In Depth: Best apps for your new tablet or smartphone

Just got an Android or Apple phone or tablet for Christmas? Lucky you!

Both platforms have a wealth of apps, free and paid-for, that you can download and enjoy on your new device.

But with so many apps available, how do you know which ones to get? That's where we come in.

TechRadar is well known for its definitive lists of the best apps for Android and iOS, which we keep regularly updated.

So whether you're looking for the best games, apps to help you take control of your social networks, or apps to help you be more productive at work, we've got you covered.

Below are links to our most popular app roundups…

Best Android apps

50 best free Android apps

40 best free Android games

10 best paid-for Android apps

10 best paid-for Android games

30 best free Android 3.0 apps

10 best free Android apps for kids

10 best office apps for Android

Best iPad apps

50 best free iPad apps

40 best paid-for iPad apps

40 best free iPad games

30 best paid-for iPad games

Best iPhone apps

50 best free iPhone apps

40 best free iPhone games

20 best paid-for iPhone apps

40 best paid-for iPhone games

Best iPhone sat nav apps

10 best iPad and iPhone apps for mobile working

Best Windows Phone apps

20 best free Windows Phone 7.5 Mango apps

Best Windows tablet apps

10 best Windows 7 tablet apps

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Buying Guide: Best accessories for your new iPad or iPhone

Best iPad and iPhone accessories

We love the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

The things you can do with them are nothing short of incredible: watch TV; find the nearest fine dining establishment; record and edit HD video… the list goes on.

But these devices can be even better. With the correct accessories, you can push your kit to new limits.

iPhone speaker docks

01. Gear4 Angry Birds Speakers
Price: £50 - £70
URL: gear4.com
Works with: Everything
Aux in: Red Bird only

These aren't going to compete with the others here in the sound stakes, but just look at how cool they are! As well as the Red and Black birds, you can get a green Helmet Pig. The Red Bird has a 3.5mm jack, so you can connect other audio sources too.

02. Logitech S715i
Price: £99
URL: logitech.com Works with: iPhone, iPod touch
Aux in: Yes

As well as pumping out the best sound you're going to get for under £100, Logitech's dock has a built-in battery and comes with a carry pouch, making it the perfect portable sound system whether you use it in the house or outdoors.

03. Philips Fidelio DS3020
Price: £49
URL: philips.com
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch
Aux in: Yes

At its modest price point, this diminutive and stylish dock blows the competition clean out of the water with its audio prowess. A great choice for listening to your music in a small room, such as your study, student halls or bedroom.

04. Klipsch iGroove HG
Price: £100
URL: klipsch.com
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch
Aux in: Yes

If you listen to a lot of music that benefits from powerful, thumping bass, look no further than this speaker, which lets you enjoy dance and R&B at its most immersive. And we love its unassuming, swept-back form.

05. Memorex Mini Alarm Clock Radio
Price: £47
URL: memorex.com
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch
Aux in: Yes

This is the perfect size for a bedside table. Dock your iPod touch or iPhone, and wake up to find it fully charged with your own music playing. The audio is quite good considering it's coming from such a small unit, and the 3.5mm aux-in jack means you can connect your iPad for its tunes too.

iPhone speaker docks £100+

01. B&W Zeppelin Air
Price: £499
URL: bowers-wilkins.co.uk
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch (docked), iPad (AirPlay)
Aux in: Yes

This king of iPod docks may have a royal price tag to match its stature, but it really is worth every penny. It looks great, sounds awesome and - thanks to AirPlay - works wirelessly with your iPhone, iPod touch and iPad too. Your ears will thank you forever for getting one of these.

02. Altec Lansing Octiv 650
Price: £130
URL: alteclansing.com
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch
Aux in: Yes

Don't be fooled by its minimalist, understated exterior - the Octiv 650 is a great value dock that packs in a brace of video outputs so you can enjoy your favourite flicks and programmes from your iPod or iPhone on a regular TV. The on-board EQ helps you tweak the sound output to match what you like to listen to. It's cleverly packaged too.

03. Creative Ziisound D5x and DSx
Price: £280 (D5x), £140 (DSx)
URL: uk.creative.com
Works with: Everything
Aux in: No

Meaty, beaty, big and beefy, this dock and subwoofer combo is the perfect partner for enjoying music and movies on your iPad, iPod touch or iPhone. Because it's completely wireless, you can listen cable-free. This also gives you the option of adding extra speakers - making it ideal for multi-room or even home cinema set-ups.

04. Arcam rCube
Price: £350
URL: arcam.co.uk
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch
Aux in: Yes

Thanks to a £150 price drop, the cleverly packaged rCube is brilliant value for money, combining portability and flexibility with hi-fi quality sound. The best thing about the rCube is that you can daisy chain additional units together cable-free; all you need to add are the optional rWave USB Music Streaming Dongles (£80 each) with Kleer wireless tech.

05. Revo Axis
Price: £200
URL: revo.co.uk
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch
Aux in: Yes

Armed with DAB, DAB+, FM and internet radio, the Revo Axis is so much more than a regular iPhone or iPod dock. The front panel comes complete with an easy-to-use touchscreen display and menu system, which is matched by a great audio performance that belies its size.

iPad docks

01. Altec Lansing Octiv 450
Price: £82
URL: alteclansing.com
Works with: iPad

The Octiv 450 is a great little charging stand for your iPad, and its built-in speakers are perfectly competent for playing back music or TV programmes, say. Its meagre footprint makes it perfect for small desks or kitchen worktops.

02. iHome iD9
Price: £97
URL: ihomeaudio.com
Works with: iPad

The sound from this smart, compact speaker isn't as full as even the slightly cheaper Octiv 450, but it's by no means bad - and it has great stereo separation. It has a great hidden feature, though: a 10-hour built-in battery for tunes on the go.

03. Philips Fidelio DS9010
Price: £349
URL: philips.co.uk
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch, iPad

Our current favourite speaker system for iPhones, iPads and iPods - bar none. Yes, you can spend more and get even better, more balanced sound, but for our money, the richness and punch of this dock is well worth the significant cash investment.

