Amazon has pulled the plug on its Apple Pay rival. Photo: Apple

Amazon jumped into the mobile payments market a few months before Apple Pay launched, but the company is already pulling the plug on its first mobile wallet solution: Amazon Wallet.

Emails were sent out to customers this week from Amazon, alerting them that the service would be shutting down soon. The service was still in beta but it came preinstalled on the Amazon Fire Phone. The move comes just six months after Amazon Wallet made its debut.

Is the Mi Note Xiaomi’s prettiest smartphone yet? Photo: Xiaomi

Xiaomi’s more affordable answer to the iPhone 6 Plus is here, and if you’re shopping for a flagship phablet, you should be interested. Not only is it incredibly attractive, it’s also thinner than Apple’s offering, and it’s packing some impressive specifications. It also starts at just $370.

The Oppo RC1 is a midrange stunner. Photo: Oppo

Apple failed to get its sapphire glass ready for its latest smartphones, but Chinese manufacturer Oppo did not. Its new RC1, a midrange handset with a 5-inch display, has a sapphire back panel that allows the device to be incredibly thin but still surprisingly sturdy.

Is the iPhone 6 Plus the best smartphone of 2014?. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

Smartphone innovation may have stalled in recent years, but that hasn’t stopped manufacturers from updating and improving upon their best devices. This year, we’ve seen big changes to devices like the iPhone, the Galaxy Note, and the LG G — as well as new contenders like the OnePlus One. But what are the best smartphones of 2014?

Here are our picks.

iPhone 6 is on every googler’s mind. Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Android

Google’s ‘Year in Search’ report was released this morning providing an insight into what’s on the mind of world’s internet users, and when it comes to technology, the iPhone 6 was the most popular tech search of 2014.

The Apple Watch also appeared on the top 10 list, taking the number 8 spot followed by the iPad Air as number 10 in the Consumer Electronic category. The Nexus 6 managed to pull in to third place, while Samsung had two devices in the top 5.

Here’s the full top 10: