Gadget mad Brits suffering from a wrinkle known as 'TECH NECK' because of ...

The wrinkle is a line around the neck and chin which is caused by looking down at handheld devices and computers every day

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Loose skin: The 'tech neck' is a line around the neck and chin

Having the latest gadgets may make us feel good but they are giving us a 'tech neck' apparently.

Brits chatting away on clever smart phones and sleek tablets are forcing a new breed of wrinkle to appear.

Throughout our busy lives the furrowed brow, laughter lines and crows' feet are not the only expression to have an effect on the face.

The 'tech neck' is a line around the neck and chin which is caused by looking down at handheld devices and computers every day.

The bizarre latest face furrow was identified after a surge of neck-related enquiries for non-surgical, knife-free face-lifts by the company CACI.

Loose Women panelist Carol McGiffin revealed in Closer magazine last year that the CACI procedure was responsible for her new youthful look.

The handheld device strengthens the neck muscles and firms the jawline, so the 'tech neck' may only cause some worry wrinkles for a short time.

Dean Nathanson, Managing Director of CACI international, said: 'We noticed a surge in enquiries for our product, specifically to combat lines around the neck area.

'We've identified a correlation between the rise of technology in recent years and the growth of the 'tech neck'.

'So whilst there is little chance of the nation giving up technology, at least we can help people reduce wrinkles and keep their chin up!'

Mushy biscuits be gone! Gadget catches soggy crumbs as you dunk your digestive

Dunkin' Buddy acts as reservoir and sits inside mug, immersed in drink The drinker dunks their biscuit into the one-inch deep holder in the middle of the cup, safe in the knowledge that any biscuit loss is contained Its makers expect each model will cost around £6 when sold

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 08:50 EST, 28 February 2014 | UPDATED: 08:56 EST, 28 February 2014

A gadget has been invented to solve the age-old problem of tea and coffee drinkers over-dunking their biscuits and losing them to the bottom of their mug.

The small plastic device acts like a reservoir and sits inside a mug, immersed in the drink.

It is held in position by a magnet that is attached to the outside of the cup and can be lowered as the user drinks.

The drinker dunks their biscuit into the one inch deep holder in the middle of the cup, safe in the knowledge that any biscuit loss is contained in the gadget and is easily recoverable.

They can even leave the baked snack in the drink-filled holder until it is dunked to their satisfaction or depending on how robust the biscuit is.

The invention, called the 'Dunkin' Buddy' takes out the frenetic rush of finding a teaspoon and trying to fish out your biscuit before the hot drink turns it into a sludgy mess.

It measures 3cm wide and 5.7cm long - the perfect size for most biscuits including digestives and cookies.

The 'Dunkin' Buddy' was invented by Jason Wells, 31, and Kiana Machnicz, 21, both from Connecticut.

Mr Wells said: 'We came up with the idea after watching TV and dunking biscuits into our drinks. 'The Dunkin' Buddy solves many problems associated with biscuit dunking.

'It not only means the user does not have to hold each biscuit while being dunked but also saves them from breaking and falling into the bottom of the cup.

'It also stops having to jam your hand in the bottom of the cup when your biscuit does break. 'The drinker can also dunk biscuits and leave them for a while - depending on how robust the biscuit is - while doing things like playing games or using the computer.

'It works by using two neodymium magnets, one in the handle, and the other one in the tray itself.

'This allows the user to control the tray inside the cup by simply sliding the handle located on the outside in any direction they desire.

'The Dunkin' Buddy works with almost any cup or mug located in the kitchen.

'It can fit one or two cookies inside of it, depending on their size.'

The inventors have posted the 'Dunkin' Buddy' on fundraising website Kickstarter and hope to raise 6,000 pounds to start the manufacturing process.

They expect each model will cost around six pounds to buy when they are sold.

Here's the Gear We Couldn't Live Without This Month

Bright Red Nexus 5

Black and white are boring. I want a phone that brings the bling. The Nexus 5 isn't new anymore, but this color scheme is--and it's fantastic. And, look, the Nexus 5 itself is no joke either -- it's super fast, has an amazing display, and is as thin as frat boy's understanding of gender identity issues. But until now, it wasn't flashy. I've been toting the Bright Red model around for a week or so and love not having the same-looking phone as everyone else. Images don't really do this thing justice. You could land a plane with it. You could take it hunting. You could signal traffic with it. You could put it on the rear end of your bike so cars won't hit you. You could cover yourself with it from head to toe and go to an 80s party. Get a backlight to go with it.--Mat Honan

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED

Gerber GDC Zip Blade

There's an old trope that goes 'the best _____ is the one you have with you.' You most often hear it applied to smartphone cameras. But back in my day, we used to say that about knives. Because when you need a knife, you really need a knife. Which is precisely why I've almost always got this little baby fastened to my jacket. The Zip Blade ($12)comes with a fob that loops onto any zipper pull. Just squeeze the plastic quick release clip and the knife pops off into your hand. Unfold the locking blade and you've got 0.68 inches of sturdy stainless steel ready for service. Once you've finished carving the Iron Maiden logo into that park bench, fold it up and clip it back onto your zipper. It's discreet and it's safe. --Michael Calore