04. Apple iPad Dock
Price: £25
URL: apple.com/uk
Works with: iPad

Apple's official dock for the iPad doesn't have any speakers in it - it's just a handy place to put your device to charge it and keep it at a useful viewing angle. Yes, it's expensive, but its simple good looks and surprising level of stability means it gets the nod.

05. KitSound iPad Dock
Price: £6
URL: kitsound.co.uk
Works with: iPad

If you don't fancy shelling out 25 quid for the Apple dock, consider this little bargain from KitSound. At only £6, it does pretty much the same thing for a quarter of the price. If you can live with non-Apple accessories, it's a steal.

iPhone and iPad cases and keyboardsiPhone cases

01. Griffin Survivor
Price: £17
URL: griffintechnology.com
Works with: iPhone 4/4S

Protection doesn't come much more robust than this: the Survivor is designed to meet or even exceed UK and US military standards of toughness! It'll make your iPhone 4/4S resistant to being dropped and offers some protection from sand and rain. There are also versions of this case for the iPod touch and iPad 2.

02. Incipio Feather
Price: £14
URL: myincipio.com
Works with: iPhone 3G/3GS or 4/4S

If you're not keen on adding much weight or bulk to your iPhone, check out these super-slim back covers. Available in shiny or matte finishes, the Feather leaves the connectors and buttons easily accessible, while keeping the back of your iPhone protected from knocks.

03. Knomo iPhone Wallet
Price: £35
URL: knomobags.com
Works with: iPhone 3G/3GS/4/4S

Why carry a phone case and a wallet, when you can combine the two in a stylish leather folder? Pop in a couple of important cards, slide your iPhone into the designated pouch and you're ready to go. You'll need to take your iPhone out of the case to use it, though.

04. Belkin Leather Pull-Tab Sleeve
Price: £11
URL: belkin.com/uk
Works with: iPhone 3G/3GS/4/4S

If you don't want to cover up the sleek lines of your iPhone when you're using it, but need some protection for it in your pocket or bag, this sleeve could be just the ticket. Extremely robust, it's got a gauze window to check the time, and a tab to get at your phone easily.

05. ArtWizz SeeJacket Alu
Price: £20
URL: artwizz.de
Works with: iPhone 4/4S

This aluminium case adds more protection than a plastic shell, without adding much extra weight or bulk. The inner rubber lining grips the phone and protects from bumps.

06. Pro/Tec Executive Leather Case
Price: £7
URL: kondor.co.uk
Works with: iPhone 3G/3GS or 4/4S

A smart leather case doesn't need to cost the Earth: for under a tenner, you get a robust and business-like flip case. Make sure you get the correct one for your model of iPhone.

iPad cases

01. Apple Smart Cover
Price: £35/£59
URL: apple.com/uk
Works with: iPad 2

We couldn't not include this, could we? A cover, automatic screen switch and two-angle stand, it's wonderfully versatile. Yes, it's pricey and doesn't protect the back of the iPad 2, but as a piece of engineering it's still the best iPad cover out there.

02. Belkin Verve Folio Stand
Price: £34
URL: belkin.com/uk
Works with: iPad 2

It looks the part, the built-in magnet switches the screen on and off automatically, and it's relatively thin as far as leather folder cases go. What's more, it offers all-round protection for your iPad and will stand in landscape at a variety of angles. Pure class.

03. Orbyx Leather Folder case
Price: £29
URL: orbyx.com
Works with: iPad

This oozes class with a splash of fun thrown in: the black or brown leather exterior is complemented by a bright green or pink lining inside. It's a good fit, and will prop your iPad at a nice angle for typing or watching videos.

04. Incipio Destroyer
Price: £28
URL: myincipio.com
Works with: iPad

If it's solid protection you're after, solid protection you shall get. This sturdy shell bolts together, holding your iPad in a vice-like grip. It's for the original iPad only - for the iPad 2, have a look at Gumdrop's similar Drop cases.

05. iLuv Flex-Gel Case
Price: £11
URL: i-luv-uk.co.uk
Works with: iPad 2

If you're after a gel back cover for your iPad 2, you've countless options. But this trumps them all, because it hugs your device so tightly where many others are a bit loose around the edges. The matt surface gives you a nice amount of grip, and there are five colours.

06. iLuv Smart Back Cover
Price: £27
URL: i-luv-uk.co.uk
Works with: iPad 2

So you love the Apple Smart Cover, but want to protect the back of your iPad 2 as well - what do you do? Why, you get one of these, of course. It clips on, adding minimal extra thickness to your iPad 2, but excellent all-round protection.

07. Speck HandyShell for iPad 2
Price: £27
URL: speckproducts.com
Works with: iPad 2

As well as a protective shell, this gives you a genius fold-out clip. It's clever because it does so many things: use it to grip your iPad, hang it up, or stand it in portrait or landscape orientations. Or if you're more musically inclined, flip the clip right out and you've got an easy way to hold your virtual guitar!

Headphones

01. Apple In-Ear Headphones
Price: £45
URL: apple.com/uk
Works with: Everything

You'd be forgiven for thinking, given how lacklustre the white headphones you get with the iPhone and iPod are, that we're mad for suggesting buying Apple's premium set. But actually, they're the best in-ear models we've tried at this price.

02. Sennheiser HD 518
Price: £72
URL: sennheiser.co.uk
Works with: Everything

Because these over-the-ear cans are open-backed, sound doesn't bounce around inside the cup in the same way as with closed-back models - resulting in audio that is as crisp as it is gutsy. What's more, they're really comfortable to wear for hours at a time.

03. Sony MDR-NC200D
Price: £172
URL: sony.co.uk
Works with: Everything

This is the only set in this list that includes active noise cancellation. Powered by a single AAA battery, the smart, three-mode noise cancellation works well on something like a train journey, and the overall sound quality from these headphones is excellent.

