AT&T has provided more details about the Samsung Galaxy Express, set to be released onto the network next week. Aimed at first-time smartphone owners, it has 4G LTE connectivity and a sensible price tag.
Previously announced in September, AT&T has now provided some more details about the Samsung Galaxy Express, it’s latest mid-range Android smartphone. The network is pushing the Galaxy Express as being suitable for first-time smartphone owners, or those who’re planning to upgrade from a basic device.
It’s making it an attractive proposition too, as it has slapped a $100 price tag on the front, provided you scrawl your signature on the bottom of a two-year contract. For that, you’ll get a curvy, Galaxy Ace 2-alike device that will happily connect to AT&T’s 4G LTE network.
The specification, while not quite up to the standard of the current crop of superphones, is still intriguing, particularly the screen. It measures 4.5-inches, a fairly unusual size, and one that’s shared by devices such as the Nokia Lumia 920, the Motorola Atrix HD and the Huawei Honor 2. It’s a Super AMOLED Plus panel too, meaning it’s the same as that seen on the Galaxy S2, and not the often unfairly maligned PenTile display used on the Galaxy S3.
Inside is a 1.5GHz, dual-core processor of currently unknown parentage, which should see the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system perform well. There’s no information on the amount of RAM, nor any clues on how much internal memory will be found inside the Galaxy Express, although a microSD card slot is present.
A 5-megapixel camera sits on the real panel, and other features include GPS, Bluetooth and a 2,000mAh battery.
Anyone interested in the Galaxy Express will be pleased to know it’s going to be available from AT&T on November 16. It’s also part of an AT&T offer where you’ll get $100 off a second Samsung smartphone when you buy a Galaxy-branded device with a new contract.
The Samsung Galaxy Camera drew a lot of attention when it was announced though launch date and pricing details were a bit slim. Samsung put out a press release today, saying the camera will be in the UK stores in a couple of days.
The Samsung Brand Store will get in on November 7, while other stores will get it the next day. The other stores are Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U and Jessops. Both brick-and-mortar and online stores will be selling the camera.
Jessops already have the Galaxy Camera on pre-order (in black and white) and are asking £400 for it ($640, €500) with a free 8GB SanDisk microSD to complement the 8GB of built-in storage.
Carphone Warehouse and Phones4U still haven’t put up the Camera up on their sites and Jessops only offers it through their online site (no in-store pickups yet).
By the way, a Samsung NX1000 EVIL camera with 20-50mm lens goes for £380 in the same store, so you should consider how important it is for you to have an Android powered camera.
Just so we're clear, it's an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean-powered camera with the internals of the Galaxy S III (including the quad-core CPU at 1.4GHz and 4.8" Super Clear LCD with 720p resolution) packed inside a point-and-shoot camera body (1/2.3 sensor" 16MP BSI sensor, 23mm wide-angle lens and 21x optical zoom).
By the way, the Samsung Galaxy Camera has 3G and 4G LTE connectivity, though that's for data only.
A UK retailer has managed to reveal details of the rumoured LG Nexus 4 on a pre-order page on its site for the next Google smartphone.
The page on Carphone Warehouse shows a press image of the handset and pegs with Nexus 4 release date as October 30, with the handset available for free on contracts starting at £31 per month over two years.
Both Vodafone and O2 are listed as available networks, and there's a whole range of tariffs for both networks on the site.
Processor, screen and camera detailed
As well as a Nexus 4 release date and price, the listing also goes on to reveal more information about the handset, including the 1.5Ghz quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 4.7-inch HD LCD (1280x768) display with a 320ppi pixel density, plus an 8MP rear facing camera capable of recording 1080p video and taking 360 degree panorama pictures.
It also shows the Nexus 4 will come running the latest version of Google's operating system, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Connectivity wise the Nexus 4 looks to be fully loaded, with 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, USB and NFC all on board, but apparently there's only a paltry 8GB of internal storage and no microSD slot.
Although the pre-order listing doesn't explicitly say the handset is manufactured by LG, there's a link on the page under the title "Alternative phones" which reads "View all LG Electronics phones", plus LG features in the page URL - which shows, once again, the Korean firm is behind the Nexus 4.
We still haven't heard anything official from Google, and Carphone Warehouse has published per-order pages in the past based on rumoured specifications, so we're not taking this a gospel, but it all looks pretty convinving.