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED

Bright Red Nexus 5

Black and white are boring. I want a phone that brings the bling. The Nexus 5 isn't new anymore, but this color scheme is--and it's fantastic. And, look, the Nexus 5 itself is no joke either -- it's super fast, has an amazing display, and is as thin as frat boy's understanding of gender identity issues. But until now, it wasn't flashy. I've been toting the Bright Red model around for a week or so and love not having the same-looking phone as everyone else. Images don't really do this thing justice. You could land a plane with it. You could take it hunting. You could signal traffic with it. You could put it on the rear end of your bike so cars won't hit you. You could cover yourself with it from head to toe and go to an 80s party. Get a backlight to go with it.--Mat Honan

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED

Gerber GDC Zip Blade

There's an old trope that goes 'the best _____ is the one you have with you.' You most often hear it applied to smartphone cameras. But back in my day, we used to say that about knives. Because when you need a knife, you really need a knife. Which is precisely why I've almost always got this little baby fastened to my jacket. The Zip Blade ($12)comes with a fob that loops onto any zipper pull. Just squeeze the plastic quick release clip and the knife pops off into your hand. Unfold the locking blade and you've got 0.68 inches of sturdy stainless steel ready for service. Once you've finished carving the Iron Maiden logo into that park bench, fold it up and clip it back onto your zipper. It's discreet and it's safe. --Michael Calore

Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED

View the gallery in full screen to read more about the things we loved in January.

One of the best parts of our jobs here at WIRED is that we get to test all the new things as soon as they come out. But we often only get a few days to play with something before having to write about it. That can be difficult - getting a clear assessment of an object's worth when you have to crank out a written review in less than a week. Some products only show their true colors after several weeks, months, or years to experience them, live with them, play with them, and wear them. That's what we've rounded up here - things we've been testing and love, or the stuff from our lives that we own and never want to let go. This is the gear we want to take everywhere. This is the stuff we want to cook breakfast for. These are the things we love.

Make the Max When Selling Your Gadget Online

Selling your used gadgets can help cut the cost of upgrading them. Here's how to make sure you're getting the most you can out of the resale market.

If you have a used gadget to sell, there are ways to get the maximum amount of money. Before you create an online listing, make sure you do one thing first.

In this example, these two used iPads are identical, but one got its owner an additional $100 when he was ready to upgrade. The first iPad owner sold his device on a popular electronics buy-back site like Gazelle. He got $140 and the money was in his hand in three to five days.

Meanwhile, the second iPad owner had signed up for eBay's My Gadgets and saw that similar devices had recently sold at auction for around $240. My Gadgets then made it easy to setup his own auction, even allowing him to print out a shipping label (paid for by the buyer) once his iPad sold. It took about two weeks, but soon he had a whopping $240 in his hand.

So, before simply trading in your old electronics, take a look at eBay's My Gadgets to see what they're really worth, because doubling the value of your trade-in could cut your upgrade costs in half.

MWC REVIEW: Tech21 Impact Band

I picked this nifty gadget up during Showstoppers at the MWC conference in Barcelona. This phone case/band uses a substance called D30 to reduce impact to your phone when you drop it.

The band of D30 implanted around the case disperses the force of the impact so that the rest of your band feels the force as opposed to your phone. This video shows a demonstration of the D30 material:

The case did feel a little loose on my phone, but not loose enough that it would slip or fall off. As well as the band, the case comes with a plastic back cover to protect the other side of your phone, but this part doesn't seem necessary. When you're constantly travelling or multitasking, making sure you invest in a good case for those breath-stopping moments when your phone slips from your hand is vitally important.

I did take the plunge and drop the phone with the case on, and the device survived intact with no damage, so it seems that Tech21 is on to a winner. The official price for this is around £18, but can be found elsewhere online for less, and as well as providing protection for your phone, it also looks pretty funky and comes in a range of colours.

Wearable gadget reminds users to stand up straight

A new wearable gadget on the market is a small clasp you wear on your shirt like a lapel pin or brooch. It comes in a range of colours and if you want, the Lumo Lift will let you know when you start to slouch. 'The original inspiration came from my co-founder's struggle with back pain,' explained Monisha Perkash, CEO and co-founder of Lumo Body Tech. 'He started taking posture classes, which had a dramatic improvement on his back pain. And that's when the light bulb went on for us. We realized we could use technology to give people feedback.'

The Lumo Lift tracks body movement, recording steps, calories and mileage. Users can also calibrate it to gently vibrate when they start to slouch. But this new gadget isn't just about helping you stand up straight. Perkash says the real health benefits of having good posture include improved respiration and digestion. Good posture can also affect your body on a physiological level. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy did a Ted Talk about the correlation between posture and confidence. She explained how getting people to strike power poses for two minutes increased levels of their power hormone - testosterone - and decreased their levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

'Two minutes lead to these hormonal changes that configure your brain to basically be either assertive, confident and comfortable or really stress reactive, feeling sort of shut down,' Cuddy said. Monisha Perkash says the Lumo Lift was built in collaboration with physical therapists, spine physicians and designers. And although the Lumo Lift isn't shipping yet, more than 16,000 of them have already been pre-ordered on the company's website.