04. Etymotic hf3
Price: £100
URL: etymotic.com
Works with: Everything

The super-clean, balanced and neutral sound from these in-ear buds may not be to everyone's taste, but if you like your music as uncoloured as possible, these are stunning. You could also treat yourself to custom moulded earbuds (shown) for an extra £70.

05. Sennheiser PX 210 BT
Price: £92
URL: sennheiser.co.uk
Works with: Everything

It's difficult to fully grasp how liberating it is to have wireless headphones until you've tried them. This superb Bluetooth set - like its fancier brother, the MM 450 Travel - sounds terrific, and works great with everything except the original iPhone and iPod touch.

Input

01. Wacom Bamboo Stylus
Price: £25
URL: wacom.eu
Works with: Everything

Whether it's to write, paint or sketch on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, there are times when you need more precision than your finger can offer. And Wacom's 6mm tip is as small and precise as you can get with the screen on your device. It's beautifully weighted to feel like a pencil in your hand, and though it's costly as far as styluses go, it's the best there is.

02. Just Mobile AluPen
Price: £15
URL: xtand.net
Works with: Everything

This stylus is solid, chunky and easy to hold. It's got a thicker tip than the Wacom Bamboo Stylus, making it perhaps more suitable for artists' use. It's also a good deal cheaper than the Bamboo Stylus, but doesn't feel it when you've got it in-hand.

03. ZAGGfolio for iPad 2
Price: £80
URL: zagg.com
Works with: iPad 2

OK, so this isn't cheap, but it's our favourite keyboard and protective case combo for the iPad 2. A lovely detachable keyboard slots into a thin protective cover and stand.

04. KeySonic KSK- 3201MacBT
Price: £38
URL: keysonic.de
Works with: Everything

Whether it's a quick iMessage or longer piece of prose that you're writing, you'll almost certainly be quicker and more comfortable with an external keyboard than the on-screen one. This one gets the balance between compact size and ease of typing spot on.

05. Logitech Tablet Keyboard
Price: £50
URL: logitech.com
Works with: Everything

If the prospect of typing on a compact keyboard like the KeySonic one doesn't thrill you, take a look at Logitech's excellent desktop-size offering, which comes complete with carry case that doubles as a clever stand for the iPad.

Power

01. Mophie JuicePack Plus
Price: £27
URL: mophie.com
Works with: iPhone 4/4S

Pop your iPhone 4/4S into one of these battery cases and you'll almost double the length of time you can use it for, thanks to the 2000mAh battery. The case helps protect your phone from bumps and scrapes as well, though it also adds some bulk.

02. Proporta USB TurboCharger
Price: £43
URL: proporta.com
Works with: Everything

It may be big and a bit weighty, but the whopping 5000mAh battery in here should fill an iPhone several times over, and will also charge an iPad. A great companion to take with you if you're expecting to be away from power outlets for long periods.

03. Griffin PowerJolt Plus
Price: £13
URL: griffintechnology.com
Works with: Everything

Make sure you never arrive at your destination with a dead iPhone, iPad or iPod touch: plug one of these into your car's lighter socket and your device will charge. It's even got a feed-through socket on it, meaning you can connect more than one thing to a single socket.

04. Kensington PowerLift Back-Up Battery, Dock & Stand
Price: £33
URL: kensington.com
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch

A bit of a multitasking marvel, this one - not only will it stand and sync your iPhone or iPod touch, but it'll charge it on the go thanks to its 1200mAh battery. It's perfect for FaceTime or other calls, so be sure to take it with you whenever you head out the door.

05. Griffin PowerDock Dual
Price: £32
URL: griffintechnology.com
Works with: Everything

You get three things in one, here: an iPhone/iPod charger; an iPad charger; and a tray for your keys or coins. The PowerDock Dual is the ideal place to leave your iOS devices to charge - both when you're at home or at work.

06. iDAPT i4
Price: £37
URL: idaptweb.com
Works with: Everything

If you've got several devices - be they Apple or otherwise - the i4 lets you charge them all at once. By adding different tips to the unit (it comes with one dock connector, you can buy more from the website), you can connect three bits of kit, and the USB port allows you to charge a fourth, too.

Music making

01. Alesis iO Dock
Price: £139
URL: alesis.com
Works with: iPad

There are plenty of excellent accessories to add music input and output to your iPad or iPad 2, but the iO Dock brings them all together in a single package. The XLR and quarter-inch jack inputs mean you can connect a range of equipment, and these are complemented by MIDI inputs and outputs. Add a foot pedal socket, composite video out and two quarter-inch main outputs, and you've got a fantastic package.

02. IK Multimedia iRig
Price: £22
URL: ikmultimedia.com
Works with: Everything

Forget buying lots of costly effects pedals for your guitar: get an iRig and the AmpliTube app for a whole range of different guitar sounds right there on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. It's also a great way to record those guitar licks you've been perfecting straight into GarageBand. An absolutely essential add-on for any guitarist with an iOS device.

03. IK Multimedia iRig MIDI
Price: £46
URL: ikmultimedia.com
Works with: Everything

Where the first iRig is designed for connecting guitars to the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, the MIDI version lets you hook up any MIDI kit - such as keyboards, synthesisers and foot pedals - to your device. What's more, because it uses the CoreMIDI system, it'll work with a whole host of iOS apps.

04. Numark iDJ Live
Price: £80
URL: numark.com
Works with: iPad

Mixing music like a real DJ no longer requires you to shell out hundreds of pounds on a set of decks, a mixer and lots of vinyl. The iDJ Live links to the excellent djay iPad app (£13.99), letting you control your tunes using a tactile pair of decks, with basic mixing controls in between. And while your revellers dance away to the playing track, the included splitter cable means you can cue up the next in your headphones.

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Buying Guide: Best iPad and iPhone car charger: 5 tested

Best iPad and iPhone car charger

There's nothing worse after a long journey than arriving at your destination with a flat battery in your iOS device.

So to ensure you can still make calls and browse the web when you've parked your car keep your batteries topped up with one of these in-car chargers.