A mammoth 6.1-inch smartphone could be in the works over in China, as details of the Huawei Ascend Mate get their first airing.
According to a report from MyDrivers, the super sized device was apparently spotted on Huawei's Chinese website, sporting a huge 6.1-inch, 1080p display which would put the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 2 to shame.
As well as the screen size, other details of the monster phone were also leaked, including a 1.8GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 4,000mAh battery.
World's most powerful smartphone
If these specs are to be believed then the Ascend Mate is set up to be the world's most powerful smartphone, an accolade currently held by its closest rival, the Galaxy Note 2.
The Ascend Mate will apparently measure a relatively slender 9.9mm in depth, and while there's no official word from Huawei about the device, it wouldn't be a surprise to see other manufacturers take on Samsung's mega-super-phone.
There are no details surrounding a potential Huawei Ascend Mate release date or price, so we've contacted the Chinese firm to see if it can shed any light on the news.
The Asus event, which brought us the new Padfone 2 smartphone/tablet was over all too quickly and some details almost slipped through. Among them were the Jelly Bean update schedule and the keyboard dock, which wasn’t presented.
According to an Asus representative, the company plans to have the Android 4.1 update ready by November. This means that even if you are among the very first to buy it, you will only have to wait a couple of weeks to get it.
As for the keyboard dock, that's still in development too. Asus says it's trying to create the best keyboard dock possible, but didn’t commit to a time frame. Of course, there's a possibility that Asus might ax the dock, but chances of that happening are slim.
Details extracted from a photograph supposedly snapped on the next Nexus smartphone suggests the device will be known as the LG Nexus 4.
There have been numerousrumours surrounding Google's next smartphone collaboration, with LG seemingly winning the race to produce the fourth generation, but it looks like the name LG Optimus Nexus could be out the window.
Two images posted on photo sharing site Picasa may have spilled the beans, with the EXIF data attached to them noting the device model they were taken on as the Nexus 4.
Google backing
We know that EXIF details are not the be all and end all, and can be easily faked, but interestingly the photos in question were uploaded by Mehul Agarwal - "Who's he?" we hear you ask, well he just happens to be a Google software engineer.
Obviously this doesn't guarantee us that the information we see before us is correct, but it does add more weight to the argument that the phone will be called the LG Nexus 4.
There's been no official word from Google or LG on the status of the Nexus 4, but we're expecting an invitation to a launch event to turn up in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more information.
LG is pretty lax when it comes to keeping the LG E960, a.k.a. the Optimus G-based Nexus phone, under wraps. Images and details of the smartphone just cant stop leaking all over web. The latest info comes from Russian site Onliner (again) and shows two camera samples.
The camera is an 8MP shooter (the Optimus G has two versions, 8MP and 13MP) and according to the EXIF info has a 4.6mm focal length (but that's all the info there is, the aperture data is missing). Note that the software is not finished yet, so we can expect the image quality to improve.
LG E960 Mako camera samples
The LG E960 Nexus has also been confirmed to use the Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064 chipset with four Krait cores and Adreno 320 graphics. What this leak didn’t confirm is the worrying rumor that the LG-made Nexus will have only 8GB of non-expandable on-board storage. Onliner is promising a review will be available tomorrow, so that will be settled soon.
In the mean time, you can hit the source link to check out a 360-degree spin on the phone.
Days before Apple is expected to reveal details of an iPad Mini, a new video has appeared on the Web showing a mock-up of the device. Meanwhile, it's being reported that the Cupertino company is looking at the idea of launching a widescreen iPad.
With the iPhone 5 launch well and truly behind us, attention among Apple watchers is now turning to the expected unveiling of the iPad Mini.
There’s been talk for a while now about Apple releasing a smaller version of its hugely popular iPad device, with most people expecting an October launch.
As with any Apple product coming to market, rumors have been doing the rounds, with many claiming the tablet will have a 7.85-inch screen and a thinner bezel than the one found on the existing iPad.
A new video showing a dummy iPad Mini from various angles was posted on the Web on Friday by the Japan-based Mac Otakara blog (via Apple Insider). Unfortunately, much of the 60-second video is slightly out of focus, though it’s still watchable (check it out below), and gives us some idea of how the expected tablet will look in the hand/s (answer: comfortable).
