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Roaming fees in the European Union will be cut by up to a third depending on where you are visiting, under continued EU pressure to scrap the fees altogether.

Citizens of member states of the European Union have broad rights to travel with ease around the EU, with 17 of them even using the same Euro currency. Likewise, trade within the EU is done with ease, due to the single European marketplace.

One area that the EU needs to reign in, however, is the telecommunications industry. The European Commission is seeking creating a single telecoms market across the bloc, which it says will benefit consumers by cutting costs.

One easy target is roaming fees, which the EU has been chipping away at for years. Roaming fees are the premium rates that you pay for use of mobile voice, SMS and data usage when travelling throughout the bloc. Since data usage over mobile networks increased with the rising popularity of smart phones, roaming fees brought about the bill shock phenomenon, where holidaymakers returned home to find they had excessively large phone bills.

The EU moved to impost EU-wide restrictions on data roaming fees, along with voice and messaging.

From Monday, July 1, the fees will drop again. Making calls can cost no more than 24c per minute while roaming within the EU, down from 29c, while receiving calls drops to a maximum of 7c per minute. Sending text messages has been cut to 8c from 9c, while receiving text messages is exempt from roaming fees.

Microsoft has made it clear that Windows Phone is the third-largest smartphone ecosystem in the world, with their sites set on taking more share from Google and Apple.

Senior Windows Phone product manager Larry Lieberman added, "We think we're solidly the third ecosystem right now. That's a huge announcement in some respects."

Windows Phone overtook the share of the dead BlackBerry brand last month. When asked about BlackBerry, which once dominated the market, Lieberman said, "I don't think they can bring to the table some of the things we have. The fact that we're delivering across such a different set of price points to such a large audience."

Microsoft has also decided to take on Google head-on for the low-end emerging markets, announcing the Nokia 521, a device that will sell for $150 off-contract.

Four months ago, Skype unveiled video messaging, a mixture of its instant messaging and video chat services.

While the service was well accepted, it was limited because you needed a premium Skype account to use it on an unlimited basis.

As of today, the feature is now free to all users, no matter what type of account you have. Video messaging options are now available for the desktop versions of Skype, iOS, Android, and BlackBerry.

Somewhat surprisingly, Windows Phone owners cannot send video messages, just receive them for the time being.

According to the WSJ, Google is actively developing an Android-based gaming console and a smartwatch, both of which could potentially launch this year.

The move would be huge expansion for Android, which has remained primarily on smartphones and tablets.

Additionally, the sources claim Google is building a second version of its failed media-streaming orb, the Nexus Q.

As of the last month, Android is now on 75 percent on all smartphones and 57 percent of tablets, beating out rival Apple handily.

If the gaming console comes to fruition, it would likely put the kibosh on Ouya and other cheap Android-based consoles that have recently reached the market.

Microsoft has announced today that there are now over 160,000 apps in the Windows Phone Store.

Additionally, the software giant has temporarily dropped that annual registration fee paid by all developers who publish in the store to $19 from $99.

The offer is only good for the next 60 days for developers wanting to publish to the Store.

As a relatively new platform, the 160,000 apps is quite a large number but it is small compared to the 800,000 seen in both the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store.

Finally, Microsoft says transaction volumes in the Store has reached 200 million per month and daily revenues have grown 250 percent since launch.

Microsoft has made installation ISOs for the Windows 8.1 Preview available to download.

At the BUILD conference, Microsoft showed off some of the changes in Windows 8.1, responding to consumer feedback about the Windows 8 operating system launched last year.

Now you can download an ISO file and install it yourself.

Windows 8.1 Preview (English) 64-bit: WindowsBlue-ClientwithApps-64bit-English-X1899605.iso
SHA-1 Hash: 0xD76AD96773615E8C504F63564AF749469CFCCD57

Windows 8.1 Preview (English) 32-bit: WindowsBlue-ClientwithApps-32bit-English-X1899604.iso
SHA-1 Hash: 0x8BED436F0959E7120A44BF7C29FF0AA962BDEFC9

PRODUCT KEY: NTTX3-RV7VB-T7X7F-WQYYY-9Y92F

If you are running Windows 8, simply double-click on the ISO file and run Setup.exe. If you are running an older version of Windows, you will need to either burn it to a DVD or create a bootable USB installation.

In a second hit to CEO Charlie Ergen's ego, major satellite provider Dish Network has withdrawn their bid for Clearwire.

Reads the small press release: "DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, DISH Acquisition Holding Corporation, is withdrawing its tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock of Clearwire Corporation ("Clearwire"), including any shares of Class A Common Stock issued in respect of outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock, for $4.40 per share. DISH's tender offer provided that it could be withdrawn, among other reasons, as a result of the recent change in recommendation by Clearwire."