01. Belkin Micro Auto Charger - £15

URL: www.belkin.com/uk
Lights up? Yes
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch

Unlike the similarly-sized Gear 4, below, the Belkin comes with its own charging cable. It has a green charging light, which doesn't change colour when charging. It's not listed as iPad compatible, but we found it worked fine for charging the iPad, too.

Verdict: 4/5

02. Gear4 Roadtour Micro In-car USB charger - £15

URL: gear4.com
Lights up? Yes
Works with: Everything

It's small, comes in stylish Apple white and has an ice-blue LED that glows when something's charging. Shame there's no cable - all you get is a USB port to plug things into - but that means it can work with more devices. It's also well-made and ultra compact.

Verdict: 3/5

03. iLuv Dual USB Car charger - £13

URL: i-luv-uk.co.uk
Lights up? Yes
Works with: iPhone, iPod touch

Why settle for one USB port when you can have two? That's the message of the iLuv. It doesn't officially support the iPad, but we found that ours did charge. The charging head can rotate to make the USB ports more accessible, and a big blue light tells you when it's charging.

Verdict: 3/5

04. Griffin PowerJolt Plus - £13

URL: griffintechnology.com
Lights up? No
Works with: Everything

This well-made charger comes with its own springy cable and is a nice size to make connecting easy. Unplug the rubber cap at the top of the device and you can pop in a second car-charging device, so you could charge two things at the same time!

Verdict: 5/5

05. Philips Car charger for iPhone and iPad - £20

URL: philips.co.uk
Lights up? Yes
Works with: Everything

The Philips is an uncomplicated solution, but we like it. It comes with its own cable, so you don't need to bring another, and glows white when plugged in and orange when charging, making it easy to know if your device is charging properly in the dark. It's big enough to easily plug in without looking.

Verdict: 4/5

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Tutorial: How to build an Android app

How to create an Android app

One of the strengths of the Android platform compared to iOS, for example, is that it has an open source basis, which makes it easier to produce your own applications and distribute them without waiting for a lengthy approval process.

You can set up your own Android app on your PC as long as you have the right software installed, and you can even take it for a test drive using an Android emulator so you can see what it will look like when it's run on a smartphone.

There are two techniques that you can use to produce Android applications with a PC. The first uses the Android Software Development Kit (SDK). This lets you write raw code and helps you get it working in the Android environment. The second uses App Inventor, a Google Labs tool that's still in beta.

This provides you with a simple drag-and-drop environment that you can use to generate new applications made up of building blocks of code and media. It's an attempt to make application development possible for people who aren't hardcore coders, but it's not recommended for production environments.

Assuming that you'd like to try the full coded environment, we'll demonstrate how to produce a simple 'hello world' application. If you'd rather work in a GUI, we'll discuss App Inventor later on. Android apps are written in Java code, so you'll need a Java development kit installed on your PC. You also need an integrated development environment (IDE) so you can write and test the code.

You also need to get your computer ready for the Android SDK. Start by installing a Java Development Kit for your version of Windows.

You also need to install Eclipse IDE for Java developers. When you install Eclipse it will check for the JDK. It's best to unzip Eclipse in the same directory as the JDK. If it can't find the JDK it won't install, but you can always move the required files to whatever directory the Eclipse installer is examining.

With Eclipse up and running, you can download the Android SDK. Extract it to a safe directory on your PC and make a note of where it is.

Back in Eclipse you need to add the Android Development Tools. To do this, choose 'Help > Install new software'. Next to 'Work with', enter https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/eclipse and click 'Add'. In the pane below this, check 'Development tools' and click 'Next'. Select 'Android DDMS' and 'Android Development Tools'. Click 'Next', accept the terms and restart.

You need to point the ADT plugin to where you extracted the Android SDK. In Eclipse choose 'Window > Preferences > Android'. Next to 'SDK location' click 'Browse' and locate the folder with the SDK. Click 'Apply' and 'OK'

Android platform

Now that you've sorted out the programming environment, you also need to get at least one version of the Android platform. You can do this in the Android SDK and AVD Manager, which you can launch in Eclipse if you've set your system up correctly.

Choose 'Window > Android SDK and AVD Manager' to open it, then select 'Available packages' and tick the box next to 'https://dl-ssl.google.com/android/repository/repository.xml'.

After a brief scan of the repository, you'll see the available components. Tick those that you want to install and clear the rest. The most important package to install is the latest version of the Android platform. You'll only need older ones if you plan to release your app and need to test it in a range of different versions. At this stage you can also clear the samples, Google APIs and USB driver. If you need any of these later, you can always go back and install them.

Click 'Install selected' and wait for the components to download. Verify and accept the new components if prompted and they will be added to your existing Android SDK folders.

Android virtual devices

Having downloaded a version of Android, you need to set up an Android Virtual Device (AVD) to run the computer. You can do this in the Android SDK and AVD Manager. Choose 'Window > Android SDK and AVD manager' and select 'Virtual devices'. Click 'New' and provide a name for your new device. Select the Android platform that you want to use as the target. Click 'Create AVD'.

If you want to test your application under different versions of Android, you'll need to create a new virtual device for each version of the platform. You can also specify other parameters here, including the presence and size of an SD card. It's also possible to select a file to use as a virtual SD card.

You can opt to use the built-in skin (recommended) or specify the resolution that you want to use. Under 'Hardware', click 'New' and select a device if you want to add more virtual hardware.

For a simple AVD, you'll generally be fine sticking with the default options. You can now close the Android SDK and AVD Manager.

Create and emulate your Android app

Assuming you now have all the software in place and you've set up a virtual device in the Android SDK and AVD manager, you can create a new project. In Eclipse IDE choose 'File > New > Project'. In the New Project wizard, select the 'Android' folder and choose 'Android project'. Click 'Next'. You now have a new window for your project details.

