Nokia Lumia 720 starts receiving the Lumia Black update

The Nokia Black update is now available for the Lumia 720 as owners have reached us to report they are now enjoying the latest Nokia extras on their handsets.

The Nokia Lumia Black update brings the Glance screen feature, support for Bluetooth 4.0 and Nokia Beamer (which the 720 doesn't get due to the 1GB RAM requirement). Early adopters report that the Glance screen works perfectly as works well with the newly the double tap to wake feature, which also came as part of the update. The phone also feels snappier, according to some reports.

The Lumia 720 update means that the majority of the Nokia Lumia lineup has already received the Black update. This includes the Lumia 520, Lumia 625, Lumia 920 as well as the Lumia 1020 AT&T variant. The Lumia 620 is the only one that yet to receive the enhancement suite.

Nokia released a three minute video overview of the Lumia Black update, which we GSMArena's blog.

Microsoft may launch a cheaper Xbox One console in 2014, reports claim

Another reason to wait before buying an Xbox One?

Microsoft is reportedly planning to release a cheaper version of its Xbox One console, according to reports on Friday.

A 'senior publishing source' told VG24/7 that a new iteration of the console will arrive later this year, at a lower price point than the current suggested sale price of $499/£429/AU$599.

If the company follows through and drops new hardware this year through, it would also drop the price of the existing Xbox One come to match the less expensive Sony PS4, the report claimed.

The report follows rumours this week claiming Microsoft plans to go public with the white version of the console later this year, which may hit the market with or without an optical drive and a bluetooth adapter.

Lowering the outlay

Launching a disc-less console would be one way for Microsoft to go in terms of lowering the initial outlay for gamers getting into the next-gen.

The company confirmed last month that it considered dropping discs completely for the Xbox One, but decided against it in the run up to launch.

Also rumoured this week was the launch of an Xbox One dashboard update in March aimed at fixing problems with Party Chat and other issues with Xbox Live.

Would you snap up a downloads-only console if it meant saving a few bucks on the hardware itself? Or will you always want the opportunity to pick up a cheap used game and slap it in the drive? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.

Ouya all-black console packs 16GB of storage, refined controller

Matches the Xbox One and PS4 that you actually use

The Android-based Ouya console can better match the rest of your electronics today thanks to an all-black version that also promises to fix the problems of the original.

Its 16GB of internal flash storage trumps the 8GB found in the two-tone black and gray edition that first launched as a Kickstarter-funded product.

This extra storage was briefly a part of the limited-edition white Ouya console that went on sale during the holidays and sold out in a few weeks. Now it's a permanent part of this black system.

Of course, it's more expensive as a result. The new Ouya and matching matte black controller retail for $129 on the company's online store and Amazon in the US and Canada.

Prices in the UK and Australia have not been announced and simply converting the amount actually makes it about £78 - cheaper than the current 8GB model. Clearly it'll be jacked up.

The original 8GB black-and-gray Ouya will remain on sale for $99 (£99, about AU$113).

Refined controller, boosted WiFi

The all-black console also contains a refined controller and boosted WiFi, according to an Ouya press release today.

When we asked how the controller changed, a company spokesperson said that it "includes updated firmware for improved connectivity."

That means you're not going to get stuck with the older, lag-prone Ouya gamepad. It was phased-out last year, but still made buying the previous model a random draw; the old and new boxes looked alike.

This new version contains textured thumbsticks, non-sticking action buttons and tighter triggers right out of the box.

Ouya now matches the PS4 and Xbox One with a matte black scheme, but it may eventually have some Android-based competition from Amazon, its closest retailer.

Lenovo won't rip up Motorola roadmap - new Moto X on the horizon

But will the new Moto X touch down before 2015 comes around?

Now that Motorola has divorced Google and run off with Lenovo, we wondered if the first fruit of their passions would be the Moto Kutcher.

However we're hearing information that Motorola's device line-up for 2015 is already locked and in the pipeline, so Lenovo won't be interefering much at all.

According to a source with a "pretty flawless track record" speaking to G4Games, the new Moto X is also said to be a done deal, and Lenovo won't make any alterations to the handset.

