Following on from the news that US carriers AT&T and T-Mobile have stopped sales of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 due to multiple reports of replacement handsets going up in smoke, an internal memo acquired by The Verge now states that Samsung has ceased shipments of the handset to Australian carrier Telstra too.

“Samsung has temporarily paused the supply of new Galaxy Note 7 smartphones following a reported incident in a replacement phone in the US,” states the memo.

Though the troubled handset’s future seems quite dire, Telstra’s memo also proclaims that “Samsung is confident in the replacement Note 7 and says they have no reason to believe it’s not safe.”

According to The Verge’s report, all replacement Note 7 handsets received by Telstra so far have been used for the recall, with the carrier not yet able to place Samsung’s phablet back in stock for general sale once again.

The memo also states that Telstra has “contacted impacted customers to advise them of the delay,” and that it will provide updated information on the status of their replacement Note 7 handsets as soon as it knows more.

• US carriers are now letting customers replace their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 replacements with completely different handsets

At some point we've all received a nuisance call encouraging us to claim PPI or informing us about a recent car accident we're suddenly worried we've repressed, but thanks to new barring technology, Vodafone UK customers won't have to deal with this annoyance quite as much.

The new technology installed across Vodafone's mobile network allows the company to block scam calls on a mass scale, stopping them at the source so that the customer never has to deal with them at all.

Previously, Vodafone was able to stop its customers accidentally returning missed calls to fake numbers but now its customers won't have to receive the call in the first place.

Just sit back and let the calls not come in

That's not to say absolutely no nuisance calls will come through – inevitably some will slip through the net – but Vodafone says it will significantly reduce the volume of fraudulent calls on its network.

When testing the new system, Vodafone was able to block more than 425,000 nuisance and scam calls in a single day. Over that week, the company found that the number of scam call attempts against Vodafone customers had dropped to under 1,000 as scammers realised their calls were not able to enter the Vodafone network.

Mark Hughes, Head of Corporate Security for Vodafone UK, said: "The protection of our customers is paramount and we have been investing heavily in our network and technology to help stamp out this practice. We will continue to evolve the technology as well as work with industry bodies and the regulator to ensure we keep one step ahead of criminals."

This isn't the only step Vodafone has taken to protect its customers from unwanted calls, also running a nuisance call bureau which works with customers to prevent more serious harassing and threatening calls.

• The best Vodafone deals in September 2016

We've heard whispers for some time now that Google's Nexus smartphone line would be getting a name change and makeover. Now, we've further evidence that the big G's phones will soon be flying in under Pixel branding.

Today's clue comes courtesy of LlabTooFer, who has uncovered what appears to be Google's next Android launcher. It was expected to land alongside the Android 7.0 Nougat release but was curiously absent.

But it's now surfaced, apparently under a new "Pixel Launcher" guise, adding further weight to rumors that Google's next phones will also share the Pixel name, just as previous tablets and Chromebooks have.

Pixel power

As for the actual launcher, it seems to house all that had been expected from the Nexus Launcher prior to the name change.

The "G for Google" drop down tab is there, icons get a slight resizing, and some UI elements like lines have shifted position slightly. Nothing to especially write home about, aside from the Calendar app icon, which now has parity with its iOS rival by updating to show the number of the date within the icon itself.

Should you want to try the Pixel Launcher, an APK is available to download. But we stress that this isn't an official release and could cause problems on your phone as a result, so only download and install it if you're aware of the risks.

The real significance with the launcher lies with the name change though. Google is expected to reveal two new HTC-built handsets on October 4, codenamed Marlin and Sailfish. This may well be our best hint yet at the new name to come.

• Pixel / Pixel XL (New Nexus) release date, news and rumors

Following hot on the heels of the Samsung Pay launch last week, it appears that Google’s much-anticipated contactless payment tech, Android Pay, is also about to hit Australia, according to an exclusive report from Ausdroid.

Select users from Australia’s major cities have already received invitations for an exclusive trial of Google’s NFC payment technology this week, with an eye on an impending launch in the very near future. The testing will go from now until Friday, June 24.