Apple Insider says that if the mock-up is close to the real thing then the absence of the black plastic insert on the back of the device that serves as a window for cellular signals suggests that if this is the only device unveiled by Tim Cook next month, it’ll be Wi-Fi only. But would Apple really hold back from offering consumers a cellular version too?
There’s little known about what’s under the hood of the expected iPad Mini, though to keep it competitively priced alongside Amazon’s new Kindle Fire HD tablets, Google’s Nexus 7 and Barnes & Noble’s Nook HD devices, it’s bound to lack the power of the 9.7-inch version. Many predict it’ll sell for around $250, a price which is bound to interest many consumers looking for a more portable version of the Cupertino company’s big-selling iPad. Details of a ‘special event’ to unveil the iPad Mini are expected to be announced in the coming days, with the device set to hit stores in plenty of time for the holiday season.
Widescreen iPad?
Meanwhile, following the recent launch of the widescreen iPhone 5, one analyst has said that according to sources “close to Apple”, the iPad is also about to get the stretched-screen treatment. Cult of Mac reported industry analyst Paul Mueller as saying that “at least three people close to Apple” told him the company is prototyping a widescreen version of the iPad.
It’s easy to believe the claim, with Apple known to test out many variations of a device before deciding whether to develop it further. It’s not known whether it would replace the current version or be sold alongside it. Do you think a widescreen iPad would go down well with consumers? Or should Apple simply stick with the current 4:3 aspect ratio?
Microsoft has officially announced the first details of Windows Phone 8 (which you may know better as Apollo) and confirming many of the rumours about the new operating system at the Windows Phone Summit.
However, don't get too excited - this is a 'sneak peek' rather than the full details of the new version and there's still a lot of information that we don't know.
Windows Phone 8 release date
We're still waiting to get our ears tuned into a proper Windows Phone 8 release date – we're currently being given the boring notion of 'autumn', which could be any time from October to Christmas for all we know. However, we expect it to be sooner rather than later as Microsoft won't want to miss the traditional holiday season gadget-buying rush.
That position has been thrown into doubt somewhat since Microsoft has started cosying up to HTC as well, and sources tell us we won't see a single Windows Phone 8 handset until the first days of November at least.
According to sources Windows Phone 8 will be officially launched on October 29, three days after the launch of the Windows 8 platform, so the November release date for handsets makes a lot of sense.
If you like the sound of all this, then the good news is you won't have to wait until your mobile network gets around to testing and pushing out updates in the future either.
There's going to be a way for users to get updates directly from Microsoft (perhaps labelled as beta releases) as long as they assume responsibility for anything that goes wrong.
In summary, Microsoft is adding the features that Windows Phone needs to succeed and that need new hardware.
It's also finally doing something to address the problem of upgrades that would work on your handset but you're frustratingly unable to get – listen up, Google.
Where Windows Phone still needs to catch up with the other smartphone systems on features it's doing that much faster. Now it just needs to sell more devices.
Windows Phone 8 - who's on board?
There aren't too many manufacturers on board just yet, but we do know a few that will be launching Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Samsung, Huawei, HTC and Nokia are the only confirmed manufacturers at this time - although ZTE told TechRadar it will be launching WP8-powered handsets in 2013.
During IFA 2012 in Berlin Samsung unveiled its first Windows Phone 8 handset, the Ativ S, which will pack a large 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, with the choice of 16GB and 32GB of internal storage.
Huawei will be bringing out a Windows Phone 8 handset by the end of the year too, with Shao Yang, chief marketing officer for Huawei, saying: "We are poised to end the year with a big bang – with the introduction of our first smartphone running on the Windows Phone platform."
Nokia has also unveiled its first two handsets to run Windows Phone 8 at a special event in New York.
The flagship Nokia Lumia 920 will head up the Finnish firm's range, sporting a 4.5-inch HD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8.7MP rear 'Pureview' camera, 32GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM, helping it to run Microsoft's latest mobile platform.
Given the phones are officially called 'Windows Phone 8X/S by HTC' it's a curious move from Microsoft to make the Taiwanese manufacturer the flagship brand for the new version of the platform.
Both phones exhibit solid design, feel great in the hand, and while they're not as thing as the competition offer tapered chassis to add a better position during use.
The 8X and 8S both offer up Beats Audio for enhanced sound, but the 8X is the superior experience thanks to a larger 4.3-inch screen, compared to the 4-inch of the latter.