Perkash says aside from wanting to stand taller, command better presence and build core strength, people are becoming more aware of the consequences of all the time we spend parked in our chairs. 'Sitting is the new smoking,' she said. 'In fact there's research that shows that even if you exercise every day, if you sit for prolonged periods of time you're shaving years off of your life. Our technology can monitor that and give you motivations if you've been sitting too long to simply stand up and take a stretch. Even that one simple act makes a big difference in your overall health.'

Live Smart With Sony's New SmartBand SWR10, Life Logging Wristband Tracks ...

These days we live our lives digitally and Sony wants to help you track this with their new SmartBand SWR10. The life logging wristband will keep track of everything you do - from your movements to your communications and so much more. You can easily log special moments in your life and watch your life played out back to you on your Android smartphone or tablet. But what really makes this wrist band tick is its innovative Android app that will automatically record your life while you wear it. It'll log your physical, social and entertainment activities and for any given day you can see how you live your life and how active you were; it'll even inform you of tomorrow's weather!

At the heart of the device is its removable core unit that features advanced sensor technology that feels your movements and sends the data to your smartphone. It also has a stylish and comfortable wristband that's waterproof and life proof so you can easily wear it 24/7. You can choose from a wide range of vibrant colors and switch them daily to match your mood. Besides tracking your life, you can track your sleep. It'll wake you up at the best time based on your sleep cycle by calculating and measuring the best time to get you up for your day (or nap). Life bookmarks lets you catch that special moment by simply pressing the associating key on the wristband, so anything happening at that particular moment will be caught and remembered forever.

MWC FIRST LOOK: Sony Xperia Z2 and Sony SmartBand

With Sony recently bowing out of the PC market in favour of pushing its smartphone arm, we expected big things from any new devices announced at MWC.

It seemed that the new Xperia Z2 is really an upgrade of Sony's previous phone. However, i's full little changes that make all the difference. For example, the Z2 uses a wider colour spectrum on its 5.2 inch screen than on previous devices. It uses TRILUMINOUS display technology to better show reds and greens, so images look really clear, and when next to an older smartphone, you can clearly see the difference in colour when looking at the same picture.

It also has a capability called X-Reality which cleans up low resolution video by analysing a clip and filling in gaps and pixilation.

From a business perspective, the Z2 supports a new feature called Small Apps, which essentially allows the user to multitask by running an app in a small floating window, which could come in quite useful if you needed to look at two things at once in a meeting or presentation.

Obviously any Android business apps that take your fancy are available, as well as the Xperia calendar, Email and Contacts apps to keep everything in order. Plus, any data held on the internal SD card is secured by 256-bit AES encryption.

It's still water and dust proof, it's light and thin, and it hits the spot for those in the market for a premium Android device. And the best bit? It also comes in deep purple. Perhaps Sony has made the right decision.

You can also use the new Sony SmartBand alongside the Xperia Z2, a life-tracking band that has an advantage over other health monitors.

The band monitors pretty much everything you do in life and on your phone. It knows when you're walking, running, sleeping, cycling, gaming, driving, chatting. It has a small unit that sits in a rubber band which you strap to your wrist. The core unit can tell by your movement what action you're currently partaking in, and it monitors the applications used on your phone for data such as when you're talking or playing Angry Birds.

The strap was slightly uncomfortable and a bit loose on my wrist, with two little prongs that press through holes in the wrist band to loosen and tighten the strap. The texture of the band was comfortable though, and it comes in a number of different colours.

The core has to be taken out and charged once a week. The band is water proof, and the idea is to wear it 24/7 - even in the shower. As everyone in the world keeps getting busier, these devices that can tell us where we're going right or wrong are becoming increasingly more popular, and this band goes the extra mile in giving you more information about your day beyond how you slept, the steps you've taken and the calories you've burnt.

We're hoping to get these devices in for a full review soon, so make sure to check back.

How to Keep Your Android Apps From Lagging

If you've noticed that Instagram on your Android handset has been unusually sluggish lately, you're not alone. Many of us have noted an unfortunate combination of slower feed load times and an uptick in overall bugginess. Quitting and restarting occasionally fixes the problem, but there's a far easier way to deal with a misbehaving app.

Just go into Settings > Apps, and then clear the cache. Voila, the app should be back to 100 percent.

Of course this doesn't just apply to Instagram. Clearing cached data for any Android app should be your first course of action when problems arise. This will wipe out the temporary files that may be responsible for the trouble, and it can also have the added benefit of saving space on your handset.

If overall performance on your phone is slowing, there's even a way to clear all cached app data at once on Android 4.2 and up. Go to Settings > Storage > Cached Data. This will give you the option to erase all your app's saved data. It's not something you'll want to do regularly - in many cases, you'll have to login to your apps again, and some may even load slower for a time - but as a once-a-year routine, it certainly can't hurt. Think of it as clearing out the cobwebs in the back corners of your handset's storage spaces.

