Roundup: Best of TechRadar: this week's best features and hottest reviews

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This tiny device can tell you more than you ever wanted to know

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What is in that watermelon?

How many grams of sugar are in this gin and tonic I'm about to drink? While our smartphones have made it easy to research facts, capture images and navigate street maps, they have their shortcomings. If only they could reveal the inner secrets of objects in the physical world, too. Thanks to a scanner device called SCiO - after the Latin verb "to know" - you'll soon be able to get answers to life's most pressing questions, like the chemical makeup of foods, medications, plants and other items we use on a daily basis. Read this feature

Twitter and Facebook are making the same mistakes as MySpace

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And they may soon regret it

Bad news for Twitter pros: it looks like your feed is going to get a little more spammy if Twitter's latest bright idea sticks. Fed up with people retweeting stuff you don't care about?Twitter's about to do it on their behalf. Twitter's latest idea is to let you see posts from people that you don't follow, but your followees do. The problem with that, of course, is that if you wanted to follow those accounts you'd already have followed them. Read all about it

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Console gaming is dead!

Word is that the Xbox One might be getting another price cut. But the Xbox One doesn't need a cheaper price tag or new colours to get people interested. It needs some decent games, because let's face it, there are none. Games, apps, features and functionality - both next gen consoles are still hugely lacking in them all and we're nearly a year in now. It's not unusual for each generation to start slowly, but against the backdrop of an exciting golden age for PC gaming, games consoles are starting to look looking increasingly... irrelevant. Why? Because all of the good things in the gaming world right now are happening on PC. All of them. Read on to find out more

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Saving film is about preserving movies...

...not fighting against digital

The rise of digital projection in movies marks one of the speediest changes in any industry. In fewer than 15 years we have seen a business that dealt purely in celluloid engulfed by ones and zeroes. Digital has overtaken film projection the world over, with the promise of offering up cheaper ways to distribute movies complete with a crisp palette that is, arguably, on a par with film stock. While many filmmakers have embraced this change, there's a minority that is battling against progression. This group isn't made up of indie filmmakers looking to get headline space but some of the biggest names in the business.

The new Audi S1 is an incredible road-eating pocket rocket

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More real-world fun than an Audi R8 supercar

Is Audi's new S1 uberhatch the most desirable car in the German auto maker's almost infinite range? Don't forget, that's a range filled to bursting with super saloons, mega SUVs and even mid-engine, V10 rocket ships. But the S1's modest output of a mere 228bhp and the prospect of fun at speeds at least resembling the legal limit, not to mention a price tag that starts below £25,000, make for a terribly enticing real-world package. Time to jump on board

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In-car apps are terrible and it's time for an urgent rethink

Social networking in a car is completely silly

Cars are not smartphones. A simple enough notion, but not one that most motor manufacturers seem to grasp. For proof, observe the rush to implement irrelevant and maybe even dangerous apps in the latest cars. You're nobody today without in-car facebook and twitter support. But I've reached the point where every time I see social networking support in the feature list of an in-car multimedia system, I have the urge to self harm. I can't take the nonsense any longer

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Surface 3: what we want to see

What do we want to see on the Surface 3? Many of the qualities we would expect from a new Surface tablet - namely slimmer dimensions, a lighter chassis and longer battery life - arrived on Microsoft's capable Surface Pro 3, making it a little harder for any potential new tablet to stand out from the crowd. As we ponder the possibilities, here are some of the features we would like to see on the Surface 3.

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Nvidia Shield Tablet review

Would we buy the Shield Tablet if we owned the original Shield (now renamed the Shield Portable)? Probably not. If we were looking for a new tablet and top notch gaming performance was on the checklist, the Shield Tablet is easily the top contender today. We'd take it over the second-gen Nexus 7 in a heart beat. While we understand why Nvidia decided to separate the cover and controller to keep the prices down and avoid the Kinect factor, we think a bundled package with a small price break as an alternative would have been nice. All things considered though, consider us surprised. The Shield Tablet is pretty dang cool.

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Samsung Level Over review

It was only a matter of time before Samsung went after the booming headphone market. Lord knows it's successfully gone after all the others. The Samsung Level Over pair we have here sits at the tip of a new three-pronged attack which also includes the Level On over-ears and the Level In in-ears. They're not exactly cheap, costing $350 in the US and £300 in the olde worlde, though you might find them for a touch less online if you look around. And for that money you get a beefy pair of shiny cans in white or black with some very smart features on board.

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Android Wear review

Android Wear is in its infancy with a limited number of apps and watches that are meant for early adopters who have both patience and a nearby power outlet at all times. The software generally works, with a straightforward Google Now interface that involves lots of touchscreen and voice recognition input. It feels futuristic on the hand and more practical than Google Glass. But that's no reason for everyone to run out and buy the first-generation Android Wear smartwatches. Android Wear software powers convenience gadgets, but not without a couple of inconvenience flaws.

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Xiaomi Mi 3 review

It's a lovely phone for the most part, with the Xiaomi Mi 3 combining a surprising amount of style with high-end power and a supremely polished user interface. The fact it's only available on import is the only substantial issue, as buying one from China through a third-party means possible stress and misery should a warranty claim ever need to be made. Aside from that, though, there's very little not to like. It's probably too late for this particular model to make much of an impact in the US or UK were it to launch now, but the solid and impressive Mi 3 ought to get smartphone fans pumped for Xiaomi's next move.