Windows Phone 8 apps
The problem for Windows Phone is less the existing users – who tend to be enthusiastic as well as demanding – and more selling the phones.
The partnership with Nokia is certainly helping, as will the announcement that the Windows Phone Marketplace is now up to 100,000 apps with more coming - from the PayPal support for Wallet to iPhone must-haves like Words with Friends and Audible, plus Zynga's newly acquired Draw Something.
All Windows Phone 7 apps will run on Windows Phone 8 handsets; but in future developers will have to choose whether to make an app that only uses Windows Phone 7 features and works on both, or one that uses Windows Phone 8.
This means supporting features like Wallet, VOIP, native code or being able to run navigation in the background (which should mean we finally see some full-featured turn-by-turn navigation apps that go beyond what Nokia Drive offers).
TomTom clearly sees the power of Nokia Drive too, as it reckons it will be looking at a Windows Phone 8 app in the future, despite saying it has 'a bit of a love hate relationship with Windows Phone'.
EA has come out in support of Windows Phone 8 platform too, with the powerful Windows 8 synergy seemingly enough to encourage the brand to state: "Anything that allows more platforms to be adopted quickly that have a gaming element is good for Electronic Arts."
However, BBC iPlayer isn't likely to appear on the platform due to the development tools used, meaning it will still lag behind iOS and Android in the VOD stakes.
There are other advantages, but with the interfaces to components like graphics, audio and sensors being far more similar to those in Windows 8, it's a lot easier to write Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 apps that share features.
Or, of course, they can make two versions, one for 7 and one for 8; how often that happens is going to depend both on how easy Microsoft makes it to share code between versions of apps in its developer tools and on sales of Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Windows Phone 8 interface
There is one feature of Windows Phone you will be able to get on current handsets (with an update that has the strikingly appropriate name of Windows Phone 7.8) and that's the new Start screen. This now uses the whole width of the screen, without the arrow to tell you to swipe sideways for more apps.
With the extra space you can fit in a lot more tiles, which can now be three different sizes. There's a new small size that you can pick for any app, so if you don't need the Office hub or the dialler to have a full size button because there's not that much useful information on them, you can shrink them down.
New start screen: With the extra space you can fit in a lot more tiles, which can now be three different sizes.
And as well as the current standard tile size, any app will be able to have an extra-large tile to fit more details onto the live tile. Along with some new colour schemes, that makes the Start screen look much more personal.
But the overall look of the platform hasn't changed dramatically – you're still offered a list of apps adjacent to the Start screen, and the panorama method of seeing more information by moving horizontally remains – after all, why change one of the best things about the old OS?
A few new features look set to still be unveiled - for instance, the mysterious Rooms to allow for shared calendars and photos - so we're still eagerly awaiting the official unveil later this year.
Windows Phone 8 – under the hood
Windows Phone 8 is a major new version, running the kernel from Windows rather than from Windows CE.
It isn't the same as Windows 8, or even Windows RT – even though that also runs on ARM processors – and it doesn't have the same look to the Start screen and Metro-style WinRT apps won't run on Windows Phone 8.
But under the hood it's a lot more similar to develop for and Windows Phone gets several key components from 'big' Windows as well as some significant new features and new hardware, which is good news for what developers can make apps do with the increased access they get to the phone system.
Don't expect the same do-anything, break-anything ethos of Android though; battery life and user experience are still priorities for Windows Phone and even native applications run in a sandbox.
Windows Phone 8 browser and security
Key features that Windows Phone 8 gets from Windows include Internet Explorer 10, complete with the phishing filter and SmartScreen application reputation service to make it harder for malicious websites to trick you into giving away personal information like credit card details or downloading malware.
Malware hasn't been a problem for Windows Phone so far, but any platform that becomes successful is going to get attacked.
Windows Phone gets other Windows security features like disk encryption and secure boot, so businesses will be happier to use it (especially as they can now manage devices and sideload their own business applications).
Windows Phone 8 media and gaming
Audio, graphics and media playback all work more like their Windows equivalents, which should make for more powerful games and entertainment apps.
However, this means that current games will need to be re-tooled to take advantage of the new platform – the likes of Rovio can leave their games as Windows Phone 7 versions, but they'll likely want to re-release a more powerful version of the game too.
But given the increased GPU support and power on offer, we'll at least start seeing some more 3D-rich gaming environments that start taxing the Windows Phone 8 handsets compared to their previous counterparts.