MWC 2014 FIRST LOOK: Nokia X and Nokia XL

After all of the fuss that was made about Microsoft acquiring Nokia's mobile phone arm, the Finnish giants have gone and released a phone running Android as opposed to Windows 8 Phone.

Among the gasps at the announcement, there were also some murmurs along the lines of 'that makes sense' - especially since the phone is aimed more at emerging markets that do not need the whole shebang of a fully functioning Windows experience.

I took a look at the new Nokia X and Nokia XL at MWC, and the first thing that I thought was that the phone felt very square. The edges aren't rounded, and although this is unusual, it isn't uncomfortable, and still fits nicely in your hand.

I've said before that I will always choose Apple products first, but Nokia devices always come in at a close second. And, even though the new 'Nokia X family' is aimed at entry-level markets as opposed to those wanting extreme gadgetry, I still found it a treat to test out.

Some of the use of the phone requires some knowledge of already having used a smartphone, such as swiping to left and right in order to dismiss or open an application, which I thought was inconvenient in a phone designed for those just entering the smartphone space.

Again, the bright colours available appeal to me, and the outside casing has a similar light feeling to the iPhone 5C, but the plastic is matte instead of shiny.

The Android interface is easy to use, and not that far off of the tiles used in the Windows 8 OS. As said by Stephen Elop in the release presentation, it offers new smartphone users an introduction to Microsoft without actually giving them a Windows Phone.

It has a lot of the Microsoft applications pre-loaded, such as Skype, as well as access to the Nokia app store instead of Google play.

The Nokia X fits perfectly in the hand, whereas the XL, as the name would suggest, is slightly bigger and is more in Lumia territory size-wise. It was therefore slightly too big to fit comfortably in the hand, but was still very stylish and offered the same user experience in terms of ease of use.

Although the X, XL and new Asha phones are always nice to see, there were no new Lumia models announced at MWC. Not to worry though, as you can read our review of the Lumia 1520 right here, and we hope to get the new devices in for a full review soon.

Soft Drinks Industry Contracts Gadget Fever

By Tom Vierhile, Innovation Insights Director at Datamonitor | 26 February 2014

Is at-home carbonation set to be the next battleground for the soft drinks industry? Tom Vierhile from Datamonitor looks at the sides being taken.

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Is at-home carbonation set to be the next battleground for the soft drinks industry? Tom Vierhile from Datamonitor looks at the sides being taken.

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Sony Smartband is a svelte fitness gadget

CNETSony Smartband is a svelte fitness gadgetCNETSony Smartband is a svelte fitness gadget Video. To play this video, you need Javascript enabled and the latest version of Flash installed. Install Flash now. Sony Smartband is a svelte fitness gadget. Created: 02/26/2014. Video description: Sony's ...

The Nokia XL, a Big Android Phone With Big Ambitions

View the gallery in full screen to read additional information for each photo.

BARCELONA, SPAIN - The mobile industry was set ablaze yesterday with the arrival of a new family of Android-powered handsets from the soon-to-be-Microsoft-owned manufacturer Nokia.

Three new Nokia devices were previewed here at Mobile World Congress - the mid-sized Nokia X ( which we wrote about yesterday), the similar-sized X+, which has extra memory and storage, and a big-screened, beefier version of the X called the Nokia XL. We've assembled some hands-on photos of the Nokia XL above.

The Finnish company was quick to point out that its Android experiment is intended as a stepping stone to Microsoft cloud services and Windows-powered Lumia devices for for first-time smartphone buyers, primarily in developing countries.

Maybe that's a tall ask - the idea of a Microsoft-affiliated handset running Google's mobile OS certainly had most onlookers here shrugging. But the X phones do stand a fighting chance for a few reasons. First, they are relatively inexpensive, ranging between $135 to $150. Also, they're attractive and should be a hit with consumers. Chalk this up to Nokia's excellent sense of industrial design. The company's phones are chunky and rugged, they come with top-rate cameras, and they are usually offered in fun and bright colors. And Nokia's implementation of Android isn't pure Google; it's heavily customized both visually and functionally.

With its 5-inch WVGA display, Noxia XL puts Nokia's own customized version of Android on a nice, big screen. It also has the best cameras of the X line - 5 megapixels on the rear, and 2 megapixels on the front. If you weren't paying close attention, it could be easily mistaken for a Lumia 1320. Unless the display was unlocked, of course.

Nokia X family uses Android 4.1 as its bedrock while the OS (which is simply called 'X') links to Microsoft's API for mapping and cloud services. The result is that you won't find any Google Play Store here, or Google Drive. Those apps have been replaced by a Nokia App Store and Microsoft's OneDrive. The phone will be able to run all those regular Android apps that are released on the web version of the Play store - you'll just have to download an apk file.

Clearly inspired by Windows Phone's tile-based UI, the XL's interface is quick to get used to and easy to personalize: Just press and hold any icon to resize it or move it around the screen. Swiping from the right always lets you access your favorite and most recently used apps. Again, just by holding one finger on an element, you can toss it or change it.

