New cell phones, top android phones: Week in Tech: Week in Tech: Is it a Black Friday for the iPhone 5C?

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Week in Tech: Week in Tech: Is it a Black Friday for the iPhone 5C?

Weeks don’t get much bigger than this: it’s the week of Black Friday, when the entire retail industry slashes prices like some kind of crazy price slashing thing. But that’s not all. We discover Sony’s smartwatch plans, Amazon’s streaming stick, why BlackBerry’s trying to bribe iPhone owners and whether the iPhone 5C’s days are numbered.

None more black

Black Friday isn’t just a US thing: it’s becoming a big deal everywhere, with retailers offering big discounts to kick-start the Christmas shopping season. If you’re wondering where to find the most up to date information on the best Black Friday deals around, the answer begins with “T” and ends in “echradar”: we’ve been tracking the daily deals, the Black Friday doorbusters and the Cyber Monday offers, and we’ve put them all in one place.

‘Tubers in trouble

The UK Advertising Standards Authority has rapped the virtual knuckles of YouTube stars and other video bloggers, pointing out that it’s illegal to shill products while pretending to be an unbiased consumer. The investigation was sparked by bloggers promoting Oreo cookies without letting viewers know that the promos were paid-for. Crumbs.

Stick with Amazon

You’ve got to admire Amazon’s unwillingness to give its products fancy names: its TV stick is called the Amazon Fire TV Stick. Is it more interesting than its name? Nick Pino says yes: “if you’ve already bought into Amazon’s ecosphere, the Fire TV Stick will be the rug that ties the room together,” he says.

Tesco’s tablet tested

Tesco’s Hudl tablet was good. Is the Tesco Hudl 2 gooder? Simon Hill says yes: “This is a stylish, desirable, and cheap full-featured Android tablet that will satisfy the whole family. It completely outshines virtually everything in the same price bracket. You’ll be impressed at just how much Tesco’s Hudl 2 offers for your money.” We think he likes it.

PS4 vs Xbox One

They’ve had a year to get their act together, so which is the best of the next-gen consoles? Matt Swider pits Xbox One vs PlayStation 4 in punishing detail, covering not just the price and specs but the available games, apps and backwards compatibility. Don’t buy a console until you’ve read it.

Blackberry bribery

Would you trade an iPhone 6 for a Blackberry Passport? Of course you wouldn’t – but would $550 change your mind? That’s what the smartphone maker is offering in the US and Canada to anybody who fancies handing over an iPhone in exchange for Blackberry’s flagship. The deal applies to iPhone models from the 4S onwards (although of course the older the device, the less money you’ll get for it), and the firm is also offering a range of Black Friday deals on the Passport and Blackberry Z30. Smart marketing or desperation? We’re not sure.

Apple: the iPhone killer

Anything described as an iPhone killer probably isn’t, because the only thing that kills iPhones – other than fatal bending – is Apple itself when it discontinues older models. We’re hearing that the colourful iPhone 5C is next for the chop and won’t last beyond the summer, presumably to make way for an iPhone 6S. Start the rumour mills!

Sony’s watch looks good on paper

Sony’s been experimenting with smartwatches for a while, but its next one could be quite different: instead of a normal screen, it’ll use E-paper. Not only that, but the strap will be made of E-paper too, which is pretty intriguing. E-ink’s low power requirements mean that it should deliver the sort of battery life Android Wear watches can only dream of. It’s not the first e-ink watch – Pebble is doing very well with its e-ink range – but it’ll be interesting to see whether Sony can bring fresh ideas to this increasingly crowded sector.

Twitter’s eyeing your apps

If you use Twitter on your phone, don’t be surprised when a message pops up asking for permission to look at your apps: the firm wants to create a list of the apps on your phone so it can better target you with ads and baffling “who to follow” suggestions. Don’t worry, though: Twitter won’t be able to access the content of your other apps, and you’ll be able to opt out if you think Twitter should mind its own business.