Video calling
There's one place where Windows Phone is jumping ahead of Windows; VOIP calls will look just like regular phone calls with all the same features and notifications. Obviously that's good for Skype but other VOIP apps like Tango will get the same support.
We're still waiting to see how deep Skype integration gets into the Windows Phone 8 OS, as given it's already available as an app on the Windows Phone Marketplace it should be shoved pretty deeply into the platform.
Will it lead to a surge in video calling? Probably not, but as there are strong rumours the Xbox platform will be getting a taste of video calling too it seems only fair that Windows Phone 8 devices, complete with their improved front-facing cameras, should be given priority.
Windows Phone 8 CPU
To make all this work well Windows Phone 8 will run on new hardware; still ARM processors, still the Snapdragon platform from Qualcomm but now with multicore processors, with a new generation of GPUs, and with NFC support.
Battery life is still priority for the platform, so we doubt Microsoft is going to allow any CPUs that get too amorous with the power pack – but more power is a big selling point in today's smartphone market, so this makes enormous sense.
Microsoft Wallet
The new Microsoft Wallet app will allow you to make payments by tapping your phone on a credit card reader the way Google Wallet does, and store credit card and membership details securely and tap your phone to send them the way iOS 6 will.
And you're not tied to using a Microsoft payment service; applications will be able to tap into the Wallet system to set up new payment services – which will include Paypal.
The app is a hub for digital coupons and debit or credit cards - plus you can add in loyalty cards and third party apps that will notify you when they become relevant.
NFC support
NFC is there for Microsoft's Wallet payment system, but has other options as well. The OS supports secure SIM, which means users' can swap from handset to handset and take their payment method with them physically.
There are other applications that Nokia is keen to utilise as well, such as being able to pair with its Bluetooth accessories with a simple tap of the phone – it's a trick we've seen on the old Symbian phones and one we expect to feature heavily here too.
Speech recognition
Microsoft has teamed up with Audible to bring speech recognition to Windows Phone 8, allowing users to shout a variety of commands at their handsets.
During the keynote presentation, we saw a demo of the speech platform – which allowed a user to play movies, browse audiobooks and perform searches.
It's also available for Mango devices, so pop over to the Marketplace today and search Audible if you fancy a go.
Windows Phone 8 upgrades
That's the reason that you won't be able to upgrade any existing Windows Phone handsets to 8, because they don't have the hardware to support the new features or deliver the multitasking performance that the Windows kernel and the improved VOIP support needs.
Only two of the rumoured new resolutions are being announced, both widescreen formats: 1280 by 768 and 1280 by 720 as well as the current 800 by 480, which should give phone makers more flexibility when it comes to choosing parts they can use in multiple devices.
And Windows Phone finally sorts out its SD card support; you'll be able to store media files on a micro SD card or install applications onto it.
Take a moment to check out our Windows Phone 8 round up video below.
Details on the rumoured HTC One X+ handset have been leaked in documents supposedly from UK carrier O2.
The promotional material from the network reveals the One X+ will sported a beefed up, 1.7GHz quad-core processor, up from the 1.5GHz quad-core offering in the international HTC One X and 1.5GHz dual-core chip in the 4G-enabled American One XL.
In addition to the extra power, HTC has apparently crammed a whopping 64GB of internal storage into the One X+, putting it up there with the high capacity iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy S3.
Jelly on a plate
The One X+ will also be treated to the latest version of Android, affectionately known as Jelly Bean, out the box, plus HTC continues its partnership with Dropbox, with 25GB of free cloud storage for customers.
However if you're looking for something more ground breaking from the One X+ then you may be disappointed, as there doesn't seem to be anything else new or different between this and the original One X.
There's no word on the HTC One X+ release date, with the O2 material saying "coming soon", but it does reveal a PAYG price of £479.99 (around $780) – which is considerably cheaper than a 64GB iPhone 5.
The Motorola Razr i was announced last week and several networks have now released pricing details for the phone.
From launch the Razr i will be available on T-Mobile, Orange and Virgin Media from October, with Motorola still in talks with the likes of O2, Three and Vodafone about the possibility of ranging the handset. A Moto spokesperson told us, "Further partners will be announced in due course".
Both T-Mobile and Orange are offering the Motorola Razr i for free on two year contracts starting at £31 per month, while Virgin contracts start at £23 per month – but you'll probably need to pay some money up front for the handset.