Like the other Nokia X phones, the XL is not available in the U.S., but they will be on sale elsewhere in the world. The XL starts at €109 (about $150) and ships in March.

Manage Your Tab

Tab counts can quickly get out of hand-sucking up precious CPU resources and making it virtually impossible to find those Winter Olympic wipeout GIFs. Well, we've got an easy solution for you.

The OneTab extension for Chrome (a FireFox version supposedly is on the way) lets you continue your tab-hoarding ways, but in a more productive, less processor-intensive way. The extension consolidates all the open tabs in your browser into a single tab with a list of those other pages. It essentially creates a bookmark page of what you're doing on the internet right now-or what you have been doing over the past week or month. You can use this single list to access and restore the tabs individually or simultaneously. You also can use it to get rid of tabs you no longer need.

To install the extension, simply go to the OneTab page. After you've downloaded the extension, you'll see a blue funnel icon in your Chrome Browser's extension field to the right of the URL field. Click on the icon whenever your window is overwhelmed with tabs and, presto, you're done.

The bookmark page OneTab creates is easier to navigate, with the titles of each page to the right of the tab's icon. Click on the headline to restore a tab. Or, if you require all the tabs reappear, click on Restore All at the top of the list of tabs.

OneTab also saves groups of tabs for later use. Once you're done with one, just click on 'Delete all' at the top of a group. Tab groups can also be named, locked, and shared. Suddenly having 50 tabs of Jennifer Lawrence rolling her eyes doesn't seem so bad.

Roberto is a Wired Staff Writer for Gadget Lab covering cord-cutting, e-readers, home technology, and all the gadgets that fit in your backpack. Got a tip? Send him an email at: roberto_baldwin [at] wired.com.

Read more by Roberto Baldwin

Follow @strngwys on Twitter.

Hands

BARCELONA, SPAIN - Samsung has finally unveiled the much-anticipated Galaxy S5, the latest smartphone in its Galaxy family of Android devices. The smartphone was announced last night at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow here, and it debuted alongside two smart wearables - one fitness-based, one more watch-like - designed to pair with the device.

But the handset is of course the core product in Samsung's mobile strategy, and this is the new flagship device, following on the heels of last year's massively successful Galaxy S4. The S5 arrives on several U.S. carriers (and in 150 countries around the world) in April. Pricing has not been announced.

Let's take a closer look at the hardware. Like the S4 before it, the Galaxy S5 is not crafted from metal, even though it seems metallic just looking at the edges and the back plate. It's actually made from polycarbonate. The S5 also has an odd perforated pattern on the back cover. The company is quick with the self-praise for it's 'modern glam look,' but in actuality, the perforations just emphasize the plastic construction of the phone, an effect that nobody here in Barcelona seems to enjoy. On the front side, there's a 5.1-inch AMOLED display which is crisp and bright, just as you'd suspect if you've seen other Samsung flagship phones.

While it physically looks a lot like the S4, the Galaxy S5 is just a bit bulkier and heavier. Not by much - we're talking a few millimeters in width and height and 15 grams in weight. But it's enough that you can feel the difference when you hold the old and new devices in your hands.

The biggest difference - and one of the most compelling reasons to upgrade from last year's Galaxy - is the new fingerprint scanner on the S5. It's integrated into the home button below the screen, just like Apple's implementation on the iPhone. You can use it to unlock the phone, to verify a PayPal payment while using a mobile shopping service, and to verify your Samsung account. All of this is done by just pressing a single finger against the home button. Adding your own fingerprints when personalizing the device is easy - you swipe your thumb, or index finger, or any other finger from top to bottom on the home button about eight times. Activating the recognition is quick and neat, and all of the fingerprint recognition attempts I've made since I got a hands-on unit have worked perfectly.

The Galaxy S5′s camera has been upgraded from a 13-megapixel shooter to 16 megapixels. There's a real-time HDR mode, and the super-fast autofocus really is much quicker than the older Galaxies. Overall, the camera is very fast; it takes just 0.3 seconds from launching the app to actually hearing the shutter sound. The front camera has been improved to 2.1 megapixels, confirming that selfies are something everyone is jumping on.

I haven't tested this yet, but the S5 is said to be waterproof and dustproof. Samsung claims the phone would survive bathing in water for up to 30 minutes. And though the back cover is removable, Samsung has added an inner seal to prevent from any wetness from creeping past the seams, and the connecting ports along the phone's bottom edge are protected by a small rubber flap. I'm not a lover of such plastic plugs - you can always almost feel them breaking in your hands. But the waterproofing is a welcome improvement.

Fitness is also a big part of Samsung's script this year, as evidenced by its introduction of a new wrist-worn fitness-tracking band. So to get you into the spirit, the company has added a heart-rate sensor on the backside of the phone. It sits just next to the LED flash, under the rear-facing camera. The sensor measures your pulse at the fingertip. The collected data is synced with the S-Health 3 fitness app that ships on the phone, and it's presented alongside other data captured by the smartphone's motion sensors. So you can count your steps constantly and test your pulse occasionally, giving you a rough snapshot of your fitness activities, including estimated calories burned.