To start with, we'll set up a simple 'Hello world' application that just displays some text when launched. In the field marked 'Project name', enter HelloAndroid. For 'Application name' enter Hello, Android. For 'Package name' supply com.example.helloandroid and for 'CreateActivity', enter HelloAndroid. Click 'Finish'. These parameters are used to set up your project in Eclipse.

The project name is also the name for the directory in your workspace that will contain your project files. Eclipse will create it for you. Assuming you accepted the default Windows workspace of C:\Users\[username]\workspace, you'll find the above directory at C:\Users\[username]\workspace\HelloAndroid.

If you browse to this in Windows Explorer, you'll see a number of subfolders and files set up as part of the project.

The application name is the title of your app, which will be displayed in the Android device. Change this to change the name of the app. You need to be a bit more careful with the package name.

This is the namespace for the package where your source code resides. It needs to follow the rules for naming packages in Java. It also needs to be unique across the Android system, which is why a domain style package is used; 'com.example' is reserved for examples like this.

If you develop an app that's published, you'll need to use your own namespace. This usually relates to the organisation publishing the app.

'Create activity' relates to the class stub generated by the plug-in. An activity is basically an action. It might need to set up a user interface if it needs one. We left other project fields at their default values, but it's useful to know what they do. 'Min SDK version' lets you set the minimum API required by your application.

If 'Use default location' is ticked, your project will be saved in your workspace. You can opt to change this if you want to store the files elsewhere. 'Build target' is the platform target for your application. It's the minimum version of Android that it will run on.

If you develop an app to run on an earlier version of Android, it should run on a later one too, but one developed for a later version of the platform probably won't run on an earlier version. For an example like this, the build target isn't critical as long as you can get your application to run in the emulator. It's more of a concern when you come to release an app.

Finally, the option to create the project from an existing example enables you to select some existing code to modify. You'll find this of more interest as you move on to greater programming challenges.

Modify the code

You should now see your project displayed in the Package Explorer, which is shown in the left-hand pane of Eclipse. Double-click 'HelloAndroid' to expand it. Also expand 'src' and 'com.example.helloandroid'. Double-click 'HelloAndroid.java' to see the code that's already been set up. In the main pane you should see the following text:

package com.example.helloandroid;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;

public class HelloAndroid extends Activity {
/** Called when the activity is first created. */
@Override
public void onCreate(BundlesavedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.main);
}
}

If you can't see all of this, try looking to the left-hand side of the pane and expanding any plus signs that indicate collapsed code. This defines your application without actually doing anything at this stage. To make it do some work, we need to add an object that will contain your text.

Having done that, we also need to specify the text. Below 'import android. os.Bundle;' add the following line:

import android.widget.TextView;

Also add the following above the two sets of closing curly brackets:

TextView tv = new TextView(this);
tv.setText("My First Android App"); setContentView(tv);

You can replace the text within the quotes to make your app say whatever you like. Check that the code in its entirety reads as the following, assuming you kept the displayed text the same:

package com.example.helloandroid;

import android.app.Activity;
import android.os.Bundle;
import android.widget.TextView;

public class HelloAndroid extends Activity {
/** Called when the activity is first created. */
@Override
public void onCreate(BundlesavedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
TextView tv = new TextView(this);
tv.setText("My First Android App");
setContentView(tv);
}
}

Save the changes to your code. You can now try it out in the Android emulator. In Eclipse, choose 'Run > Run > Android application'. The emulator launches. It can take a few minutes to boot into Android, so be patient. Once booted, your app should run automatically and you'll see a grey title bar with the app name in it. Below this, your chosen text is displayed.

Press the 'Home' button in the emulator to return to the Android home screen. Click the 'Applications' button to see the list of available applications. Among these you should see 'Hello, Android'. Select this to launch your app again.

Test your app on an Android device

Now you've successfully run your app in the emulator, you can try running it on a real device. First you need to ensure that the USB driver is installed in the Android SDK and AVD manager. Choose 'Window > Android SDK and AVD manager > Available packages'. Select the Android repository, ensure that the USB driver is ticked and click 'Install selected'.

Connect your phone to a spare USB port and wait for Windows to detect it. In the New Hardware wizard, choose 'Locate and install drivers' and opt to browse your computer for the driver software. Browse to the 'Android SDK' folder and locate the subfolder for the USB driver. Windows should find and install it from here.

Now you need to declare your app as debuggable. In Eclipse, expand your HelloAndroid application and double-click 'AndroidManifest.xlm'. Move to the 'Application' tab and select 'True' from the Debuggable dropdown list. Save the project.

Go to your Android phone and choose 'Menu' from the home screen, then select 'Applications > Development' and enable USB debugging. Now you can reconnect it to your PC via USB. If you want to check that the SDK can see your phone, browse to the 'Tools' directory in your 'Android SDK' folder. Launch 'adb.exe' and you should be able to see your phone listed as 'Device'.

To launch your application on the connected phone, you need to choose 'Run > Run > Android application in Eclipse'. Now you have both the emulator and your phone connected, you need to specify which you want to run it on. Eclipse presents you with a Device Chooser that lists all the available devices and emulators. Select your phone from this list to install and run the app.

Now you've produced and run a very basic application from raw code in an emulator and on an Android device, you can begin to learn how to develop your own. It helps to have some knowledge of Java programming, but you'll also find a number of stepped tutorials in the Android Developer Resources pages.

These include introductions to the different views available to apps and how to implement them. You'll also find ways to use common resources like location information, and find out how to debug your work.

You can find a full list of sample code on these pages too. This will help you to work through example applications that you can modify to your own ends. These include games such as Snake and Lunar Lander, plus utilities like Note Pad and Wiktionary. You can find even more samples at Apps-for-Android.

How to use App InventorApp Inventor

For those whose eyes glaze over at the sight of a few lines of code, App Inventor may well be the answer. This Google Labs innovation lets you create applications using your browser and either a connected phone or an Android phone emulator. All your work is stored on the App Inventor servers, so you can come back to it at any point.