As for the official launch date, it would have to be quite soon if Google plans to keep the ‘first half of 2016’ deadline it set itself late last year.

Though the banks involved have yet to be named, we do know that Google has been working with ANZ, Westpac, Bank of Melbourne, Bank of South Australia, Bendigo Bank, Cuscal, ING DIRECT, Macquarie Bank, and St. George in the lead up to the Android Pay launch, with ANZ already secretly testing back in April.

• How to use Android Pay

Last week, we told you that Samsung Pay would be launching in Australia today, and that’s exactly what has happened.

Samsung Pay is now available to American Express and Citibank customers that own a compatible Samsung handset. These include the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy S6 active, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge.

Customers of those two institutions can enable Samsung Pay on their accounts at the American Express website or the Citibank website.

AMEX customers also get to enrol in a special launch bonus offer, which will see them receive $15 back if they use Samsung Pay to spend $5 or more three times before September 14, 2016.

Meanwhile, Citibank customers will receive 5% cash back on the first $500 spent using Samsung Pay between now and August 9, 2016. Sure, you have to spend quite a bit to get $25 back, but who’re we to poo-poo free money?

• TechRadar goes hands-on with Samsung Pay

If you're looking to pull the trigger on a new phone this summer but you want to make sure you get yourself the best value deal possible, we may have found what you're looking for.

Mobile phone deals site e2save.com - a Carphone Warehouse brand - has just launched a sneaky voucher code that will enable you to save £20 on the upfront fee of any phone whether it's the latest iPhone 6S or the cheapest budget Android phone.

It'll work on any deal on the e2save.com website as long as the upfront fee of the phone you want is at least £20.

That particular site is well known for offering excellent value phone deals anyway so this little sweetener could turn good deals into perfect deals depending on what you're looking for.

The voucher code in question is E2DISCO20. Simply add it in at the checkout and providing the upfront cost of the deal you're buying is at least £20 you'll get an instant £20 discount.

• Check out all of the deals at e2save.com

Apple's iOS 9.3 update is powerful enough to fix your poor sleeping habits with its new Night Shift feature, but it's also destructive enough to brick your older iPad, especially the iPad 2.

The good news is that the Cupertino company has already issued a fix for this iOS 9.3 problem, which has left eager updaters stalled at the password screen after failing to authenticate the software.

Since Monday, users have reported seeing a message: "Cannot activate because the activation server is temporarily not available."

Trying again later or updating via iTunes through as hardwired connection were solutions that worked fine for some, but not all. Now, with the new update in place, it should be fixed for everyone.

More iOS 9.3 fixes on the way

iOS 9.3 the first major mid-cycle firmware updates for iPhones and iPads in several years, with notable front-facing features and design tweaks.

However, this authentication issue isn't the only troubleshooting people have experienced with the new operating system version. Expect an iOS 9.3.1 eventually with more patches rolled into it.

Rare cases like the inability to install iOS 9.3, experiencing reduced battery life and all-out software freezes are among the problems we have heard from users trying to update.

Despite these frustrations, most users have updated without a problem. That may be because Apple gave public beta testers early access iOS 9.3 in January. Look for the same with iOS 10 in June.

• Hands on reviews: iPhone SE and iPad Pro 9.7

Coming shortly after the announcement that its mobile plans would be getting a 70 per cent price cut, Kogan Mobile has now unveiled its cheapest (non-discounted) prepaid plan yet.

The online retailer's new 1XL prepaid plan offers unlimited standard national calls, SMS and MMS, and 1GB of data starting at $16.95 for 30 days (57c per day).

Alternatively, you can opt for the same deal extended to 90 days for $46.95 (52c per day) or 365 days for $179.95 (under 50c per day).

During these extended periods, the 1XL plan resets its 1GB of data every 30 days.

It's worth noting that with Kogan's current 70 per cent off deal, it's still cheaper to go with the provider's 3XL (3GB) and 5XL (5GB) plans until the deal expires on March 31, 2016.

