifest starting in autumn. Now that the dust has settled, here's what it all means.

(Credit: Josh Long/CNET)

High-flying skydive stunts! Steering-wheel voice commands! Predictive search that knows your life! That was June for us, one big sneak peek of the mobile platform future, a flurry of OS features and software specs that Apple, Google, Microsoft, and RIM lobbed at us from San Francisco area events all in the same month. It was so busy around here, we CNETers dubbed the month "Junesanity."

The specs that emerged from these four events are a peek at the near future of mobile phones. In addition, the flashy presentations were designed to win developers and consumers to each company's side as they ready for the next phase of the mobile turf war.

What's coming, a recap
Here's what the Big Four mobile software-makers announced.

iOS 6

The iOS 6 family tree.

At its annual WWDC conference on June 11, Apple announced a slew of iOS 6 updates that will arrive this fall. Many catch up to features already found in Android and Windows Phone, like Facebook integration, video calling over the cellular network, and turn-by-turn voice navigation. However, iOS 6 will also bring some new toys to the playground, like natively storing and accessing tickets to events, and setting call reminders.

Other standout features include offline Web reading, 3D maps, and a smarter Siri that will be able to open apps and get you dinner reservations. At some point down the road, Siri will also wind up in certain cars.

Of course, these latest and greatest features only account for what Apple is willing to tell us now, without giving away any functionality related to new hardware, like a better camera in the iPhone 5, or any processor-related gaming tidbit. It's probable that Apple's next smartphone announcement will reveal an iOS 6 zinger.

BlackBerry 10

RIM shows off its BlackBerry 10 interface at BlackBerry World in May 2012.

RIM may have first shown off bits and pieces of the BlackBerry 10 operating system in early May, but June is when the company kick-started its developer-focused BlackBerry 10 Jam world tour, and began inviting press in on just how it plans to keep developers on board the wobbly ship.

BlackBerry 10 OS and the hardware it'll go on are far from complete, but there is some definite promise. There will be a brand-new interface with a cleaner, more minimalist layout than ever before. There's also a new multitasking workflow, called Flow, and an intelligent virtual keyboard that can easily predict your sentences and delete or complete words with a simple gesture. Brand-new camera processing features will be able to detect faces, and a novel feature will let you rewind a previous frame to get the exact expression you want.

Not much is known about the hardware itself, save that it's expected to host a high-resolution screen. Rumors and leaks point to a 768x1,280-pixel resolution for the top-of-the-line series.

It's still early days for BlackBerry 10, and we saw relatively little about how well the OS operates. Until we see more, neither my fellow editor Brian Bennett nor I are convinced that the new OS is the game-changer that RIM and some loyal developers swear it is, but the features we know about so far are a big step in the right direction.

Windows Phone 8

Microsoft shows off the new Windows Phone 8 start screen on a Nokia Lumia 900.

Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 8 on June 20. The major OS update will get support for multiple processors, starting with dual-core Qualcomm chips, two new compatible screen resolutions (including HD), and integrated NFC.

Microsoft is also integrating VoIP and is improving multitasking smoothness. Rumors points to an innovative, unannounced keyboard designed for one-handed typing. There's a revised start screen that gives you resizable dynamic tiles across more of the screen surface. A shared kernel with Microsoft's Windows 8 platform for desktops and tablets will be able to let developers for Microsoft's other computing platforms more easily program for Windows Phone.

The first handsets are slated for fall, eventually to 180 countries. Unfortunately, existing handsets aren't eligible for the Windows Phone 8 upgrade.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Resizable widgets are new to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Google was the last of the four to debut its new mobile plans, but on June 27, it announced Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an upgrade from Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean's big draws are its revamped search app and its more substantial notifications. Google has made search front and center in Jelly Bean, so that it looks and feels more like Siri. The Voice Actions interface and voice readout are changed, but the bulk of Voice Actions remains the same as before.

Offline voice typing is new, predictive text is smarter, and overall performance is smoother. In addition, there are resizable widgets, and the NFC feature, Android Beam, can now handle larger files like photos and video in addition to URLs and maps.

Staging a smartphone battle for fall
For Apple and Google, the struggle is for platform dominance. Apple had the upper hand for a long time after the first iPhone launch, with Grade A hardware and the more developed operating system, but Android has wrested away control and now leads the U.S. market with roughly 51 percent to the iPhone's 32 percent.

Right now the ball is in Apple's court. Secrecy and surprise have always worked in Apple's favor, and depending on when the company announces and sells its iPhone 5 this autumn, its newest handset can draw -- and keep -- customers' attention. Discounts on its iPhone 4S will also attract new buyers across U.S. carriers.

