A possible Samsung Galaxy S4 powered by the Snapdragon 800 processor has had the rumour mills running hot since yesterday, and now a photograph of an S4 look-a-like has popped up on the same day as the Samsung Premier 2013 event.
Photographed by micro-blogger Palm, Slashgear believes it could very well be Samsung's Snapdragon 800 iteration of its S4 because of the physical similarities, including its button placing and wallpaper set. The phone is shown to be in a casing, which Samsung has used previously on unreleased phones.
Timing and coincidences aside, it's probably best to take this photograph with a helping of salt without any sort of official announcements or confirmations on if the phone even exists.
Snapdragon reality
Earlier we reported another clue to signify a possible S4 variant in the form of a user manual. As an unlikely clue, the online manual for a South Korean device known as the SHV-E330S shows that it has Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 800 processor.
If this device ends up being an S4 variant, it would support LTE-advanced, 2.3GHz quad-core processing and Adreno 330 graphics, with the possibility of 4K video output.
With so little known about Samsung's plans for the phone, if an S4 variant did become a reality, it might not even be released in the West.
Samsung announced the mini version of its flagship smartphone, but there was nothing small about the number of products it unveiled today in London.
The Korean manufacturer finally told the world what it already knew: the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is on its way.
The Galaxy S4 Mini is the 4G successor to the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini. It has a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display at a 960 x 540 resolution, 1.7GHz dual-core processor, and 1.5GB of RAM.
While there is 8GB of internal storage, the company noted that only 5GB is actually available to use.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini release date is pegged for “before the end of June” in the U.K., while availability in other markets is still unknown.
The price is expected to be around the £25 per month mark, or about £300 (around $460, AU$480) SIM-free.
The Galaxy S4 Mini with a higher-end camera bolted to its back
More Galaxy S4 variants
Samsung also announced the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom, which is more like a digital camera-fied version of the stripped-down Galaxy S4 Mini.
It has a 16-megapixel camera on the back and a 10X zoom lens, hence the name. That’s great for Android phone fans who are more interested in a camera than high-end smartphone specs.
Sure, the phone’s Blue Arctic, Purple Mirage, Red Aurora, Brown Autumn and Pink Twilight colors are a bit garish and don’t have a release date yet, but where else are you going to get both pastel variety and Smart Pause.
Bending over backwards
Samsung tablet announcements
The other big focus of Samsung’s June 20 announcement was its Ativ tablet range.
The company was bending over backwards to show off the slim, transforming Samsung Ativ Q tablet-laptop hybrid that definitely fits into the post-PC era.
It comes with packs both Windows 8 and Android Jelly Bean on the same device with a 13.3-inch touchscreen display and it expected in the U.K. later this year.
This wafer-thin tablet measures just 8.2mm and weighing in a 550g. Yet it’s powered by an Intel Atom Z2760 CPU chip and runs full Windows 8, not Windows RT.
The Ativ Tab 3 will also come with Microsoft Office Home and Student edition, which will be perfect for anyone returning to school the next month.
When style isn’t your product’s forte, just add it to the name
The skinny on these Windows 8-running computers is that the Book 9 Plus is a 13.3-inch laptop with a touchscreen and 12 hour battery life aimed at consumers.
As you may have guessed, the Book 9 Lite is a lower-specced version of the Plus.
The Samsung Ativ One 5 Style is a minimalist is look, but this all-in-one desktop is anything but in terms of its specs.
It has a 21.5-inch screen with 1920x1080-pixel-resolution, runs on an AMD A6 Quad Core Processor, has 4GB of memory and a storage capacity of up to 1TB.
Google's OS comes to a CSC
You’ve spilt Android on my CSC camera
Proving that Android knows no bounds, Samsung is packing Google’s mobile operating system into the newly announced Samsung Galaxy NX.
This makes it the first compact system camera (CSC) with 4G and Android, specifically Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
In addition to its 20.3 million-pixel APS-C sized sensor and interchangeable lenses, the Galaxy NX’s connectivity feature specs include WiFi and GPS to boot.
Like most of the products unveiled today, Samsung didn’t reveal a price for its Android-powered CSC, but it did promise a summertime launch.
Security is just a touch away (credit: Patently Apple)
The security of mobile devices to this point has been restricted to a personal identification number or a simple swipe of the finger on the screen.
