Top 5 stories: Apple iPad Mini v Kindle Fire HD, rural broadband and more

4G at the not-so-fun fair and stuff we hate

The latest edition of our news programme, Activ8, conducts a deeply unscientific experiment that leads to a man being sick (not filmed, thankfully), while the studio discussion on the Apple iPad Mini and Kindle Fire HD disintegrates into a slanging match over the tightness of Tim's trousers.

Government's rural broadband investment is peanuts

Culture Secretary Maria Millar pledges £530m to fund superfast broadband outside cities. Great, right? But former BT head of technology disagrees, saying that full fibre to the home is needed. The cost of that? £20bn to £30bn, although some experts agreed that the £530m was a good start.

Prisoners mobile phone scam to be blocked

Despite a blanket ban on prisoners owning mobile phones, thousands are confiscated from clued-up cons each year. Now the House of Lords is to rule on a proposal to allow signal blockers within the walls. People living near prisons will hope that the shielding technique doesn't cut them off, too.

Reviewed: the Microsoft Surface RT tablet

Microsoft is a software company, right? Well, it's made a few devices in its time, but has never produced its own computer. The Surface RT tablet runs a cut-down version of Windows 8 to take advantage of the ARM processor's power-saving design. The detachable keyboard means you can use it as a sort-of laptop, or a sort-of tablet. So does it do either job well? 

Reviewed: Nokia Lumia 920 with Windows Phone 8

It's one of the first mobile phones to use Windows Phone 8 and to say it's on the large side would be an understatement. We take a look at how comfortable and easy the handset is to use, how intuitive the design of Windows Phone 8 is and the range of apps available.