This One

View the gallery in full screen to read more about each of the masks.

The trappings of a typical metal show are nowhere to be found at an Author & Punisher performance. There are no guitars, no drums, and nothing even resembling an band onstage. What you'll find instead is lots and lots of actual metal - a hefty helping of aluminum, steel, and copper, to be precise.

It's all part of an arsenal of Arduino-powered machines that engineer and musician Tristan Shone uses to perform his special brand of doom metal. Each of these industrial instruments was designed, prototyped, and built by Shone. There's Rack & Pinion, a keyboard-like sound controller with six velocity-sensitive sliding keys that can bend and warp sound samples; Rails, a manual rhythm controller and linear actuator that Shone uses like a big, mechanical slide-trombone; as well as other imposing devices with names like 'Big Knobs' and 'Headgear.'

They all output to software music sequencer and digital audio workstation Ableton Live, and they're all meant to be twisted, slid, pushed, stepped up, and screamed into in very specific ways. When combined with his two Ableton computer rigs onstage, Shone can produce a near infinite number of terrifying sounds, loops, and rhythms.

The latest additions to this family of 'dub machines' are a trio of voice-modulating masks. Like his other gear, Shone designed and built them himself. Unlike his other machines - which function as physical MIDI controllers - it's the masks themselves that shape much of the sound during his performances. Those sounds can range from what might be described as a dinosaur slowly being devoured to something more like a screeching machine gun.

'I wanted to use my voice, but rely more on mechanical devices to morph that sound, not just MIDI effects,' said Shone. What began as a few simple voice-altering experiments in the real world eventually turned into three masks: Mute, Dither, and Gate.

For his most recent tour, Shone mounted these masks to a custom-made assembly for easy, hands-free, access. Eventually he says he'll physically wear just one during performances, popping on and off separate voice-altering attachments as needed. But in the mean time, this doom metal auteur likes them so much he's already incorporated the masks into the official Author & Punisher Crest.

The hottest gadgets at world's biggest mobile tech show

1. The new Android-powered Nokia X range.Editor's note: Stuart Miles, founder of Pocket-lint.com, has been scouring the world's biggest mobile technology show in Barcelona for the latest gadgets and innovations. Here are the gadgets that caught his eye.

(CNN) -- Mobile World Congress returned to form this year, with Samsung, Sony, and Huawei all choosing to launch flagship devices in Barcelona. These are my picks from the show:

Nokia X

Just months after being sold to Microsoft, Nokia chose to launch its first Android phones. The devices, all dubbed Nokia X, will run Android but be packed with Microsoft services like OneDrive and Skype. The company says the budget phone will enable Microsoft to enter emerging markets it currently can't reach, but whether they still feel that way when Microsoft takes control in March remains to be seen.

Mozilla unveil plans for cheap smartphones Oakley's 'smart goggles' hit the slopes New tech toys from the future Samsung Galaxy S5

Samsung launched a much more sensible, more cohesive smartphone than previous Galaxy S devices. There's a finger print scanner, a heart rate monitor, new camera tricks, and a clever way of making your downloads faster by combining Wi-Fi and signal coverage together. Samsung also announced a fitness band with a curved OLED screen as it continues its push into wearables. Expect to want the gold one come April.

Sony Xperia Z2

Happy with the design of the very well-received Sony Xperia Z1, the Z2 sports the latest Qualcomm processor bringing with it a stack of improvements. That's the main takeaway here for Sony. Harder, better, faster, stronger, as Daft Punk would say. Early reports and a my own hands-on experience suggest this is going to be one of the best Android phones released this year.

Huawei MediaPad X1

There are two ways to talk up your shiny new powerful tablet. The first is to let it quietly sell on the merits of what you include; the second is to do that and then make sure everyone that comes to your press conference knows how good it is by you trashing the nearest competition - in this case the Nexus 7 and the iPad mini. An amazingly crisp screen, slim form factor, 4G LTE capabilities and a price that is aggressive all help.

A Bluetooth battery

Mobile World Congress is not all about state-of-the-art products. One gadget that caught my eye is the Tethercell. It appears to be an AA battery, but it's actually a case for a AAA battery. The case is also Bluetooth enabled, so after placing it in your child's noisy toy, you can shut it off via your phone when playtime gets too much to bear. Peace and quiet. How lovely.

Follow Stuart Miles on Twitter: @stuartmiles

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Stuart Miles

VIDEO: This Is Samsung's New Fitness Tracking Gadget

Business Insider's coverage of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona is sponsored by Intel.

Samsung announced a bunch of stuff today, but the thing that really stood out was the Gear Fit, a fitness tracking band with a 1.8-inch color screen. Below, we have a short video that we shot when we got some hands-on time with it.

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Gadget maker Huawei unveils TalkBand, a curious smartband

Huawei isn't pulling any punches with its hefty lineup of 4G LTE gadgets at the Mobile World Congress tradeshow in Barcelona.