With the amount of personal information readily available to anyone who happens to open your device without your knowledge, any additional security would be welcome.
As luck would have it, Apple has been reportedly working on adding in a fingerprint scanner to its devices for a few years, with the rumorsrisingagain as the reveal of the iPhone 5S draws near.
Though Apple has already patented fingerprint scanning technology of some sort in various stages, that didn't stop the Cupertino company from returning to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office once more for yet another potential mobile fingerprint reader.
Bezel tov
According to Patently Apple, a patent was been filed in February for a fingerprint scanner that could be hidden within the bezel of any given device.
The security feature is different from earlier attempts from Apple, in that this would be an actual sensor somewhere on an iPhone (for example), but not hidden under the display.
This new method is possible thanks to some Apple engineers discovering a way to encapsulate both the bezel and the sensor together, which not only allows the completed scanner to be smaller and more compact, but also protects it from any environmental hazards that could potentially mess with the delicate hardware.
Operation is then easy enough, as the fingertip is swiped through the sensor, and a small amount of current is passed through the bezel to the finger to provide a more accurate reading.
The sensor is only capable of creating a 2D image, so the mild current not only helps accuracy, but helps the software actually render the complete fingertip with ease.
Though the patent didn't reveal any information about when the scanner might be put to actual use in any of Apple's products, this latest iteration only serves to show how serious the company is about making good use of its AuthenTec acquisition.
We wouldn't be shocked to see the fingerprint scanner make its debut with the next iPhone, but with the amount of patents filed that never see the light of day, this could just as easily vanish into the USPTO's file cabinets.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini has arrived with exactly zero surprise factor, as the Korean firm looks to milk its flagship brand for all its worth.
It takes over from the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini which launched a few months after the Galaxy S3 last year, but Samsung has not given the S4 as much time to find its feet before bringing out its smaller, cheaper brother.
Obviously you don't get the same stellar line up of specs as you do on the full fat Samsung Galaxy S4, with the Galaxy S4 Mini offering up a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED 960 x 540 display, 1.7GHz dual-core processor, 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, although only 5GB is actually available to use.
Luckily the microSD slot behind the removable rear cover means you can stick in a card up to 64GB in the size, although its placement behind the battery is far from ideal as you won't be able to swap cards in and out quickly.
In terms of a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini release date TechRadar has been told the 4G variant will arrive in the UK before the end of June, while availability for other markets is still unknown.
Pricing for the Galaxy S4 Mini hasn't been announced just yet, but we reckon it will come in around the £25 per month mark, or about £300 (around $460, AU$480) SIM-free.
The body is noticeably plastic, but it's solid in construction Galaxy S4 looks complete with the metal brand round the edge adds to the premium style of the handset.
We much prefer the look and feel of the Galaxy S4 Mini over its predecessor, which we felt was a little on the cheap side.
At 124.6 x 61.3 x 8.94mm the Galaxy S4 Mini sits comfortably in the hand and at 107g you won't be straining your wrists at any point, while slipping it into a pocket or bag won't make any difference to your load.
Its relatively diminutive size means the power/lock key on the right and the volume rocker on the left are easy to hit, while up top there's a headphone jack and the microUSB port completes the roundup at the base of the handset.
The distinctive Samsung physical home key features below the 4.3-inch of the Galaxy S4 Mini and is flanked by touch keys for menu and back functions - all of which are responsive enough.
Look above the keys and the qHD display which adorns the front of the Galaxy S4 Mini is bright and clear, providing that high level of colour saturation we've become accustomed to on Samsung devices.
Samsung's TouchWiz overlay is plastered over Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and while some may not be a fan it's a feature packed offering from the Korean firm which is relatively easy to use.
We found the screen to be responsive to all our various pokes and prods and the 1.7GHz dual-core processor, plus 1.5GB of RAM, does a good job at keeping everything running smoothly.
The Galaxy S4 Mini was never going to be as fluid as the Galaxy S4 and it does lack the slickness when sweeping through homescreens and opening apps, although to the untrained eye you're unlikely to notice much difference.
We were a little disappointed with the default keyboard on the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, finding it rather cramped and tricky to manipulate at speed, which led to some errors as we bashed out messages to our imaginary unicorn friend Brian.
At least the screen was responsive, so the S4 Mini always picked up our key press, plus the presence of next word prediction and auto-correct soothed our initial anguish a little.