App Inventor consists of three main components. The App Inventor Designer lets you select components for your app, including media, buttons, labels and everything else that's related to the way your app looks and feels.

The App Inventor Blocks Editor is concerned with the processing components of your application. Any decision handling is dealt with here, and it's shown as a kind of puzzle. You drag and drop program pieces like a jigsaw.

The emulator provides a virtual phone so you can try your program out, and it's updated as you make changes in real time.

You can opt to use a real Android phone instead of the emulator, as long as there are Windows drivers to support it that will work with App Inventor.

While it's partially cloud-based, there are still components that need to run locally, with the most important being the most recent version of Java. It's worth running a couple of tests to ensure your browser can execute Java code correctly before downloading the full App Inventor local program. If you have any browser extensions installed that stop code running in the browser, such as No Script for Firefox, it's a good idea to disable or even uninstall these before attempting to run App Inventor.

Once you have App Inventor installed, you need to run it by connecting to the App Inventor site. You can't just launch it from the Start menu. In your chosen browser, head to App Inventor at Google Labs; if you have everything in place, the program will start. You may need to log into your Google Account if you haven't already done so, because this is where your development data will be stored.

Create your first Android app: step-by-step

To create an Android app in App Inventor, first download the most recent version of your browser and get Java.

Run a couple of tests to ensure that your system is set up to run App Inventor, first by running the Java test. If it works, you'll be presented with a success message. If it fails, reinstall Java. After this, browse to the Check Java for App Inventor page, signing in with a Google account if prompted. The page will tell you if your browser is correctly configured.

If it is, click the 'Launch' button to check that you can run a simple application in your browser using Java.

Now you know that App Inventor will run in your browser, go to the App Inventor Setup page and click 'Download'. Once downloaded, browse to the file named 'AppInventor_Setup_Installer_v_1_2.exe' and launch it. Follow the installation. Make a note of the installation directory in case you need it later, but don't change it.

The software already supports a number of popular Android phones. These include T-Mobile G1 / ADP1, T-Mobile myTouch 3G / Google Ion / ADP2, Verizon Droid (not Droid X), Google Nexus One and Google Nexus S. If you have a different phone, visit the Windows Drivers page to get its drivers. Alternatively, you can run your app in the emulator.

Next, go to App Inventor at Google Labs and wait for App Inventor to launch. Click 'New' to start a new project, name it 'HelloPurr' as one word and click 'OK'. This project uses two media files: a picture of a cat in PNG format and an MP3 of purring. You can download them from the Building Your First App tutorial webpage or use your own.

The Designer opens. In the left-hand pane you'll see the palette, which shows each of the components you can use. Click and drag a button onto Screen 1 in the viewer, to the right of the palette. To the right of this is a list of components in use.

Select Button 1 and click 'None' under 'Image'. Choose 'Add', then browse to your cat picture. This changes the appearance of the button. Click under 'Text' and delete the existing wording.

You now need to set up the app in the Blocks Editor. This can run your app via its emulator or through your phone. Click 'Open the blocks editor' and wait for the editor to open in a new window. Keep the existing window open. Choose 'Connect to device' and select your phone from the dropdown list. Wait for the editor to connect properly. If all is well, you'll see a picture of a cat on your phone. Alternatively, click 'New emulator'.

If you're using an emulator, once it's running you need to connect to it in the same way as a phone. Click 'Connect to device' and select the emulator. Once connected, you'll see your cat picture on the emulator's screen. You may need to unlock the emulated phone by dragging the green lock button to the right.

Return to the Designer window and drag a label from the palette to the viewer in Screen 1 so it appears below the picture. In the label properties on the right, enter the text 'Stroke the cat'. Change the font size to 30 and choose a different colour if you like. We'll now add the purring sound for when the cat is stroked.

In the Designer window, click 'Palette > Media > Player'. Drag it to Screen 1 in the Viewer. Select 'Components > Player1 > Source and add'. Find the MP3 file of the purring sound, select it and choose 'OK'.

Everything is now in place, but the application needs to know to play the sound only when the cat is touched.

Return to the Blocks Editor, select the tab 'My blocks' and click 'Button 1'. Drag the element 'when Button1.Click do' into the main editor screen. Now click 'Player1' and drag the element 'call Player1.Start' into the space within the existing element. Now click the cat to play the sound.

Back in the editor, choose 'Package for phone and download to this computer', and that's it.

Once you have the simple Hello Purr program running, you can stretch your wings a little. There's a wide range of tutorials for developing applications at App Inventor. These include a simple painting program, various quiz and arcade style games, and apps that use a phone's GPS chip to help find your way back to your car.

You can use and modify these programs to help you to develop similar ones. If you need to get more information about App Inventor, you can find out more about components, blocks and more in the Reference pages.

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Video: Apps of the Year 2011

Ahh, apps. They're everywhere you look these days. First they were on computers, then smartphones and tablets and now they're in our TVs, on Facebook, Spotify and weaselling their way into our cars.

But which are the best of the bunch with which to adorn your precious tech? 2011 saw a number of big-name launches including Sky Go, Garage Band and OnLive but which made the grade?

Well don't say we never do anything for you – we've rounded the top ten apps of 2011 up into one handy video. And get downloading in five, four, three…

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In Depth: Microsoft in 2012: what to expect

Microsoft in 2012: what to expect

Microsoft has had plenty of successes in 2011, from record-breaking sales for Kinect and Xbox to the positive reaction to Nokia's Windows Phone.

Windows 7 and Office are still selling well, Bing has managed some moderate increases in market share, especially in the US, and the departures of big names like Ray Ozzie and Robbie Bach haven't caused any ripples.

For the second year in a row, everyone is taking Microsoft seriously.

But when you do well, you have to do even better next time and 2012 could be a challenging year. Microsoft has to ship - and sell - Windows 8 (especially on tablets), Windows Phone has to compete with whatever Apple and Google can come up with next, IE10 has to keep up with Chrome and whatever ridiculous number Firefox gets up to and Microsoft still needs to impress users with its cloud services.

