Top 10 most read: iPhone 6 Plus v Nexus 6 v Note 4 review, LinkedIn phishing, Oracle malware

Top stories from the past seven days on V3

The smartphone market remains highly competitive with the likes of Apple, Samsung and Google clamouring for sales. Given the numerous perks touted by each firm, it's no surprise our Nexus 6 v Note 4 v iPhone 6 Plus was so popular.

We put the three giants against one anothe to see which came out on top - the results were controversial as you'd expect, so head on over to find out who we awarded the coveted top spot.

Elserwhere, though, security stories dominated the news, and several warnings covered by V3 made up the majority of the most popular stories last week.

These ranged from warnings of phishing scams aimed at LinkedIn users, to alerts from Oracle about dodgy patches that claim to fix problems, but in fact come loaded with malware.

The bad news continued with David Cameron making some fairly hair-brained comments that he wants to ban private message apps such as WhatsApp and Snapchat. Microsoft's decision to end free Patch Tuesday notices was also criticised.

Perhaps the only light relief last week was our top 10 which looked at some of the best laptops, tablets and 2-in-1 devices arriving throughout the year. The big names all featured, including Dell, Apple, Lenovo, HP and Acer.

iPhone 6 Plus vs Nexus 6 vs Galaxy Note 4 review
We pit three smartphone giants against one another

LinkedIn credentials being harvested via bogus security notifications
Users of business networking site warned of latest phishing scam

Top 10 laptops, convertibles and 2-in-1s for 2015: Dell, Apple, Lenovo, HP and Acer
Devices to get excited about for the year ahead

http://WWW.V3.CO.UK/V3-UK/NEWS/2390055/ORACLE-ALERTS-FIRMS-TO-BOGUS-MALWARE-LADEN-SECURITY-PATCHES
Oracle alerts firms to bogus malware-laden 'security patches'
Details vague but businesses warned to be on their guard

Cryptowall 3.0 ransomware switches to anonymous I2P network
Familiar foe returns to spread more mayhem

Microsoft accused of money-grabbing with Patch Tuesday reform
Security community questions wisdom of ending free information notices

David Cameron wants to ban private message apps such as WhatsApp and Snapchat
Prime minister's comments cause backlash from privacy groups

NSA admits 'regret' over backing dodgy cryptography standard
Tacit apology to US maths society from spy agency

Google Translate update touts real-time translation to challenge Microsoft's Skype Translator
Search giant shows off rival to Microsoft's recently unveiled tool

Microsoft ends mainstream Windows 7 supportFeature and functionality updates end for popular platform