This issue can be resolved by downloading a third party board from Google Play, but we wish Samsung had spent a little more time on its own offering.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini we got our hands on came equipped with a EE SIM-card in the back, allowing us to test out its 4G browser speeds and we must say it gave an impressive showing.
The mobile version of TechRadar loaded up in just a few seconds, while the desktop site didn't take too much longer.
Sadly text reflow isn't available on the S4 Mini and considering its slightly smaller screen size this is a little frustrating as you generally have to zoom in to read what's on screen.
Text itself rendered crisply which made it easy to read and images looked detailed, although not quite as sharp as they do on the full HD handsets out there.
Round the back you'll find Samsung has equipped the Galaxy S4 mini with a decent 8MP camera with a single LED flash, while round the front you've got a 1.9MP camera for those all important vanity checks.
If you let the auto-focus settle before hitting the shutter than the Galaxy S4 Mini will instantly take a snap, and in less than a second you're ready to take another picture.
Tap-to-focus is also present, although we found the Galaxy S4 Mini usually took a second or so to readjust - but that isn't a big issue.
Image quality was acceptable for our dimly lit event space, and we did notice some graining on the images, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini will probably perform far better in well lit areas and outdoors - something we'll put to the test in our in-depth review.
For the budding photographers among you Samsung has stuck a heap of modes in the Galaxy S4 Mini camera app with the likes of HDR and panorama present, plus you can also record full HD video at the tap of a button, without having to switch modes first.
The news that the 1900mAh battery is removable will be music to some people's ears, and it's easily to get out along with the rear cover which peels off with no trouble - even when it's attached to a security gizmo. We're proper hackers here at TechRadar.
Early Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is a surprisingly well built, premium looking handset with a good range of bells and whistles which will please any prospective buyer.
We weren't overly impressed with the microSD placement or the bundled Samsung keyboard, plus the amount of internal storage available is disappointing - but these aren't huge issues and overall the Galaxy S4 Mini appears to be an excellent smartphone.
As long as Samsung can keep the price sensible the Galaxy S4 Mini is going to be one of the big contenders in the mid-high end of the market and we'll struggle not to recommend it.
The Galaxy S4 insists on showing everyone its awkward topless vacation photos
Rumors that Qualcomm's next-gen Snapdragon 800 processor, the MSM8974, will make its way into a variant of Samsung's Galaxy S4 appear to have just been confirmed by a user manual of all things.
The online manual for a South Korean device known as the SHV-E330S, which Engadget believes to be an upcoming Galaxy S4 variant, confirms that the device sports Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800.
The SHV-E330S will also use new LTE-advanced technologies, according to the site.
So far little is known about this possible Galaxy S4 variant, and it would be pure speculation to guess whether we'll ever see a more powerful S4 out West.
Extrapolation
One thing is certain from this revelation, though: that Samsung is indeed beginning to integrate the Snapdragon 800 into its devices.
In fact the use of the MSM8974 in the SHV-E330S makes it seem all the more likely that it will be included on the rumored Galaxy Note 3 as well.
The powerful new Qualcomm SoC supports 2.3GHz quad-core processing and Adreno 330 graphics, plus LTE-advanced and the possibility of 4K output.
Unlike the iPhone 5, the cheap iPhone is rumored to sport a plastic chassis
A cheap iPhone has been rumored for months, but the company thought to be making it has a wrench to throw in our spinning dreams of a budget-priced Apple phone.
The cheap iPhone won't actually be that cheap, said T.H. Tung, CEO of Pegatron, the Taiwanese manufacturer thought to be working on the new iPhone at this very moment.
Speaking at a shareholders' meeting about the new cheaper iPhone today, Tung said "the price is still high," reports the China Times (via Apple Insider).
That's not great news, but Tung's apparent insights into the "budget" iPhone at least seem to confirm that Pegatron is indeed handling the manufacturing of the new device.
Tung-tied
Tung reportedly went on to say that while the new, more affordable iPhone can't really be considered "cheap," smartphones in general offer better value than more affordable feature phones.
Apple has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of a cheap iPhone, so Tung's candid statements about it come as something of a surprise, especially if Pegatron really is behind manufacturing. You'd think they'd be subject to some sort of non-disclosure agreement, right?
Regardless, the budget-priced iPhone is rumored to be arriving in August in six colors, with a plastic chassis and a price tag of $99 (about UK£64, AU$107).