Xbox is still going strong and Kinect could revitalise the market for PCs that aren't all about being as thin and light as a MacBook Air but can Microsoft pull it all together?

Windows Phone 8

There are plenty of Windows Phone 7.5 launches still to come next year, especially for the US market, building on Nokia's momentum with the Lumia 800 – and bringing Skype to the phone. Back at the MIX conference in April corporate vice president Joe Belfiore said Skype would be on the platform "this fall" along with the Mango update.

Unless it squeezes out before Christmas like Lync for Windows Phone, SkyDrive for Windows Phone and iOS, and OneNote for iPad, we're expecting to see Skype for Windows Phone at CES 2012.

SKYPE EVENTUALLY:Promised for Windows Phone this autumn, maybe we'll see it at CES

The bigger news is the two new versions of Windows Phone expected next year; the Tango update that brings Windows Phone to cheaper handsets for developing countries (and anyone who won't switch away from their feature phone until smartphones are just as cheap) and the more interesting Apollo, which will have improvements in the grahics APIs, in Bluetooth and is when we'll probably see NFC.

Apollo, or Windows Phone 8, is what Microsoft mysteriously calls 'common core'; we think that means key programming frameworks from Windows 8 coming to the phone rather than the Windows 8 kernel and we certainly don't think it means throwing away all the Windows Phone 7 apps.

We should get more details on both at Mobile World Congress in February and we expect to see Tango in the spring and Apollo, with IE10 included, by next November.

Windows 8 – and IE 10

The beta of Windows 8 is due a little later than we'd expected; we expect Microsoft to tell us more about what's getting updated during CES but the beta (which will have new features in) will be available in late February, along with the beta of the Windows 8 Store.

That still leaves time for a release candidate and the final release for the autumn; Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs has suggested the launch will be soon after September (so we might see the second service pack for Windows 7 first).

That's when we'll see the final version of IE 10 as well for Windows 7 as well as Windows 8 (and yes, it will have spell checking on Windows 7); "We will release an IE 10 Beta and Release Candidate on Windows 7 prior to IE10's general availability," the IE team said on the official blog. That's a lot longer than the 12 months it took to create and release IE 9.

WINDOWS 8 BETA: Don't worry, the beta won't be this green

The autumn is also late for Windows tablets; by then they'll be competing with iPad 3 and BlackBerry 10 tabs and it's possible Google will have Android Jelly Bean out by the end of next year too. Microsoft obviouslydoesn'tthink it's too late to bring out a tablet but there's certainly a sense of urgency.

Windows Phone president Andy Lees has just taken a sideways step to handle what Steve Ballmer calls "a time-critical opportunity focused on driving maximum impact in 2012 with Windows Phone and Windows 8". We think that means making sure Windows 8 ARM tablets come out on time, work well and don't cause confusion for Windows Phone handsets – especially with Apollo's Windows 8 connection.

Microsoft isn't thinking about Windows 8 as an update that makes the way you use a PC today a little better; this is the operating system the Windows team hope you'll be using for a decade, the way you did Windows XP. Tablets matter but we're expecting to see Microsoft push some exciting new PC ideas too.

Kinect comes to PC

The rumours about the next Xbox are wilder than ever, including a faster connector for a new Kinect that could be sensitive enough to detect the expression on your face – or read your lips.

What we do know is that the PC version of Kinect (launching in "early 2012") is optimised for recognising things that are closer to the screen – like your hands rather than your whole body. That means you can gesture at the screen with your fingers.

So while the idea of TVs from Vizio and Sony with Kinect built in as a remote control is attractive, it's much more plausible that those rumours are actually about monitors for your PC that have Kinect in. The TV market is all about low prices and we don't see TV makers lining up to add a pricey sensor. But a Kinect screen could be the same price as a touch screen monitor – and the perfect match for Windows 8.

Think about it; waving at the Metro Start screen deals with all those complaints about fingerprints and gives you a natural interface that is perfectly suited to a screen you want further away than a tablet or laptop.

It also builds in a microphone for voice control – something Windows already has but hardly anyone uses; expect a Windows version of TellMe to compete with the rumoured Siri-controlled Apple TV.

But when you add Kinect to a screen, you get more than gestures; you get a PC that knows when you're sitting in front of it and which way you're looking. That could lock the screen when you walk away; it can also make video calls look more realistic by adjusting the image to the right perspective.

Steven Bathiche who runs the Applied Sciences group at Microsoft wants to use a Kinect-enabled screen with a Wedge lens (made by a company Microsoft has recently bought) to give you 3D images without glasses, by detecting where your eyes are and steering the beam of light towards them. That could be a 3D TV – or a 3D Xbox screen…

Silverlight 6

Even if we never see Silverlight 6, rumours of Silverlight's demise are almost certainly exaggerated. The newly announced support policy for Silverlightpromises updates for the browsers Silverlight 5 works with today (including Safari, Firefox and Chrome) and hints at support "as browsers evolve".

More importantly, the technology behind Silverlight will continue to be key for building Windows Phone apps, Silverlight is making its way to Xbox - and it's a key part of Windows 8 as one of the ways to build Metro-style apps using WinRT (which is an almost exact superset of current Silverlight features).

Using the XAML markup language, developing in C# and VB.NET on a subset of the .NET runtime, running in a secure sandbox and distributing apps using HTTP rather than an installer; the key principles of Silverlight will all still be there, whatever the technology is called.

The question is really whether there will be another browser plugin called Silverlight. In the long term, Microsoft is moving away from plugins; Andy Lees hinted at this last year when he explained to TechRadar that one reason the Windows Phone browser doesn't have Flash or Silverlight plugins is that "browsers are going to a different extensibility model" and it's even clearer in the plugin-free Metro version of IE10.

As HTML gets more capable, there will be fewer things you need a plugin for - but as long as those things include playing DRM video served by major broadcasters using Microsoft's streaming media server technology, Microsoft will be doing the engineering work to make that happen and delivering a plugin to build on that makes sense.