Compare this momentum to Google's Jelly Bean roll-out, which will be slow and fragmented as always as the manufacturers and carriers test and slowly deploy updates to select phones, starting with Samsung's Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S, among them. Beyond updates, it'll be up to manufacturers to integrate Android 4.1 into their handset release plans, or you can buy a new, unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus from Google now. As great as the little bump is from 4.0 to 4.1, Jelly Bean isn't an earth-shattering update.

For Microsoft and RIM, the next few months will be a pitched fight for survival against the undeniable combined force of Android and iOS. Microsoft has now spent two years trying to make Windows Phone stick, and RIM keeps moving higher up the endangered species list.

RIM's tragedy has gone from bad to worse to so-bad-I-can't-look, with plummeting share prices and sales, massive layoffs and probably more to come. There's also the high possibility that RIM will hack apart its business and sell off parts, and its final hope, future BlackBerry smartphones running RIM's BlackBerry 10 operating system, is delayed from late 2012 to early 2013.

Even if the forthcoming BlackBerry 10 arrives in a blaze of glory with innovative features and flawless hardware, with such low investor and customer confidence, who will buy a BlackBerry?

In an interview with CNET, RIM's managing director for the U.S., Richard Piasentin, pointed to a still-loyal customer base, and reminded the public that BlackBerrys serve 90 percent of Fortune 1,000 companies. In addition, the smartphone maintains its pedigree in various markets overseas.

Microsoft's challenge is comparatively simple, especially now that its OS can handle phones with multiple processors, HD resolution, microSD cards, NFC. However, leaving current users in the lurch because of its prior stringency isn't going to do anything for traction, since existing users have to buy new handsets to stick with Microsoft.

For Redmond, the third year into Windows Phone recycles the same old challenge -- getting its platform competitive enough to sell.

Winners and losers
It's no coincidence that Junesanity's major announcements culminate in a fall showing for three of the four OS-makers. Autumn begins the smartphone world's most important season, after all, since it ramps up to holiday sales. Here's how I suspect the winners and losers will shake out.

A worthy OS upgrade combined with a highly anticipated hardware unveiling give Apple the greatest interest and appeal going into fall. It doesn't hurt that Apple has traditionally led the pack in terms of premium build materials, including the camera. Status: Biggest winner.

Google is sitting pretty, thanks to its platform popularity and myriad partner phones. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is a great update that will add a lot of functionality, but come fall, few will have access to everything that Android can offer. Status: Moderate winner.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean's Song Search widget (above), with a returned result (below).

Barely hanging on, Microsoft is still catching up, and has yet to offer an innovative feature that no other OS can claim. Sure, good things are coming to bring Windows Phones up to speed on the hardware front, but with the iPhone 5 and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean arriving in roughly the same time frame, Windows Phone 8 will be largely ignored. Status: Loser.

RIM's BlackBerry 10 OS is delayed, and RIM will have nothing to show customers save some low-cost, rehashed BlackBerry Curve phones. RIM's days of attracting hordes of new customers is over in markets where Android and iOS already reign supreme. Status: Biggest loser.

With over 25 percent market share, Samsung is sitting pretty. It has a long string of Android successes, like the Samsung Galaxy S III (S3). Although its current Windows Phone 7.5 handsets are now as good as bricks, the Korean electronics giant has enough cash to stick with Microsoft through Windows Phone 8. Status: Winner.

Microsoft's lack of upgrade path for existing Windows phones to OS 8 puts Nokia in a pinch, since the handset maker tied the fate of its smartphone business to Microsoft. Still, the Nokia Lumia 900 and Lumia 710 showed the world what Nokia can do. Besides, Nokia has a contingency plan, the Finnish company says, if Windows Phone doesn't pan out. Status: To be determined.

Once the rising star of mobile handset-makers, HTC has stumbled of late. Samsung is eating HTC's lunch on the Android side, even though the HTC One X and One S are terrific handsets, and HTC has a history of producing excellent phones. HTC is getting behind Windows Phone 8, but likely not at Samsung's rate. HTC trails Samsung, but if it acts fast on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates and new phones, it still has a chance to increase its share. Status: To be determined.

January's Motorola Droid Razr Maxx was Moto's last U.S. peep.

For a company that's meant to be Google's closest supporter (and wholly owned subsidiary,) Motorola has been suspiciously absent from Android plans in the U.S. market. We knew that Motorola was pulling back on quantity to concentrate on quality, but if the company doesn't act soon, it'll miss out for good. Status: Probably a loser.