Sprint had increased their bid for 4G spectrum holder Clearwire to $5 per share, 14 percent higher than Dish's bid, and almost 40 percent higher than their own original bid. The bid would allow Sprint to purchase the 50 percent of the company it does not already own. Additionally, Sprint managed to get major investor and board member support, sticking the final dagger in Dish.

The Australian Classification Board has justified its refusal to classify Saints Row IV for the market, singling out the use of 'anal probes' and narcotics.

The alien anal probes used in Saints Row IV amounts to "implied sexual violence," in the opinion of the Classification Board. It also takes issue with the use of illicit drugs also referred to as being "alien" in nature.

"The game includes a weapon referred to by the applicant as an 'Alien Anal Probe'. The applicant states that this weapon can be 'shoved into enemy's backsides'. When using this weapon, the player approaches a (clothed) victim from behind and thrusts the weapon between the victim's legs and then lifts them off the ground before pulling a trigger which launches the victim into the air," a statement from the Classification Board reads, according to GameSpot.

"A weapon designed to penetrate the anus of enemy characters and civilians constitutes a visual depiction of implied sexual violence that is interactive and not justified by context."

The Board also pointed out an optional mission in the game where the player obtained and smokes "alien narcotics," giving the character superpowers.

Netflix users who test out the Windows 8.1 preview release will be able to use the Microsoft browser to watch high quality movies and TV shows without installing plug-ins.

Netflix had previously pushed for HTML5 video support through Premium Video Extensions. This would allow premium video playback in a browser without requiring the installation of third-party plugins.

Microsoft's implementation of the Media Source Extensions (MSE) using the Media Foundation APIs within Windows provides for GPU hardware acceleration of 1080p video playback, while an implementation of the Encrypted Media Extensions (EME) using Microsoft PlayReady DRM provides content protection for the streams.

Internet Explorer 11 also has WebCrypto implemented, allowing Netflix to encrypt and decrypt communication between its JavaScript application and its own servers.

"We expect premium video on the web to continue to shift away from using proprietary plugin technologies to using these new Premium Video Extensions," Netflix' blog reads.

"We are thrilled to work so closely with the Microsoft team on advancing the HTML5 platform, which gets a big boost today with Internet Explorer's cutting edge support for premium video. We look forward to these APIs being available on all browsers."

The Xbox Music app in Windows 8 has been given an overhaul as part of the revamp of Microsoft's Windows 8.

The changes to Xbox Music are based on user feedback, according to Alex Garden, General Manager, Xbox Music. This new Xbox Music experience, set to launch later this year with Windows 8.1, is entirely redesigned from the ground up and will bring music lovers closer to their favourite experiences.

The navigation column on the left side of the screen will enhance usability and performance by offering:

• Built-in Search: You'll have faster access to your favorite songs, artists and albums with an in-app "Search" bar.
• Improved Collection Management: Simple access to your music starts in the "Collection," where the music that you've saved in the Xbox Music cloud and your local music and will be at the forefront of the app.
• Streaming Radio Stations: "Radio" will offer seamless creation of new streaming Internet-radio stations based on artists you like and will give you faster access to your favorite Radio stations that you've already created.
• Exploring the Music Store: "Explore" will take you into the Music Store where you can browse millions or songs, artists and albums.
• Lists of Playlists: Your custom playlists will be available at a glance to quickly begin playback or make edits, and your playlists will continue to seamlessly sync to your other Xbox Music devices--like Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 8.

British Airways is set to relax rules on the use of electronics after its planes have landed at airports.

Passengers are not allowed to have electronic devices like mobile phones, tablets or laptops switched on during the critical take off and landing periods, where most accidents occur. There are two reasons for the restriction, with the obvious first being possible interference at a critical part of the flight, and the second being concerns about passengers being distracted during take off and landing.

Once over 10,000ft, devices can be generally be switched on, and airlines have been taking in more revenue by offering premium wi-fi services at high altitudes.

BA's rules relaxation will simply allow passengers to power up devices once they are off the runway, rather than waiting until they reach the terminal.

"Customers will no longer have the frustration of having to wait until their plane has arrived at the terminal building before being able to use their mobile phones and other handheld electronic devices," said Ian Pringle, BA flight training manager.

"Now they'll have that extra time to phone ahead for that important business meeting, check their emails, or make sure someone is there to meet them at the airport."

Aereo is on the verge of expanding its online antenna/DVR technology to 19 new U.S. cities by the end of next months.

That's according to Aereo CEO and founder Chet Kanojia, who made the revelation in a fireside-style chat at CE Week conference in New York. Having originally started out in New York City, Aero then expanded to Boston and Atlanta, letting customers rent a remote antenna, which they can use to transmit local OTA television content to their mobile devices, and tans advantage of a remote DVR functionality.

The service did not go unnoticed by broadcasters, who felt Aereo was violating copyrights and should be liable to pay retransmission fees for the service.