Maybe Tung doesn't consider that cheap, or maybe this new iPhone will actually cost more than that. Until Apple issues an official decree we won't know anything about it for sure.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 has added five new colours to its arsenal as the Korean firm looks to suit everyone's taste.
You now get to pick from Blue Arctic, Purple Mirage, Red Aurora, Brown Autumn and Pink Twilight on top of the original black and white which arrived at launch.
Samsung didn't reveal when these new colours would be available, or detail if they would be arriving in all countries - but we'll update this article once we find out.
More blips!
Fancy some more bite sized news? Check out more of our blips.
Samsung is kicking off its Ativ & Galaxy event and you can tune in to YouTube to see all the new (and possibly some old) gadgets that are unveiled and showcased. We're watching too and will post about all the new stuff, in case you just want the details, quick.
We're expecting to see the Samsung Galaxy NX interchangeable lens camera with Android, maybe the Galaxy Camera 2 (mentioned by JK Shin, but some say the co-CEO was talking about the Galaxy S4 Zoom) along with at least two new additions to the Ativ PC line – a Book 9 Lite ultrabook and the Ativ One AiO PC.
We'll be at the parallel New York event, so we're hoping to get some photos of the new gadgets.
Windows Phone 8 may only be less than a year old, but that hasn't stopped talk of the next iteration, Windows Phone 9.
Expected to be with us by the end of the year it looks like Microsoft may be adopting the annual software cycle made popular by Apple in an attempt to keep its mobile OS fresh and, more importantly, relevant.
We're scouring the web everyday to bring you all the latest on Windows Phone 9 and we'll be constantly updating the information below to give you the best picture of what's to come.
Windows Phone 9 release date
Rumours have already surfaced that the Windows Phone 9 release date will be sometime in 2013, with reports suggesting it'll arrive just in time for Christmas.
The update is also being referred to as Windows Phone Blue, a development name which mirrors an update to Microsoft's new Windows 8 desktop platform - although there's a chance it may appear as Windows Phone 8.5 at launch.
We seeing reports that suggest Microsoft may look to ditch the divide between its smartphone platform and the one it uses for tablets and PCs - rolling them all into one tidy bundle called Windows 9.
One suggestion is that the Windows Blue upgrade will see Windows 8 merged with Windows Phone in an attempt to tackle Google's Android/Chrome combination which is growing ever stronger.
Alternatively we could instead get the aforementioned Windows 9 all-in-one system after a Microsoft employee stated "currently testing Windows 9 OS on Nokia, HTC and Qualcomm device" on their LinkedIn profile.
Windows Phone 9 devices
One of the big issues with Windows Phone 8 was that you couldn't get it on your Windows Phone 7 handset, instead you were lumped with Windows Phone 7.8.
It's thought that Windows Phone 9 won't be so restrictive, with Windows Phone 8 users in line to get the upgrade which means you shouldn't have to worry about picking up a Nokia Lumia 925 or HTC 8X.
Windows Phone 9: what we want to see
Here are nine things we think are missing from Windows Phone 8 that we'd like to see in Windows Phone 9.
1. Upgrade from Windows Phone 8
Windows Phone 8 is a big change from Windows Phone 7 and Windows Phone 7.5, using all new kernels. WP7 apps will run on Windows Phone 8, but you can't run Windows Phone 8 apps on Windows Phone 7 handsets.
That's understandable, because it's such a big change, but there's no reason for Windows Phone 9 to be as fundamental a change. With the promise of 18 months of updates, we expect to be able to upgrade Windows Phone 8 handsets to version 9.
2. Choice over SkyDrive sync
Unlike the PC, the SkyDrive app for Windows Phone doesn't sync files, it just enables you to access them when you're online. Even with an SD card in your phone, we don't necessarily want everything we have on SkyDrive syncing to the phone in the future.
We'd like to pick exactly what syncs to the phone (something the SkyDrive team recently promised to consider), and maybe even choose which sections of a OneNote notebook sync.
3. Less developer access to SkyDrive
Windows Phone 8 apps can use your SkyDrive account to store files and back up app data. That's OK as long as that data goes in a separate, clearly marked area (how about Program Files?) so it doesn't clutter up your SkyDrive, won't get deleted because you don't recognise it and doesn't get synced to all your PCs.