Conclusion
Of course, we won't know for a few months what fall will bring, and any carrier or manufacturer could pull a surprise from thin air. Whatever the outcome, the mobile heavyweights are promising plenty of fireworks when the seasons change, and plenty of speculation as the summer months play out.

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Nokia created a tsunami of excitement when they announced the PureView 808 at Mobile World Congress, a cameraphone with a ridiculous 41-megapixel sensor. While many scurried to pick their jaws off the floor thanks to the ridiculous pixel count, others scoffed with skepticism.

Let’s take a minute to really examine what Nokia has done here. They have stuffed 41-megapixels into a camera (achievement 1) thanks to a larger than normal half inch sensor (achievement 2), and looking at the images we’ve been shooting, we’re quite amazed at what this sensor is capable of. We were so impressed by our initial use that we decided to pit it against not just the iPhone 4S , but also one of our favourite point-and-shoot cameras, the Sony HX20V.

So let’s get straight to it. We’re comparing a few crops of our standard studio test target between the Nokia PureView 808, iPhone 4S and the Sony HX20V. Looking at the studio shots, it is clear that when we shoot in the native resolution mode on the Nokia (you can shoot at 38MP native or in 8, 5 or 3MP PureViewmode), this camera delivers stellar image quality. Comparing the crops of our test shots, we can see that while the iPhone 4S tends to soften up the images in the edges, the PureView maintains a delicious level of detail, sometimes even more than the Sony HX20V. In terms of sharpness too, the PureView is on par (if not better) than the HX20V. One area where the PureView is the CLEAR winner is the absolute lack of JPG artefact. If you’ve been keeping up with our point-and-shoot camera reviews, you’d notice how we’re quite unhappy with the amount of compression artefact in JPG files. The PureView has minimal (if absolutely no) signs of compression. Viewing the images at 100% confirms this fact.

click to enlarge

One issue we did run into with the PureView was that it has a tendency to consistently underexpose. It’s possible that the problem is with our specific unit, or with the way the Nokia meters light with respect to our test target. Regardless, once the right compensations were dialed in, the level of sharpness and detail is worth getting excited over. Looking at a 100% crop of the image from the PureView, being able to see the grainy texture on the wine bottle’s label really did send some waves of excitement through our photography (read detail/pixel peeping) obsessed minds.

Stepping outside the studio and into the real world, we decided to limit the competition between just the PureView and iPhone 4S. From the very first shot onwards, it was apparent that while the iPhone 4S exposed for a more flat, shadowless shot, the PureView (thanks to its mammoth 1/2 inch sensor) is capable of capturing images with more contrast, colour depth and dynamic range. Another interesting (read desirable) aspect of the PureView’s image is that due to the bigger sensor, we’re effectively getting shallower depth of field, which when used right, can add a certain amount of elegance to an image.

The image quality from the Nokia PureView is absolutely unrivaled by the iPhone 4S. Yes, there are many variables that can be accounted for, but all in all, the PureView, by virtue of a bigger sensor, manages to grab extra brownie points (bigger sensor = better detail). All in all, the hype surrounding the PureView is not undeserved. Sure it’s a system in its infancy, but this is one of those kids who you know is going to grow up to be someone great. What we can’t wait for is the PureView’s imaging guts making their way into the Nokia Windows Phones. Now THAT would be quite a treat!

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The Pirate Bay is campaigning against proposed EU anti-piracy treaty

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O2 is set to block its customers from accessing file-sharing site The Pirate Bay from 0001 BST on Friday, the internet service provider has said.

The move means customers of Be Broadband, a subsidiary of O2, will also be blocked from the site.

The ISP is the latest to fall in line following a High Court order in April.

A judge ruled that TPB was facilitating copyright infringement by providing links to download pirated content.
'Obliged to comply'
In a statement, O2 said: "The main UK internet providers were ordered by the high court to block access to specific IP addresses and URLs used by The Pirate Bay website.

"We have no option but to comply with this order and will be doing so overnight."

Be Broadband posted a message about the blocking measures on its company blog.

It said: "Our parent company was one of the named ISPs so we are obliged to comply.

"We wouldn't chose to do this voluntarily but we need to comply with UK laws just like any UK business. We're aware of the concerns voiced by members about the broader issue."

TalkTalk is now the last remaining ISP featured in the court order not to have implemented a block on the Swedish-based site.

BT, which was given extra time to make necessary arrangements, told the BBC it would make an announcement regarding TPB in "due course".

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