To this point, Aereo has managed to shrug off every major challenge in the courts, and is seeking declaratory judgement in New York, which could declare the ruling in that district as applicable to the entire country. Otherwise, Aereo is open to new lawsuits every time it expands into a new district.

"What really is at stake...is your ability to control your own media," Kanojia said, adding that big media companies are telling consumers they must pay a tax every time they store media away from home. He also said the company is prepared to be unprofitable as it fights the battle in court and fine tunes its service to make it more attractive.

Facebook has denied claims made by a Turkish official that implied the social network was handing over user information to authorities in the country.

The Turkish government had blasted Twitter, with Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan calling it a "scourge" that is used to spread lies about the government with the goal of terrorizing society in the country. It was requesting that Twitter setup a representative office within Turkey, apparently to make it easier to acquire information on users. For several weeks, Turks have been staging anti-government protests, largely organized through social media.

Transport and Communications Minister Binali Yildirim had made comments that seemed to suggest that Facebook had been cooperating with authorities, while he was blasting Twitter for not doing so. Not true, says Facebook.

"Facebook has not provided user data to Turkish authorities in response to government requests relating to the protests. More generally, we reject all government data requests from Turkish authorities and push them to formal legal channels unless it appears that there is an immediate threat to life or a child, which has been the case in only a small fraction of the requests we have received."

As expected, Samsung has rolled out its curved 55-inch OLED TV in South Korea, jumping into a niche market after rival LG Electronics.

While it is great to see organic light-emitting diode TVs on the market, Samsung has warned that industry forecasts might be a bit optimistic. DisplaySearch had forecast that over 50,000 OLED TVs will be sold this year, rising to 600,000 in 2014 and up to 7 million in 2016.

However, LG has had a 55-inch curved OLED (and an non-curved OLED) on the market since January and is estimated to have only sold a few hundred so far.

OLED screens consist of thousands of self-emitting diodes, providing brighter and better quality pictures while consuming less powered than a comparably sized LCD screen with a backlight. Production is more complex than LCD panels however, meaning that for the moment they must remain toys for high-end consumers.

PS3 System Software v4.46 has been released by Sony today, fixing an issue with v4.45 that led to PS3 consoles becoming unbootable.

Those who didn't install the v4.45 system update can get the new update the same way as ever. For those who did apply v4.45, and ended up being unable to reach the XMB on the console, here are the instructions on how to fix your console.

For these steps you will need a USB Mass Storage device (USB flash drive etc.) with at last 168MB of free space. You will also need to manually download the PS3 System Software v4.46 from the link below.

http://dus01.ps3.update.playstation.net/.... (right-click and save as)

After you have the Update, there are three stages to go through; Step 1 - Preparing the Manual Update, Step 2 - Activating Safe Mode on your PS3 and Step 3 - Manually Update PS3 Software.

Step 1 - Preparing the Manual Update

1. You will need a USB Mass Storage device such as a USB flash drive with at least 168 MB of free space. If your PS3 is either CECHA00/CECHB00 series model, you can also use Memory Stick, SD Memory Card, and CompactFlash.
2. Create a folder named "PS3" on the storage media or USB device. (all letters UPPERCASE)
3. Within the PS3 folder, create a folder named "UPDATE". (all letters UPPERCASE)
4. Using your computer, click the following hyperlink to begin downloading system software 4.46
5. Download the update data from the webpage and save it in the "UPDATE" folder.
   • Location: Save in the "PS3" folder > "UPDATE" folder
   • File name: Save as file name "PS3UPDAT.PUP"

1. With the PS3 off (power light should be red), touch and hold the Power button, you will hear the 1st beep indicating that the PS3 is powering on.
2. Continue to hold the power button, and after approximately 5 seconds you will hear a 2nd beep.
3. Continue to hold the power button and after 5 more seconds you'll hear a 3rd beep, and system will power off (Power light goes red).
4. Release power button.
5. Touch and hold the Power button, you will hear the 1st beep, again for PS3 power on.
6. Continue to hold and after approximately 5 seconds you will hear the 2nd beep for video reset.
7. Continue to hold and after 5 seconds you will hear a quick double beep. At that point release power button.
8. If you succeeded in activating Safe Mode, you will see a message on screen saying, "Connect the controller using a USB cable and then press the PS button".
9. Connect a controller to the PS3 with a USB cable.

1. Connect the storage media to PS3 system.
2. Select [6 - System Update] and Press X.
   • Please note: Data and settings may be deleted if you choose any of the first (5) options. Please make sure to only choose option [6 - System Update].
3. Press Start and Select at the same time.
4. The PS3 system will restart and recognizes the update file in the storage media.
5. Press right on the d-pad to scroll through the update description and user agreement.
6. Press X to confirm the update.
7. The system will now install the new system software and restart automatically upon completion.