• 5 best Kogan Mobile alternatives

Adding to the very public debate over a court order demanding Apple assist the FBI in breaking into a locked iPhone and the implications it has for user security, the US House of Representatives Judiciary Committee has announced it will call on both parties to testify on encryption next week.

Apple General Counsel Bruce Sewell and FBI Director James Comey are on the agenda as witnesses for the hearing for March 1, entitled "The encryption tightrope: balancing Americans' security and privacy."

It is expected the committee will discuss the FBI invoking the All Writs Act of 1789 for the court order, and the implications of forcing Apple to create what could be a backdoor into locked iPhones.

• Follow all of techradar's coverage of the Apple FBI row

Professor Susan Landau from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute and District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance for New York County will also testify as part of Apple's panel during the hearing.

Laws vs encryption

The House Judiciary Committee is essentially in charge of overseeing the administration of justice within federal courts, administrative agencies and federal law enforcement entities, meaning the results of this hearing could heavily influence the results of the FBI's litigation against Apple.

"As technology companies have made great strides to enhance the security of Americans' personal and private information, law enforcement agencies face new challenges when attempting to access encrypted information," Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte and Ranking Member John Conyers said in a statement.

They added that Americans have a right to strong privacy protections and that Congress should "fully examine the issue" to make ensure those are in place while also making law enforcement can do its job, too.

"As we move forward, our goal is to find a solution that allows law enforcement to effectively enforce the law without harming the competitiveness of US encryption providers or the privacy protections of US citizens," they said.

Interestingly, in its first legal step against the FBI's demands, Apple has today officially filed a motion to throw the government's court order. Tech giants Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Google will likely file motions in support of Apple next week.

• 5 things you need to know about Apple vs the FBI

If you've been experiencing connection problems with your Telstra 3G and 4G data services today, you weren't alone – Telstra took to Twitter earlier today to inform its customers of an issue affecting mobile voice and data services across the country.

News is reporting that 16.7 million services were affected by the outages, with some reporting a complete loss of services, however, Telstra has announced that it has isolated the issue and has already started restoring data services for its customers.

"We've identified the issue and services are being restored progressively. Thank you for your patience. Sorry for any inconvenience caused," read the post on Telstra's twitter account.

While service repairs are already under way, there are still many areas still experiencing outages – you can follow an updated map of the affected areas at AussieOutages.com.

Rival telco Optus also experienced some network problems around midday today, but nothing of the same magnitude as the outages on Telstra's network.

• Best 4G network: Telstra vs Optus vs Vodafone

People living in regional Australia are about to get a significant increase in the quality of their mobile coverage, with the announcement that Optus has purchased new regional licences in the 1800 MHz spectrum band.

The $196 million acquisition (2 x 20 MHz in 5 regions and 2 x 25 MHz in 7 regions) allows Optus to expand its 4G coverage to more places around Australia.

Allen Lew, Chief Executive Officer at Optus says the 1800 MHz spectrum will “help reduce dead zones across urban and rural boundaries, and give customers a seamless 4G experience when they’re on the go.”

Lew also said that “the rollout of 4G services using 1800 MHz spectrum means Optus customers with compatible phones can enjoy superfast downloads, browsing and streaming in more places.”

The 1800 MHz band is by far the most popular spectrum for 4G coverage around the world, and is compatible with the vast majority of smart devices around Australia.

• Best Optus phone: 5 we recommend

Australia has always been at the forefront of new mobile technology rollouts, and 4G is no exception. Initially rolled out by Telstra late in 2011, both Optus and Vodafone quickly followed suit rolling out their own versions of LTE technology.

Over the past few years, all three telcos have committed to massively expanding their 4G networks to not only reach more and more people across the country, but also introduce new technologies to offer faster downloads, while new features like Voice over LTE and LTE-Broadcast are beginning to make an appearance.

The transition to 4G was fairly quick, really, given the Australian thirst for faster speeds. But now that 4G has become a standard rather than just a new and exciting feature, the battle lines now seem to be drawn over not just coverage areas, but device compatability, download speeds and 4G features.