We'd also like better security for what apps can do on your SkyDrive; once you give them access they can read, write and even delete files.
They need to do that with the files that the app creates, but nothing (apart from the Windows Marketplace approvals process) is stopping an app from changing or deleting other files. Keeping the files you create with one app in a sandbox so you can't see them in another app is proving inconvenient in iCloud, but a developer doesn't have to be malicious for a programming error to accidentally delete files.
4. Better backup
We're delighted to see that Windows Phone 8 will bring back the option to back up text messages, photos, videos, 'most' settings and installed apps. We hope that means full resolution photo backup as in the latest SkyDrive update, not the downsized versions in Windows Phone today.
We also hope it means you can easily reinstall all your apps on a new phone (or your reset handset) rather than having to select them one by one in a third-party app such as Reinstaller.
If not, those are must-haves for Windows Phone 9. But we also want to see the ability to do a full backup and restore of your phone, using your PC, the cloud, a spare SD card or anything else.
5. Smaller and larger screens
The rumoured BlackBerry-style form factor for Windows Phone 8 isn't happening. It's not surprising, given that it would be hard to scale apps to fit into the 4:3 aspect ratio needed compared to the 15:9 used today (the shift to 16:9 for some Windows Phone 8 handsets is less of a problem).
But the rumoured form factor we really miss is the 1-inch square screen you could have used as a watch.
We'd also like a 7-inch tablet to compete with the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 (something else the MALI GPU might be good at). Microsoft sees Windows 8 as right for tablets, but for something smaller we think Windows Phone is a better choice; anything below 10 inches and even Windows RT will be cramped.
6. More CPUs, more modems
Windows Phone 8 has dual-core CPUs, but they're all Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chips. When Windows Phone's Joe Belfiore said the Windows 8 core means "we're ready for whatever hardware makers dream up" we thought we'd finally see handsets with ST-Ericsson NovaThor chips, seen in Android devices such as the Xperia Play.
We'd like to see what their more powerful multi-core MALI-400 GPU and integrated modem could do for Windows Phone handsets in terms of better graphics and more efficient functionality.
Keeping to a single specification makes it easier for Microsoft to deliver a consistent Windows Phone experience on different handsets, but one of the reasons to switch to the Windows 8 core is to make it easier to develop drivers for a wider range of devices.
If Microsoft really wants to attract more OEMs to Windows Phone, more hardware options would help.
7. Wi-Fi Sync that works
Being able to sync music and photos to your phone over Wi-Fi when it's plugged in overnight is a great feature.
If only you could set it up reliably without worrying about whether your PC is on a public or private network or whether it's your access point or a server handing out IP addresses.
Maybe the switch to the Windows 8 kernel will fix this as well, but it's too useful a tool to be this unreliable.
8. A screenshot tool
Imagine if enthusiastic users of your product could show their friends pictures of their favourite apps. Wouldn't it be handy if there was a way to capture what was on screen and use that to promote your product; let alone making it easy for bloggers to show off tips and shortcuts or for users with problems to show what was going wrong?
Again, maybe the Windows underpinnings will make this happen in Windows Phone 8 (it's in Windows 8 as Windows-Printscreen) but if it is, Microsoft is keeping it very quiet.
9. Clarity
Windows Phone 8 has had to be developed at top speed, and we might not officially see the SDK for developers to start work on WP8 apps until the end of September (Microsoft only says "by the end of the summer").
The problem is that Windows Phone 8 is based on technology from Windows 8, and Windows 8 is only just finished. The secrecy is understandable in the circumstances – but those won't be the same next time around.
To keep developer momentum and get apps that show off what Windows Phone can really do, Microsoft needs to give a lot more concrete information a lot earlier on next time.
Microsoft isn't Apple, and secrecy that works for Apple won''t work when it's time to get app developers onboard. If Windows Phone 9 is going to keep the excitement of Windows Phone 8 going, get that started sooner – because there won't be the hoopla of Surface and Windows 8 launching next year.
Sony promised to release Android 4.2.2 updates for the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL soon after their launch. And even though the Xperia ZL hit the shelves a few weeks later than the Xperia Z, it is the first one to taste the latest 4.2.2 version of Jelly Bean.
Currently the Android 4.2.2 update is available for the Sony Xperia ZL C6503 (LTE) model across Europe. You can have it both through Sony PC Companion and over-the-air. We expect the other Xperia ZL flavors and more countries to join the roll out in the next couple of weeks.