More to come
High-street retailer Phones4U has an info page on its website for customers to register their interest for the Razr i, however pricing is yet to be announced, while Tesco is also a confirmed reseller but is yet to release any details.
The Motorola Razr i is the first smartphone to pack a single-core 2GHz processor, and its maker Intel reckons it matches and even surpasses other dual-core phones.
As well as that nippy chip, you also get a 4.3-inch, 540 x 960 edge-to-edge display, 1GB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich (with a Jelly Bean update coming in the near future), 8MP rear camera with LED flash and HD video recording, plus a beefy 2,000mAh battery.
Check out our hands on Motorola Razr i review to find out what we think of the phone, and keep an eye out for our full review, coming soon.
LG has announced its launch plans for it new quad-core powered LG Optimus G smartphone and more details on its new flagship.
The new handset, which was announced last month, features a quad-core chip from its pals over at Qualcomm, with the Krait S4 Pro chip making an appearance, along with LTE connection speeds.
LG has also lobbed in a number of new user experience features, such as being able to play video while browsing the web (wait a minute…) personalise your icons through pics and size alterations and Time Catch Shot to give you an even better chance of finding the best photo.
Bigger and better?
There's a 4.7-inch WXGA True HD IPS Plus display on there too, offering up 1280 x 768 pixels (although eschewing traditional widescreen formats for a 15:9 option).
It's also, disappointingly, only going to launch running Android Ice Cream Sandwich, with no word on when Jelly Bean will be offered. However, given LG's relatively slow progress in updating Android versions, this isn't too much of a surprise.
Enough with the negative stuff though, as the LG Optimus G is chock-full of next-gen tech. It's got 2GB of RAM, which, combined with the S4 chip, will allow even greater efficiency when multi-tasking, according to LG.
Snap attack
This is backed up by a 13MP camera (although this will drop to 8MP in some markets when launched), and a 1.3MP snapper on the front for video chatting and pouty self-portraits.
LG is also proud of its battery technology, developed by LG Chem for a prolonged lifetime of use – hopefully meaning you won't have to fork out for an improved power pack during your contract.
Continuing the collaborative theme, both LG Innotek and LG Display have contributed to the Zerogap Touch and True HD IPS Plus display, which the company claims will have: "the slimmest, sharpest and clearest viewing experience yet".
Thin but when?
This is all packed into a handset that's just 8.45mm thin… sure, that's nearly a millimetre thicker than the iPhone 5, but at this level we can't seen anyone really caring.
The final piece of the puzzle has yet to be revealed though: when we can expect to see it. LG tells us it's going to launch in LTE markets first, meaning the likes of Japan, South Korea and the US are listed.
Europe is on the cards too, so the UK might get something superfast for the new EE network or possibly a watered-down 3G version… we're pushing LG hard to get us something resembling an answer.
Specs out of the bag for another HTC phone (credit: Football4PDA)
Though the HTC One X+ hasn't officially been announced yet, that hasn't stopped a healthy dose of details on the phone from spilling.
Last month, a possible benchmark for the One X+ was discovered on NenaMark's website, leading many to believe HTC was about to announce a successor to their flagship One X smartphone.
Now a new leak has revealed the supposed hardware details of the One X's slightly beefier brother.
An anonymous developer divulged the details in a rather cluttered tweet, which came complete with all the pertinent information about HTC's rumored device.
Same size, better processor
As originally reported, the One X+ will apparently use a nVidia Tegra 3 processor, though it won't be just any old 1.7GHz chip.
Believed to be included with the One X+ is a new Tegra 3+ AP37 1.6GHz quad-core / 1.7GHz single-core processor.
Like the original One X, this updated version will come with 1GB RAM and 32GB ROM, as well as an identical 1800mAH battery.
Additionally, the tweet suggests the One X+ will use Android 4.1.1: Jelly Bean, as was originally revealed in the NenaMark benchmarking.
Unfortunately, the leak didn't reveal which service provider will be carrying the device.
HTC will be hosting an event on September 19, where we may learn more about this rumored phone, along with their "unique" tablet, or even the HTC Proto.
Microsoft has officially announced the first details of Windows Phone 8 (which you may know better as Apollo) and confirming many of the rumours about the new operating system at the Windows Phone Summit.
However, don't get too excited - this is a 'sneak peek' rather than the full details of the new version and there's still a lot of information that we don't know.