Office, Live and SkyDrive

A new version of Windows means a new version of Officeand while there are rumours that the beta of Office 2012 will be ready at the end of January it's more likely that we'll see it around the same time as the Windows 8 beta.

The leaked build from Microsoft Russia we saw in August had a cleaner look that matches the Metro-influenced look of desktop apps like the Windows 8 Task Manager, but there will also be Metro versions of key Office apps. The Moorea app for creating HTML pages on a tiled grid that's in the leaked build might be a hint at the type of Metro interface we'll see.

Certainly the Office Metro apps will have to stand out from the Mail, Calendar, People, and Messaging Windows Live Metro appsthat were previewed at the Build conference (they'd be the ideal apps to try out from the beta of the Windows Store and we expect to see them with the Windows 8 beta).

SKYDRIVE: It'll be everywhere - out for Windows Phone and iPhone first

Live is going to get more social network features, although it's more about being what the Microsoft job adverts call a "one-stop-shop for users to connect with friends and all their social network" than competing with Google+ and Facebook; this may be where odd social network projects from the research lab in Boston (like Spindex and socl.com) fit in.

And SkyDrive ("your cloud store for anywhere access to your data") is coming to Xbox according to this job advertwhich talks about IEB as well as Windows and Phone.

METRO OFFICE: Could Moorea be the new Office look?

Microsoft is betting on Windows 8 – Steve Ballmer famously called it the company's biggest bet – but it's backing that bet up with cloud services that will be available on more and more platforms. It's going to be another busy year.

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Verizon hit by nationwide data outage

Verizon Wireless customers across many parts of the United States have been left with little or no 3G and 4G connectivity, following a mystery data outage.

Customers in California, Washington D.C., Florida and New York are among those affected by the service interruption, according to Verizon's support forums.

Verizon is yet to officially acknowledge the fault, which is reportedly also affecting users in Ohio, Nevada, Illinois and Pennsylvania, and have declined to issue comments to the media.

No statement

The Verge blog spoke to a support representative who confirmed the mobile internet outage, but could offer no timescale for a fix.

The problems will come as a another embarrassing blow to the carrier which, just two weeks ago, suffered similar problems with its 4G LTE network.

On that occasion 3G data wasn't thought to be affected, but this time both 4G and 3G users look to be suffering.

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Spotify for BlackBerry now official

Spotify has now officially rolled-out its mobile app for BlackBerry smartphones.

The app had been available as a preview release for the last two months from the Spotify website, but it has now officially hit the BlackBerry App World.

BlackBerry is now the last major platform to receive a dedicated app for the music streaming platform, with Microsoft's Windows Phone owners receiving an app last month.

Sadly for owners of the BlackBerry Torch 9800 and many other BlackBerry handsets the app is not yet compatible their device.

Premium service required

Naturally, BlackBerry phone owners are subject to the same conditions as the other platforms.

To make use of the Spotify app, users will need a £10 a month Premium subscription to access streaming over Wi-Fi and 3G.

The app also enables offline playlists be downloaded and easy syncing of playlists between desktop and mobile.

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LG announces 55-inch OLED TV panel

LG has announced that it has developed the world's biggest OLED TV Panel – with a whopping 55 inch offering described as 'a significant step forward' for the screen technology.

Organic Light Emitting Diodes bring several benefits over more traditional screen technology (thinner, lighter, more environmentally friendly) and have long been hailed as the future of out televisions.

Although OLED is now a familiar sight in small screens like phones, the technology remains prohibitively expensive in larger sizes.

Televisions have been available with OLED panels, but they tend to cost a small fortune and offer only smaller sizes.

Viable for home

Korean giant LG is hoping that its 55-inch panel can not only prove popular, but begin to make OLED viable for the mass-market home TV.

"Our objective has always been to actively define and lead emerging display technology markets," said Dr. Sang Beom Han, CEO and Executive Vice President of LG Display.

"Although OLED technology is seen as the future of TV display, the technology has been limited to smaller display sizes and by high costs, until now. LG Display's 55-inch OLED TV panel has overcome these barriers."

LG insists that the panel 'successfully addresses' the issues that have made OLED televisions troublesome.

"The panel adopts an Oxide TFT technology for backplane which is different from a Low Temperature Poly Silicon (LTPS) type generally used in existing small-sized OLED panels," explains LG's release.

"The Oxide TFT type that LG Display utilizes is similar to the existing TFT process, with the simple difference lying in replacing Amorphous Silicon with Oxide.

"Moreover, the Oxide TFT type produces identical image quality to high performance of LTPS base panels at significantly reduced investment levels."

WOLED

The display also use White OLED (WOLED of course) which apparently vertically accumulates the red, green and blue diodes.

"With white color light emitting from the diode, it displays screen information through color layers below the TFT base panel, which leads to a lower error rate, higher productivity, and a clearer Ultra Definition screen via the benefits of small pixels," adds LG.

Of course, the big question is how much does it cost? We'll bring you that information when we find out.

The TV will be on display at CES 2012 - and TechRadar will be there to tell you if it lives up to its billing with a hands on: LG 55-inch OLED review.

Reader offer: £12.95 leather iPad 2 case deal arrives

TechRadar's deals site is offering up a leather iPad 2 cover for £12.99, just in time for all those people who were visited by the Apple Santa.

The black leather offering is designed to keep your new toy safe, and features a durable built-in stand and protective screen.

The deal price of £12.99 is being offered by Assist World, and it knocks 74% off of the suggested RRP.

The deal expires on the 30th December – so head over to http://techradardeals.com/ if you are looking for a cut-price leather iPad 2 cover.

Video: 2011 - a tumultuous year in tech

TechRadar has taken a look back at some of the highs and lows of 2011, in a tumultuous year for technology.

While 2012 can't arrive soon enough for the likes of Sony, and will always be tinged in sadness for Apple, it was also a year of great innovation and wonderful tech, including the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the arrival of the iPad 2.

So what have we picked out as the moments to remember in 2011? Check out the video below to find out:

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