Motoring ahead

The same source was unable to say whether the Moto X will arrive this year or next, but did say that Motorola's got a 6-inch phablet and a smartwatch set for 2015.

So if this is true, Lenovo's acquisition won't mean many dramatic shifts for Motorola in the coming months as the two get used to their new relationship.

It's all Lenovo for Moto and Sky enters a new era of TV watching

w the back of its Motorola division this week

Shock news from Google this week: it's selling Motorola, the smartphone firm it bought for billions, for a fraction of the price it originally paid. The lucky buyer is Lenovo, which promises to make Motorola "even more successful" and says that layoffs and cutbacks aren't in Motorola's future.

More expensive phones probably are in Moto's future, though: as Gareth Beavis says: "without Google's magic supply of money, we aren't going to be seeing devices like the ultra-cheap Moto G any time soon." Looking on the bright side, more tablets and phablets should be on the horizon too.

Google's acquisition of Motorola may look like a failure, says our columnist Gary Marshall, but it isn't. "Motorola is the pawn Google's sacrificing to save a much more important piece: all of Android," he says, noting that the news comes hot on the heels of Samsung agreeing to share patents and to stop messing around with the Android UI."It isn't hard to imagine the two sides having a conversation of the 'we'll get out of the phone business if you stop buggering around with our OS and share some of your patents' variety," Marshall says. By getting Samsung closer to the mothership and giving Lenovo a boost, "Android is stronger and more focused than ever before."

Is Nintendo still in the game?

Focus is something Nintendo's trying to do too, and it's helping its execs concentrate by slashing their salaries: president Satoru Iwata and other board members will be taking pay cuts ranging from 20% to 50% while they get the company back on track.

Profits are down 30% and sales forecasts for the quirky Wii U have been cut by more than two-thirds, and while the firm has ruled out bringing its games to smartphones it is apparently working on iOS and Android apps that complement its consoles and games.

Sony is giving the slimmed-down Vita a second chance

It's facing an uphill challenge: even Sony's PS Vita Slim looks more like a swansong than a device that's going to take gaming by storm in a market where the Xbox One and PS4 dominate console gaming and smartphones dominate the casual gaming market.

The answer might be in health monitoring: during this week's strategy briefing, Iwata promised that Nintendo "will attempt to establish a new platform business [that] is independent from our video game platform business", which will "enable people to monitor their health". That doesn't mean wearables, though, and while the platform won't be part of Nintendo's gaming business it will connect to the games in some fashion. Nintendo says it'll tell us more later this year.

Changing channels

Good news for anybody who thinks Sky's EPG is looking a bit dated: there's a new one imminent, and it'll reflect the changing way we approach TV. As Patrick Goss explains: "on-demand is brought to the fore, with Catch Up TV, TV Box Sets, Sky+ Planner and Sky Store as well as the rather necessary TV Guide." It's due in the Spring.

Sky's renewed HBO deal means more Game of Thrones in the UK

Sky has also been chucking some money at programme makers. It's signed a new deal with HBO

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo gets priced in Germany

Less than 24 hours after going official, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo got a price tag. A German online retailer listed both versions of the phablet as available for pre-order.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo LTE+ is priced at € 529.90, while its quad-core HSPA+ sibling is listed for € 499.00. Both devices are unlocked and free of any carrier branding. There are no details on their shipping date for the time being.

Hexa-core CPU or not, the price tag of both versions of the phablet is a tad too ambitious at the moment (the same retailer has the regular Samsung Galaxy Note 3 listed for less). We do suspect that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo will slot in well below its bigger brother in terms of pricing when it becomes officially available.

Red color LG Nexus 5 appears in a leaked press image

After appearing in live images on a couple of occasions over the past week, the yet to be revealed red LG Nexus 5 showed up yet again. This time around, a press image of the red handset made the rounds on Twitter, courtesy of @evleaks.

Right in line with earlier leaks, the press image reveals that the red Nexus 5, like its white relative, will essentially carry a dual-color scheme. In it, the back of the smartphone has been treated to the new color, whereas the front is all-black save for the red accent on the earpiece.

There is no word on the availability of the red Nexus 5 just yet. It shouldn’t be a long wait before the device goes official.