Windows Phone 8 release date
We're still waiting to get our ears on a proper Windows Phone 8 release date – we're currently being given the boring notion of 'autumn', which could be any time from October to Christmas for all we know. However, we expect it to be sooner rather than later as Microsoft won't want to miss the traditional holiday season gadget-buying rush.
If you like the sound of all this, then the good news is you won't have to wait until your mobile network gets around to testing and pushing out updates in the future either.
Microsoft is still agreeing details with the operators and handset makers for Windows Phone 7.8, but there's going to be a way to get updates directly from Microsoft (perhaps labelled as beta releases) as long as you assume responsibility for anything that goes wrong.
In summary, Microsoft is adding the features that Windows Phone needs to succeed and that need new hardware.
It's also finally doing something to address the problem of upgrades that would work on your handset but you're frustratingly unable to get – listen up, Google.
Where Windows Phone still needs to catch up with the other smartphone systems on features it's doing that much faster. Now it just needs to sell more devices.
There aren't too many manufacturers on board just yet, but we do know a few that will be launching Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Samsung, Huawei, HTC and Nokia are the only confirmed manufacturers at this time - although ZTE told TechRadar it will be launching WP8-powered handsets in 2013.
Update: It seems we've had confirmation that Samsung's next Windows Phone will support both Internet Explorer 10 (from Windows Phone 8) and have a WVGA screen, meaning it will likely be one of the budget range for the new OS.
Huawei will be bringing out a Windows Phone 8 handset by the end of the year too, with Shao Yang, chief marketing officer for Huawei, saying: "We are poised to end the year with a big bang – with the introduction of our first smartphone running on the Windows Phone platform."
Update: Nokia has unveiled its first two handsets to run Windows Phone 8 at a special event in New York.
The flagship Nokia Lumia 920 will head up the Finnish firm's range, sporting a 4.5-inch HD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 8.7MP rear 'Pureview' camera, 32GB of internal memory and 1GB of RAM, helping it to run Microsoft's latest mobile platform.
Update: The HTC 8X could be the name of the Taiwanese firm's flagship Windows Phone 8 handset, a device which is apparently known as the Accord internally at the manufacturer.
The problem for Windows Phone is less the existing users – who tend to be enthusiastic as well as demanding – and more selling the phones.
The partnership with Nokia is certainly helping, as will the announcement that the Windows Phone Marketplace is now up to 100,000 apps with more coming - from the PayPal support for Wallet to iPhone must-haves like Words with Friends and Audible, plus Zynga's newly acquired Draw Something.
All Windows Phone 7 apps will run on Windows Phone 8 handsets; but in future developers will have to choose whether to make an app that only uses Windows Phone 7 features and works on both, or one that uses Windows Phone 8.
This means supporting features like Wallet, VOIP, native code or being able to run navigation in the background (which should mean we finally see some full-featured turn-by-turn navigation apps that go beyond what Nokia Drive offers).
There are other advantages, but with the interfaces to components like graphics, audio and sensors being far more similar to those in Windows 8, it's a lot easier to write Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 apps that share features.
Or, of course, they can make two versions, one for 7 and one for 8; how often that happens is going to depend both on how easy Microsoft makes it to share code between versions of apps in its developer tools and on sales of Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Windows Phone 8 interface
There is one feature of Windows Phone you will be able to get on current handsets (with an update that has the strikingly appropriate name of Windows Phone 7.8) and that's the new Start screen. This now uses the whole width of the screen, without the arrow to tell you to swipe sideways for more apps.
With the extra space you can fit in a lot more tiles, which can now be three different sizes. There's a new small size that you can pick for any app, so if you don't need the Office hub or the dialler to have a full size button because there's not that much useful information on them, you can shrink them down.
New start screen: With the extra space you can fit in a lot more tiles, which can now be three different sizes.
And as well as the current standard tile size, any app will be able to have an extra-large tile to fit more details onto the live tile. Along with some new colour schemes, that makes the Start screen look much more personal.
But the overall look of the platform hasn't changed dramatically – you're still offered a list of apps adjacent to the Start screen, and the panorama method of seeing more information by moving horizontally remains – after all, why change one of the best things about the old OS?
Windows Phone 8 – under the hood
Windows Phone 8 is a major new version, running the kernel from Windows rather than from Windows CE.