Altogether, the Chinese device maker revealed five devices on Sunday: two small tablets, the MediaPad X1 and M1; the Ascend G6 smartphone; a smartband fitness tracker that doubles as an earpiece, the TalkBand B1; and a speedy mobile Wi-Fi device, the Huawei E5786. Here's the lowdown on each one.

The tablets

Huawei is late to the tablet market, but it's hoping to make a splash with its two new offerings: the 8-inch MediaPad M1 and the 7-inch MediaPad X1.

Huawei's MediaPad X1

The X1, the more expensive of the two gadgets, could be viewed as a 'phablet' rather than a tablet. The Android tablet includes a SIM card slot that enables calling and texting in addition to 4G LTE data connectivity, so device consolidators could theoretically use it as a smartphone.

The X1 sports a 1,280 x 920 pixel display, a crisp 323 pixels per inch. Inside, it includes a 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and 16 GB of built-in memory, with a microSD card slot for additional storage. Huawei estimates its 5,000 mAh battery will power the device for more than three days during 'normal use,' or for roughly 500 hours on standby. It also offers two impressive cameras: a 13-megapixel camera on the rear, and a wide-angle 5-megapixel camera on the front.

The larger, less-expensive M1 features the same quad-core processor and 4G capabilities, but the battery, cameras, and resolution are lower-spec. The battery is a bit less powerful (4,800 mAh), the screen is a slightly lower resolution (1,280 x 800 pixels), and the cameras are a significant step down (5-megapixel rear-facing, 1-megapixel front-facing).

The M1 is scheduled to release this May in 8 GB and 16 GB models - and again, you can slip in a 32 GB microSD card to boost that storage - while the X1 will arrive in the latter half of 2014. Huawei has yet to release a price point for either tablet.

The smartphone

Huawei, which shipped nearly 50 million smartphones last year, today unveiled its Ascend G6 Android phone.

The 4.5-inch device has a 960 x 540 pixel display, a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor, and a 2000 mAh battery. It also has an 8-megapixel camera on the back and a (selfie-friendly) 5-megapixel camera on the front. Its 8 GB of built-in storage can be expanded with a microSD card.

The Ascend G6 comes in a range of colors.

The Ascend G6 looks fairly similar to last year's Ascend P6, though its not as crazily narrow (it's 7.9 millimeters thick compared to the P6?s 6.2mm) and the brushed metal back panel has been replaced with a rubberized plastic back. Huawei will likely compensate for these design changes with a cheaper price point, though it has yet to announce official pricing details. It'll go on sale in April, according to Huawei.

The smartband

Huawei's TalkBand B1 is the most curious device the gadget maker revealed in Barcelona.

The 'Band' part is pretty obvious: You wear it around your wrist and it tracks steps taken, calories burned, and distance traveled. It also functions as a sleeping pattern monitor with a smart alarm clock function that wakes you up during a period of light sleep.

But the 'Talk' part is a little more surprising: The band's 1.4-inch flexible OLED display doubles as a removable earpiece that turns the wearable into a wireless calling accessory. It can pair with phones over NFC.

Huawei says the TalkBand's 90 mAh battery will last for six days of regular usage. The gadget maker has yet to announce a price point for the TalkBand B1, but it'll be out in China next month. Folks in Japan, Russia, Western Europe, and the Middle East will have to wait until the second quarter to strap it around their wrists.

The Mi-Fi device

Lastly, Huawei announced what it's calling the world's fastest mobile Wi-Fi (Mi-Fi) device: the Huawei E5786.

The Huawei E5786

The gizmo will support download speeds up to 300 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 100 Mbps. Naturally, you'll need a blazing fast mobile phone network to reach those maximum performance standards.

The E5786, which uses the latest dual-band Wi-Fi standard (802.11ac), is said to support up to 10 connected devices. It includes a 3,000 mAh battery that should last for around 10 hours of use, according to Huawei. It also offers reverse charging, which means it juice up your smartphone if you're running out of power on your mobile device.

Huawei's E5786 is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2014.

MWC: Take back your phone

MWC: Take back your phone

At the Mobile World Congress currently underway in Barcelona, Bitdefender announced a new mobile security solution for Android with anti-theft capabilities and enhanced security privacy protection.

Today at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Bitdefender announced the new Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android, with new smart anti-theft capabilities, enhanced privacy protection, a sleek new interface and battery-saving features.

Awarded for best malware detection and usability by independent security testers, the new Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android uses cloud-based technology to warn device owners of malicious web sites, phishing and fraud while helping users find, wipe or lock a missing device easier and faster.

Privacy Advisor points out intrusive apps that collect sensitive data such as browsing history, bookmarks, contacts lists, messages and calendar entries or that view saved photos.

A Bitdefender analysis of 836,021 free Android apps revealed that about a third can access your location, while almost one in 30 can leak your e-mail address and even more can read your contact lists, access your photos or read your browsing history.