With that in mind, what do these networks have up their sleeves for the immediate future? Here is our run down on what you can expect.

Best 4G Coverage

Let's face it, 4G is going to be of no use to you if you don't have access to it. Telstra had quite the head start in the rollout, and has over 3,800 4G-enabled sites across the country's capital cities, plus many suburban areas and over 600 regional towns. At present, over 90 percent of the Australian population can get Telstra 4G.

But Telstra has committed to expanding that number to 99 percent by the middle of 2017. To do this, the country's largest telco will be expanding 4G to over 9,000 sites (including 750 brand new sites).

Optus took a slightly different approach to its 4G rollout, launching exclusively around the Newcastle area in April 2012. Since then, the service was expanded to capital cities and key regional hubs, around the country. Optus now claims that 90 per cent of Australians can use its 4G service, and has spent a big chunk of 2015 expanding its 4G offering to regional hubs around the country.

Vodafone was the last telco to join the 4G competition, and is a little bit more cautious with its claims of market reach. However, the telco has said that its 4G network reaches 96.9 percent of the country's metropolitan customers, and while Vodafone 4G is available in a number of regional areas, Vodafone isn't quite as vocal about it as its competitors.

What Vodafone has instead focussed on is its contiguous spectrum, which allows for greater bandwidth. This means that it can easily support category 4 devices like the Huawei MediaPad 10 Link tablet, as well as coping better under strain.

Best 4G price

The best part about 4G in Australia is that none of the networks is charging a premium for the faster speeds. In most cases, all you need is a 4G smartphone like the Galaxy S6 or Xperia Z5 to enjoy the faster speeds, although some customers with older SIM cards might need to upgrade.

The biggest challenge with 4G in Australia is the limitation on data caps. Despite the fact that data speeds have been drastically increasing thanks to 4G technology, the data allowance on plans has actually went down as the networks were being rolled out.

The good news is that bundled data has slowly been on the rise again in 2015, which is a trend we can hopefully see continue into 2016 and beyond.

Telcos are also starting to actively change the way they charge for excess usage.

Telstra's Every Day Connect plans start at $55 a month, including 1GB of data. $70 a month will get you 2.5GB of data, while $95 a month offers 7GB of data. If you want more than that, you'll have to spring $135 a month, which includes 15GB of data.

Of course, the Every Day Connect plans include the purchase of a new handset (although you may need to pay a small repayment on top of the base amount). If you're happy with the 4G phone you have, or you prefer to buy your phone outright, Telstra also has Every Day Connect BYO plans.

These phone-free plans start at $25 a month with 500MB of data, and go up to $40 a month for 7GB and $60 a month for 10GB, although there's no guarantee these prices will remain on offer long-term.

Additional data packs are available for the heavy downloader, with a $10 purchase giving an extra 1GB of data.

Optus's plans are a little bit more confusing. For a SIM only plan, you'll pay $40 a month and get 10GB of bundled data.

The Optus My Plan Plus option starts at $40 a month for 500MB, with $60 giving 3GB, $80 offering 8GB and $100 delivering 20GB of data. Depending on the plan and the smartphone you want, you may need to pay a bit extra for a handset in the plan.

Excess data, like Telstra, is charged at $10 per GB automatically when you exceed your monthly allowance.

Vodafone has the widest stretch of plan offerings, with prices starting at $40 a month for 500MB, $60 a month for 3GB, $80 a month for 8GB, $100 a month for 12GB, and $130 a month for 20GB of data.

Voda's SIM-only plans are along the same lines, just a little bit cheaper. $30 gets you 500MB, $40 gives 3GB, $50 offers 5GB, $60 has 7GB and $80 has 11GB on offer.

It's important to note that all the above plans also include varying amounts of talk and text value, which might sway your decision.

Best 4G handsets

The most important part of your new contract will be your new smartphone (assuming you haven't already purchased a 4G-ready device). Possibly the biggest phone for any network right now is the iPhone 6S.

