Nokia really does look different now, and has coupled its hardware strength with an OS that is swimming in good design and UI principles.

FORBES: Did Nokia Do Enough Last Week?

You don't need that kind of industrial-strength hardware to build a home network, but you will need a piece of hardware called a residential gateway, which will do the same jobs.

FORBES: Ten O'Clock Tech: Data Plumbing For The Home

Image quality, the meat and potatoes of camera work, is usually high on the Sensation, though some software irregularities do undermine the evident strength of the hardware on board.

ENGADGET: HTC Sensation review Hands-on

"We believe in the strength of that ecosystem, of software and hardware companies that work together to deliver selection and choice, " Mr. Ballmer said.

WSJ: Microsoft's Surface Rivals Both Tablets and Laptops

As Mr Biden was showing off US military hardware in Beirut, Hezbollah was staging its own show of strength in Nabatieh, a provincial centre south-east of the capital.

BBC: How far will US support for Lebanon go?