This week on TechRadar, an online crime map of the UK went live, and soon crashed under the weight of traffic, while a new PS3 update had some people criticising Sony for building in a backdoor that enables remote control of your console.
Also on TechRadar we took a look at how the Motorola Xoom and PlayBook stack up against the iPad and updated our Android 3.0 article with a whole load of new features that are coming to the OS.
Read on for this week's most popular stories on TechRadar…
Online crime map of the UK launched
The Home Office has created a new website that allows you to look up towns in the UK and see what the crime is like in that area.
The website, found at www.police.uk, is currently overburdened with worried folk who want to scare themselves even more by seeing just how many criminals operate in their borough, but when it is fully operational it gives you a breakdown of local crime statistics.
Can Sony remotely bork your PS3?
Sony may well have put a so-called 'backdoor' on its latest PlayStation 3 firmware, allowing the console maker to remotely control your PSN account, according to reports from the homebrew community.
Despite releasing a PS3 firmware update to foil hackers recently Sony is now being accused of planting a backdoor in its latest PlayStation firmware update to allow remote control of your gaming console.
Facebook launches Facebook Deals in the UK
Facebook has announced the arrival of Facebook Deals in the UK, a new mobile phone discounting system that rewards those who regularly check-in to shops and restaurants, through Facebook Places, in the UK.
The location-based application is stepping on the toes of other services in the mobile world, most notably discount site Groupon.
There are a number of retail partners who have signed up to offer discounts if you use the service in their shop.
Netgear CEO: Steve Jobs' death will open up Apple
The CEO of Netgear has apparently told journalists that Apple will need to abandon its walled garden approach if Steve Jobs 'goes away'.
Steve Jobs has again taken a leave of absence due to ill-health, but Patrick Lo – the Netgear CEO – has courted controversy by apparently stating his belief that the only way Apple will abandon its principles and open up will be if Jobs dies.
"It's critical for Apple to make a decision how to go forward," Lo is quoted as saying by Gizmodo Australia.
Epic's Duty Calls spoof puts boot into CoD franchise
Epic Games has started a promotional campaign for its upcoming videogame Bulletstorm by putting the boot into the rather successful Call Of Duty franchise.
Epic has created a fully playable game that roundly mocks CoD, which is aptly called Duty Calls.
The game isn't the biggest ever; someone has uploaded footage of themselves playing it and it clocks it at just under five minutes - but it is chock-full of parody for a franchise that some think takes itself way too seriously.
Motorola Xoom vs iPad vs PlayBook
When the Motorola Xoom and BlackBerry PlayBook hit the market, we'll have two serious challengers to the iPad.
And, perhaps most interestingly, all three will be running different operating systems. So let's compare how the two newcomers stack up against the hottest tablet yet released.
In terms of releases, Motorola won't say anything about the Xoom's UK release date, though it is pencilled in for the first quarter of 2011 in the US. However, it depends on when Google is planning on getting Honeycomb out the door.
Android 3.0 rumours and latest updates
Now that Android 2.3 features are official, information about its successor, Android 3.0 – Android Honeycomb – is starting to emerge.
Here's what we know about Android 3.0 so far.
On 20 October, we reported that Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets are rumoured to be heading out to engineers in time for Christmas. This has resulted in a huge range of tablets arriving at CES 2011, with UK release dates later in the year.
iOS vs Android vs WebOS vs MeeGo
Pitting iOS vs Android vs WebOS vs MeeGo doesn't seem like a fair fight.
It's akin to putting a couple of our TechRadar writers in a boxing ring with the Klitschko brothers. With Apple's iPhone/iPod/iPad OS, Google's Android, plus the Symbian, Microsoft and Blackberry platforms, do we really need any more pretenders to the mobile OS throne?
Yes - because 'competition drives innovation' (or so the saying goes). Android improvements will make iOS better and vice-versa. While lower-league operating systems will have to work harder to stand out, they'll help to ensure that the big two don't get complacent.
The hidden places where Linux dominates
While the fight for desktop dominance is still raging somewhere in the distance, Linux has quietly succeeded in the places no one thinks to look.
It's being used in mobile phones, set-top boxes, media streamers and routers. It's being used to fuel the London Stock Exchange and to provide in-flight entertainment for thousands of travellers.
And it does this without ceremony and, mostly, without anyone noticing.
40 best iPhone games - paid apps
There are now tens of thousands of games on the App Store, covering every genre.
Huge studios battle it out with bedroom coders, providing iOS gamers with a mix of blockbuster titles and novel creations full of innovation and personality.
Below we list our 40 favourite paid-for games for iPhone and iPod touch; if we've missed your top game, let us know what it is in the comments!
Don't forget that universal apps also work natively on the iPad.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review
Sony Ericsson Xperia Play has a lot of pressure on its shoulder buttons - does it live up to the hype? We managed to nab one to play with for a few hours…
Step up from Sony's mainstream EX TV range and you'll find the first of its 3D designer models. The NX Network sets combine advanced multimedia capability with premium picture performance and Sony's trademark Monolithic Design.
The Nokia C6-01 is the cheapest Symbian^3 handset to date - it's a definite update to the likes of the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, and also comes with a good list of features
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T BE review
This new hex-core chip is symptomatic of AMD's current predicament: that its most expensive PC processors sell for barely one-third the price of Intel's.
Sony Ericsson Xperia Neo review
The phone shares very few similarities with the original Vivaz - only the form factor and key arrangement remain to help you see any evolution in the line.
Amplifiers
Resolution Audio Cantata 50 Amplifier review
AV Receivers
CD players
Advance Acoustic MCD-204 review
Cooling
Graphics cards
Zotac GeForce GTX 580 AMP! review
Hard disk drives
Samsung 470 Series SSD 256GB review
Hi-fi Accessories
Laptops
Acer Aspire One D255-N55QDrr review
Modem routers
Asus RT-N56U Dual Band Wireless-N Router review
TP-Link TD-W8961N 300Mbps Wireless N ADSL2+ Modem Router review
Monitors
Motherboards
Printers
Processors
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T BE review
Projectors
Speakers
BK Electronics XXLS400DF review
Monitor Audio Bronze BX Series review
Televisions
Turntables
Michell Gyro SEducation review
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