'Once this data is accessed, the phone's owner has no control over who sees it and how it is used,' says Bitdefender Chief Security Strategist Catalin Cosoi. 'Modern mobile phones are less of a phone and more of a mobile computer and the unchecked use of apps can pose a serious risk to the owner's privacy.'

Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android also indicates which applications use billable device functions, including making phone calls or sending text messages, helping users make informed decisions about privacy and data security.

Bitdefender Mobile Security for Android is available for download at http://ift.tt/MrhNXz and can be tested for free for 14 days.

* Follow Gadget on Twitter on @GadgetZA

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BioLite supersizes its gadget

TreehuggerBioLite supersizes its gadget-charging thermoelectric stoveTreehuggerBioLite's thermoelectric CampStove, which is similar to a rocket stove in design and allows users to cook their meals or heat water with just twigs and to generate surplus electricity to charge small mobile devices, just got a big brother, which won ...

This Week's Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible

Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what's coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but many are totally bogus. As always, we've parsed the week's rumors, ranking them in order from 'utterly ridiculous' to 'duh, of course.' First up...

DON'T COUNT ON IT: Apple iWatch to Use Silver Nanowire and Curved 3-D Glass A report from the China Times possibly sheds some light on what materials Apple could be using in its rumored iWatch wearable device. The iWatch's display will be flexible AMOLED covered by a protective layer of 3-D glass. That's as in 'not flat' glass - curved, most likely, according to prior rumors. As for its touch-sensing, the display will use silver nanowire technology. This stuff doesn't sound too far-fetched, but the China Times has a hit-or-miss track record when it comes to Apple leaks.

ASK AGAIN LATER: More Uses for iPad's Magnetic Tech In a patent application titled ' Magnetic Attachment Unit,' Apple describes how the magnetic technology currently used in iPads to attach its Smart Cover and turn the display on and off could be used for other applications. A specific arrangement of magnets could be used so that the iPad could be attached to other cases or stands, including gaming controllers and detachable keyboards. It could also be used in conjunction with a stylus, enabling or disabling a 'stylus mode' for the device. This does sound like something Apple could implement pretty easily, if it were something Apple wanted to.

SIGNS POINT TO YES: 4.7- and 5.6-Inch iPhones on the Way Apple's next handsets will be 4.7 and 5.6 inches in size, according to a Taiwanese report. We've been hearing time and again that Apple is working on a larger handset for its next iPhone, and also that it would come in two different sizes. The report says they'll arrive in Q3, like the past two iPhone launches. Interestingly, it also adds that the larger of the two handsets won't be branded as an iPhone. This sounds a bit more far-fetched. If it's still a phone, why wouldn't Apple just name it iPhone [something, something] like it did with the iPhone 5s and 5c?

SIGNS POINT TO YES: iPad 2 Dead, iPad Air Getting Updated, No New Mini in 2014 KGI Securities analyst Ming Chi-Kuo has a string of predictions for Apple's iPad plans for the upcoming year that align with previous rumors and reports, and otherwise just sound pretty reasonable. Kuo expects the second generation iPad will be officially discontinued in Q1 of this year, and the fourth-gen iPad will go back into production instead, likely as a cheaper option for consumers the way Apple resurrected the iPhone 4 for some markets this past year. Kuo expects the iPad Air will get an update in the third quarter which will include an A8 processor and Touch ID - both things I'd expect the flagship iPad to get as well. He also thinks a new iPad mini isn't likely because of how popular the iPad Air is, and that a 12.9-inch large iPad is also unlikely because Apple is focusing its efforts on the iWatch rather than an extra large tablet. The latter will become more clear as the year progresses; if we start seeing 12.9 inch Retina displays in the supply chain, we'll know more surely that a large iPad will arrive this year.

WITHOUT A DOUBT: Apple's Been Investigating Wearable Health Tech for Years Apple's recently hyped push into the health and fitness wearable space has much deeper roots than we might expect. A patent originally filed in 2007 and granted to Apple this week illustrates a pair of sensor-filled headphones that monitor health stats like temperature, perspiration, and heart rate. An accelerometer inside could also track movement data, and offer hands-free communication using head gestures (that doesn't sound awkward at all). Tracking health statistics in a wearable device is something Apple's been looking into for years - perhaps we'll finally see the fruits of all that R&D within the next year or two.

LG jumps into wearable fitness gadget market with wristband, heart

A member of the media tries on an LG Life Band Touch activity tracker during the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show, Monday, Jan. 6, 2014, in Las Vegas. The tracker offers features like calorie output and heart rate tracking. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Korean electronics maker LG is jumping into the wearable fitness market.

The company is making earbuds that will measure your heart rate from inside your ears. The earbuds connect to a small medallion that syncs to a smartphone via Bluetooth wireless technology.

LG Corp. is also making a wristband that goes further than the Nike FuelBand SE unveiled in November. LG's version sports an organic light-emitting diode display that allows the user to control music, accept incoming calls and be alerted to text messages. Nike Inc.'s FuelBand has a dot matrix display that has more limited readout capabilities related only to fitness.

The wearable gizmos were unveiled at the International CES gadget show in Las Vegas on Monday.

There were no immediate details on price and release dates.

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