Pete Hayman

It's official – the Nokia smartphone is soon to be a thing of the past, with Microsoft confirming that it will be replacing one of the longest-standing mobile brands with the Microsoft Lumia moniker.

Virgin Media has confirmed that 5,000 more homes across north-east England will soon be able to sign up to its super-fast broadband internet service, as well as its Virgin Media TiVo TV service.

Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One are about to lock horns once again in the battle for supremacy in the next-generation console market, with forthcoming November updates promising a flurry of new features.

The cassette tape might not be dead and buried just yet, with reports from the US claiming that Disney Music Group is about to release its first cassette tape since 2003.

It could soon become easier to find legitimate online film and music services – and harder to find pirated content – after Google announced a number of new changes to its search engine.

A trio of Channel 5 channels are among five new additions to the Sky Go mobile TV service line-up, which now lets Sky subscribers access up to 70 live channels via their smartphones or tablets while on the move.

If you're a Blinkbox subscriber and would rather not have to purchase separate digital and physical versions of a TV programme or movie, the introduction of UltraViolet to the service might come as a welcome announcement.

The UK might still be awaiting blanket 4G coverage, but efforts to develop the next generation of mobile broadband – 5G – appear to be progressing, with Samsung Electronics announcing it had achieved two "milestone achievements".

Since it was first unveiled back in 2000, Discogs has been working to create the "biggest and most comprehensive music database and marketplace" – and now it's gone even further with the launch of a new online resource called VinylHub.

The ultimate Christmas wish list? It might just be. These are the Product of the Year winners from each of the 24 product categories at the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2014.

You might have noticed that video streaming is very much of the moment right now, with the likes of Netflix and Amazon helping to transform the TV landscape – and it's a trend that hasn't escaped the attention of HBO.

D-Link has expanded its range of smart home products with the unveiling of mydlink Home Music Everywhere – a device that can stream music from your smartphone, tablet or network-connected media player around the home.

Google has stoked the flames of the mobile market with the launch of its latest devices – the Nexus 6 smartphone and the Nexus 9 tablet – and the "largest, most ambitious" release of the Android OS in the shape of 5.0 Lollipop.

If you're in the market for a new smartphone or tablet at this point in time, What Hi-Fi? Sound and Vision can now reveal the four mobile devices – two smartphones and two tablets – to be named Award winners for 2014.

Swedish audio manufacturer XTZ has declared a "(r)evolution of the headphone" with the launch of the new Divine wireless headphones, which includes the latest digital signal processing (DSP) technology from Dirac.

Aspiro has revealed that 16 audio manufacturers – including Sonos, Bluesound and Simple Audio – have all signed up to support its new TIDAL music streaming service when it launches in the UK.

Simplestream has secured "substantial funding" from Beringea, a global private equity firm with offices in Detroit and London, to expand its TVPlayer streaming service, which will include the addition of new channels and multi-channel catch-up functionality.

Earity promises a wireless voice-controlled earphone that has a long-lasting battery, "ground-shaking" sound quality and claims it reduces the risk of driving accidents.

Pure has long been a specialist when it comes to the trusty radio, with enough four- and five-star reviews to back that up. Now, the company reveals the latest generation of its Bluetooth-enabled digital radios with the Evoke D6.

Monitor Audio has introduced the new Airstream S200 wireless speaker, which features a range of connection options and powerful amplification in order to deliver "big stereo sound from every conceivable audio source".

For those who like the idea of taking PC gaming onto the home TV but aren't too keen about the presence of a computer tower standing out like a sore thumb, PiixL has unveiled the G-Pack.

Lenovo has signalled its intention to shake-up the mobile entertainment market with the launch of the new Yoga Tablet 2 Pro, which the manufacturer is targeting at "entertainment buffs".

After introducing the Arabesque Glass Master floorstanding speaker and Arabesque Mini standmount speaker, Crystal Cable has further expanded its distinctive range with the unveiling of the Arabesque Minissimo.

Mission has announced the launch of its new M-Cubed (M3) surround sound speaker package, which the manufacturer is hoping can build on the success of its predecessor – the M-Cube.

Elipson Audio has introduced its "new and improved" Music Centre, which now comes with the ability to stream music from Bluetooth-enabled devices – including smartphones and tablets.