It isn't the same as Windows 8, or even Windows RT – even though that also runs on ARM processors – and it doesn't have the same look to the Start screen and Metro-style WinRT apps won't run on Windows Phone 8.
But under the hood it's a lot more similar to develop for and Windows Phone gets several key components from 'big' Windows as well as some significant new features and new hardware, which is good news for what developers can make apps do with the increased access they get to the phone system.
Don't expect the same do-anything, break-anything ethos of Android though; battery life and user experience are still priorities for Windows Phone and even native applications run in a sandbox.
Windows Phone 8 browser and security
Key features that Windows Phone 8 gets from Windows include Internet Explorer 10, complete with the phishing filter and SmartScreen application reputation service to make it harder for malicious websites to trick you into giving away personal information like credit card details or downloading malware.
Malware hasn't been a problem for Windows Phone so far, but any platform that becomes successful is going to get attacked.
Windows Phone gets other Windows security features like disk encryption and secure boot, so businesses will be happier to use it (especially as they can now manage devices and sideload their own business applications).
Windows Phone 8 media and gaming
Audio, graphics and media playback all work more like their Windows equivalents, which should make for more powerful games and entertainment apps.
However, this means that current games will need to be re-tooled to take advantage of the new platform – the likes of Rovio can leave their games as Windows Phone 7 versions, but they'll likely want to re-release a more powerful version of the game too.
But given the increased GPU support and power on offer, we'll at least start seeing some more 3D-rich gaming environments that start taxing the Windows Phone 8 handsets compared to their previous counterparts.
Video calling
There's one place where Windows Phone is jumping ahead of Windows; VOIP calls will look just like regular phone calls with all the same features and notifications. Obviously that's good for Skype but other VOIP apps like Tango will get the same support.
We're still waiting to see how deep Skype integration gets into the Windows Phone 8 OS, as given it's already available as an app on the Windows Phone Marketplace it should be shoved pretty deeply into the platform.
Will it lead to a surge in video calling? Probably not, but as there are strong rumours the Xbox platform will be getting a taste of video calling too it seems only fair that Windows Phone 8 devices, complete with their improved front-facing cameras, should be given priority.
Windows Phone 8 CPU
To make all this work well Windows Phone 8 will run on new hardware; still ARM processors, still the Snapdragon platform from Qualcomm but now with multicore processors, with a new generation of GPUs, and with NFC support.
Battery life is still priority for the platform, so we doubt Microsoft is going to allow any CPUs that get too amorous with the power pack – but more power is a big selling point in today's smartphone market, so this makes enormous sense.
Microsoft Wallet
The new Microsoft Wallet app will allow you to make payments by tapping your phone on a credit card reader the way Google Wallet does, and store credit card and membership details securely and tap your phone to send them the way iOS 6 will.
And you're not tied to using a Microsoft payment service; applications will be able to tap into the Wallet system to set up new payment services – which will include Paypal.
The app is a hub for digital coupons and debit or credit cards - plus you can add in loyalty cards and third party apps that will notify you when they become relevant.
NFC support
NFC is there for Microsoft's Wallet payment system, but has other options as well. The OS supports secure SIM, which means users' can swap from handset to handset and take their payment method with them physically.
There are other applications that Nokia is keen to utilise as well, such as being able to pair with its Bluetooth accessories with a simple tap of the phone – it's a trick we've seen on the old Symbian phones and one we expect to feature heavily here too.
Speech recognition
Microsoft has teamed up with Audible to bring speech recognition to Windows Phone 8, allowing users to shout a variety of commands at their handsets.
During the keynote presentation, we saw a demo of the speech platform – which allowed a user to play movies, browse audiobooks and perform searches.
It's also available for Mango devices, so pop over to the Marketplace today and search Audible if you fancy a go.
Windows Phone 8 upgrades
That's the reason that you won't be able to upgrade any existing Windows Phone handsets to 8, because they don't have the hardware to support the new features or deliver the multitasking performance that the Windows kernel and the improved VOIP support needs.
Only two of the rumoured new resolutions are being announced, both widescreen formats: 1280 by 768 and 1280 by 720 as well as the current 800 by 480, which should give phone makers more flexibility when it comes to choosing parts they can use in multiple devices.
And Windows Phone finally sorts out its SD card support; you'll be able to store media files on a micro SD card or install applications onto it.
Take a moment to check out our Windows Phone 8 round up video below.
