Met to use software that can crack mobile phones even with locked SIM

Police will be able to capture evidence for court without sending phones off to lab or confiscating for duration of legal proceedings. By Charles Arthur

Diablo 3 – review

Mike Anderiesz: Server glitches aside, Diablo 3 is everything fans of the series would expect: an entertaining and gorgeous-looking dungeon hack

Rebuild; iSlash – review

Rebuild brings a new twist to the zombie genre while the multiplayer option brings an element of Jenga to iSlash, writes Toby Moses

Oracle-Google trial: both sides win, or lose, in the first round

Jury deadlocked on whether use of Java to build Android mobile operating system amounted to 'fair use'. By Charles Arthur

Android and iPhone users fuel fervour for Pebble, a wristwatch that runs apps

Orders from individuals prepared to take a chance allows Silicon Valley startup to begin production of device with e-paper screen

Alternatives to email for sending large files

Ask Jack: Bill has run into the common problem that his email service won't accept large files, but there are plenty of better options

A lot of video games are dumb, but a lot of everything is dumb too

Mary Hamilton: Admitting most games have laughable storylines is fine as long as we don't believe that's all games are capable of

Max Payne 3 – multiplayer preview

Nick Cowen: Although it borrows a little from the giants in the shooter genre, Max Payne 3 is dirty, fun, gritty and downright mean

Google-Oracle trial: jury begins copyright deliberations

Jurors assess whether search giant violated copyright on parts of Java programming language in first of two major questions. By Charles Arthur

Microsoft accused of trying to secretly influence government consultation

Cabinet Office removes facilitator of free software discussions who was also advising tech giant. By Charles Arthur

LulzSec associate claims VMWare source code hack on Chinese company

'Hacker Charlie' claims to have found program files for virtualisation software on CEIEC, a Chinese company. By Charles Arthur

Windows 8? Windows RT? Is this bifurcation Intel’s fault?

Matthew Baxter-Reynolds: Intel machines running Windows 8 will have advantages over the ARM versions. Which means no post-PC world for Microsoft

Google Drive versus Dropbox and the rest: cloud storage compared

Tim Anderson: Which is cheapest? Which offers the best cross-platform support? The results may surprise you

Eric Schmidt at Google-Oracle trial: open sourcing Android was legal

Oracle and Google spar as Schmidt and Android chief Andy Rubin appear in witness box as copyright and patent trial shifts into new gear. By Charles Arthur and agencies

ZX Spectrum: even the Dexys guitarist was a fan.. and other memories

From the banjo/guitarist in Dexys Midnight Runners to a Polish ship's electrician's child to people who now work for Google and others, the humble ZX Spectrum kicked off a life in computing. By Charles Arthur

ZX Spectrum: the five best games

Keith Stuart: The 30th anniversary of the ZX Spectrum will have many veteran gamers swooning into a reverie of eighties nostalgia – here are five of the best Spectrum games

Sim City – preview

Keith Stuart: The classic city building simulation is back, with a deeper simulation than ever and a fascinating new multiplayer mode

Oracle v Google court case over Android begins

Search giant could face billion-dollar payout if it loses – but even if it wins, it could be forced to reveal smartphone plans. By Charles Arthur

Converting audio CDs into digital files

Ask Jack: Michael Stevens would like advice on ripping CDs once so that he never has to do it again

Apple readies Flashback malware removal tool: but how big is the risk?

Botnet caused by infections most recently through Java exploit may have infected up to 1% of installed base – but are the risks for Mac owners really growing? By Charles Arthur

Google’s Android has generated just $550m since 2008, figures suggest

Charles Arthur: Data provided in response to Oracle claim suggests Google gets more revenue from iPhone use than from Android ads and apps

Game over: the end for bricks and mortar games retailing?

Keith Stuart: Game retailers need to follow indie bookshops to survive the threat posed by supermarkets and plunging disposable incomes

Facebook buys 750 IBM patents: but why does it need to fight Yahoo?

Patent portfolio is an essential weapon for any company as it grows, lawyer explains. By Charles Arthur

Hi-tech shares take US for a walk on the high side

The dotcom blowout is over, Silicon Valley is awash with cash. So now could be the time to invest

BBC viewers ‘very comfortable’ with pay download service

Corporation's director of content Roly Keating says audience research confirms iTunes-style purchase scheme would be welcomed. By John Plunkett

Keeping Word documents private, and other queries

Ask Jack: Four questions this week – John's partner wants to edit Word documents privately, Stan has a CD stuck in a laptop drive, Derek's CDs are skipping, and Mary can't turn on Windows XP's auto-update

BBC boss confirms TV download pay service

Mark Thompson says Project Barcelona will allow viewers to purchase programmes permanently just after they are broadcast. By John Plunkett

Assad’s iTunes emails show music taste from Chris Brown to Right Said Fred

The Syrian president also appears to have bought a Harry Potter film, Steve Jobs's biography and a Cliff Richard tribute

Windows XP paralysed by hard disk thrashing

Ask Jack: Nigel Tasker's PC can stop working for up to 10 minutes due to hard disk activity, so what can he do about it?

Reports of the death of the PC are greatly exaggerated

Tablets may be selling like hot cakes but there will always be a place – and a market – for the personal computer, writes John Naughton

Google’s Chrome browser is first to fall at Pwn2own hacking contest

After managing to evade hackers for a number of years, Google's browser is targeted by French group Vupen which has controversial method of funding itself: selling vulnerabilities to governments. By Charles Arthur

iPad Touch? How Senseg’s haptic system gives touchscreens texture

With E-Sense, 'we bring touchscreens alive' says Ville Makinen - and the use of the Coulomb effect means that for the first time, flat screens can offer the sensation of having ridges, channels and roughness. Will the "iPad 3" use it? By Charles Arthur

That Windows 8 experience? Confusing. Confusing as hell

Matthew Baxter-Reynolds: Trying out Windows 8 on the desktop gives a strange feeling: there's a solid update to Windows 7, and then there's a strange interface which jumps context. Plus you can't join a device to a domain? Whose idea was that?

How I built my first app (with a little help)

Carole Cadwalladr had always wanted to learn how to write computer code. But could she build her very first app from scratch in just a day?