Apple got into a lot of trouble with the ACCC after it branded the iPad 3 as being 4G-enabled, despite the fact it didn't work on the Australian LTE frequencies. Fortunately that was a problem the company fixed with the iPhone 5, with the handset working on the 1800MHz spectrum used by all three networks.

It didn't work on Optus' TD-LTE network in Canberra, nor the 900MHz frequency that was rolled out by Telstra and Optus. Since then though, Apple's LTE chips have been compatible with Australian LTE bands.

But what about the other 4G-ready phones? Well, given the prevalance of 4G handsets in Australia, the easiest course of action may be checking out list of the country's best mobile phones, including the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the Nexus 6P.

Continuing Woolworths partnership with Telstra, the supermarket giant has announced a new post-paid mobile plan that includes the fast-ageing Samsung Galaxy S5.

For $38 a month, customers signing up for the deal will receive the Galaxy S5 handset, 1GB of data, $1,000 of standard national calls, unlimited standard national SMS, and free calls to other Woolworths customers.

1GB certainly isn't a generous helping of data these days, but additional 1GB data packs can be purchased for $10. Customers also won't be caught out when their bill comes around as the plan offers a hard limit, meaning once your data's up it's up.

Unfortunately, as the 24-month contract nears its end that Galaxy S5 handset is going to be looking pretty sluggish. Already 20 months old, the S5 will look positively ancient by the time Christmas 2017 rolls around.

It's pre-paid, baby

Woolworths is also upping its pre-paid offerings, increasing data and call inclusions by up to 40 per cent, with bonus data until 15 Feb 2016.

The company's $30 mobile recharge package now includes unlimited standard national SMS, $1,000 of standard national and international calls, and 2GB of data, with an additional 500MB until 15 Feb.

The $45 package includes unlimited standard national calls and SMS and 4GB of data, with an additional 1GB until 15 Feb.

Both packages include unlimited calls to other Woolworths users.

Obviously Woolworths isn't chasing the data-hungry segment of the market, but does anyone really deserve to be stuck paying off a Galaxy S5 that's left limping after a future Android update?

• Think you can do better than a Galaxy S5? Check out the best Telstra phone: 5 we recommend

Like a crazy ex who won't stop texting, Microsoft has upped the ante in a slightly-too-desperate way in its bid to urge Android users to switch to the Windows Phone platform. Microsoft has launched a new Android app to show which apps will work if they make the switch.

Called "AppComparison", the app will take a look at the apps installed on your phone and compare them to those available on the Microsoft store.

If there's a match, it will tell you - and if there's not, it will scour Microsoft's apps for alternatives. For example, if it spots Amazon Instant Video it might instead recommend Netflix.

"It's a match"

What's interesting about the app is that it is effectively an admission by Microsoft that it knows the major weakness of its ailing mobile platform - the lack of apps.

The company has been struggling to solve the chicken-and-egg problem of needing more apps to spur user growth, yet more users to motivate developers to build apps for the platform. This new app is an attempt to tackle that head on.

Whether the app will win any converts remains to be seen, though it can't be a coincidence that the launch comes at the same time as the launch of the Lumia 950.

Features like "Continuum" on the Lumia 950 will let you turn your phone into an (almost) fully-fledged computer when plugged into a Microsoft DisplayDock.

• Check out our review of the Microsoft Lumia 950

Lots of data, minimal expense, and no lock-in contract to pin you down sounds like the new Australian dream. Well, it probably is for some.

And anyone looking for data to burn and flexibility to, er, flex might be tempted by Amaysim's latest top tier plan, which features 8GB of data for $49.90.

It also comes with unlimited standard talk and text, as well as 300 minutes of international calls – for those yet to discover that you can communicate cheaply with people overseas via the likes of Skype.

For those who feel 8GB is just too much data (it really isn't), Amaysim has also trimmed $5 off the price of its 5GB plan, bringing it down to $39.90, although if you want those 300 minutes of international calls the price goes back up to $44.90.

Neither of those appeal? Amaysim has a range of plans, starting from $24.90 for anyone feeling light of wallet.

• Do you have excessive data? You could use some of it on 'commutertainment'