Since Sony Xperia ZL and Xperia Z are practically identical, save for the different shells, we guess the update for the water-proof Xperia Z should be just around the corner.
We're all waiting for the next big iteration of Android to hit us and while we already know it's going to be dubbed Key Lime Pie, it turns out Google isn't quite finished with Jelly Bean as Android 4.3 the next update on the horizon.
Don't go expecting huge changes from Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, because as you can probably tell from the version number this is going to be more iterative, just like when Google jumped from Android 4.1 to Android 4.2.
Google hasn't officially revealed whether or not Android 4.3 actually exists, but from the number of rumours knocking around it's probably going to arrive at some point.
We've taken a look through all the talk on the web surrounding Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and pulled it together below to try and give you a clearer picture of what's going on over at Mountain View.
Android 4.3 release date
As we've mentioned Google hasn't officially announced anything on its next version of Android, so we don't have any firm release date just yet.
Many believed that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean would make an appearance at the search giant's annual IO conference which took place in May, but sadly no such announcement was made.
Apparently Android 4.3 was at the Google IO show however, with one reporter claiming he was able to get hands on with the software on a white Nexus 4 - although his prediction that 4.3 Jelly Bean would arrive on June 10 has turned out to be false.
This hasn't stopped the rumours popping up however with many suggesting we will be seeing it sooner rather than later with a July/August launch mooted.
Android 4.3 devices
Google is likely going to treat its own-brand devices to the Android 4.3 update first, with the likes of the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and Galaxy Nexus all in line for the new software early doors.
As well as apparently running on a Nexus 4 at Google IO, Android 4.3 was also spotted on another Nexus 4 at Mobile Expo 2013 in Taiwan.
It's supposedly also shown up on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus after some leaked Bluetooth SIG reports from recent tests showed the aging handset being put through its paces once again - possibly because it has a new OS on board.
Some Google employees have also been a little lax when it comes to covering their tracks with another Nexus 4 and a Nexus 7 spotted in server logs running version 4.3.
Android 4.3 upgrades and features
As we've mentioned the Android 4.3 update, if it actually exists, won't bring us a totally new operating system - instead you can expect some minor tweaks here and there.
One area which looks to be getting some serious attention from Google is the camera app, with snaps taken at Mobile Expo in Taiwan claiming to show the new design for Android 4.3.
While icons such as the shutter key and settings appear to be the same, the circular menu has been ditched in favour of an arc towards the bottom of the screen.
Other than that news on new features is thin on the ground, but we'll be updating this article when we hear more.
After the Oppo Find 5 came around and convinced us that the Chinese manufacturer is perfectly capable of standing up to the big names in business, we've been keeping a close eye on the company's new projects. Recently we've heard about Find 5 mini and Find 7 coming up, and as luck would have it we were just contacted by an Oppo representative, who wanted to clear out a few things about them.
The bad news is the Find 5 Mini version isn't coming at all and the rumors about it are unfounded.Here is the official quote:
One article mentioned the possible release of a Find 5 Mini. Unfortunately, there are no plans to release any Find 5 Minis.
The good news is the rep officially confirmed Oppo is indeed working on a Find 5 successor called Find 7. The device is still in very early stage of development though and won't launch this September as some reports suggested.
Here is the relevant part of the statement:
OPPO is excited to be currently developing the next phone in the Find series, the Find 7. However, development is still in the early stages and has no finalized designs or specifications. There is also no release date at this time and will unfortunately not be available this September.
AT&T holds the exclusivity on the dust and water resistant Samsung Galaxy S4 Active for the United States. The phone was unveiled earlier this month and its worldwide availability will start with the US and Sweden.
AT&T has been taking pre-orders since June 14 with a promised shipping date June 21. As it turns out though AT&T started shipping the Galaxy S4 Active yesterday, which is two days ahead of schedule, and many users are already using the tough smartphone.
AT&T website is still taking pre-orders though it now says those will be fulfilled on June 19.
Other markets will launch the Galaxy S4 Active later this summer.
The Huawei Ascend W2 looks pretty likely to be the next Windows Phone 8 handset to come out of the Chinese firm after it appeared briefly in a video from China Mobile.
Following on from the Ascend W1, the Ascend W2 is set to bring with it slightly beefier specs, which will see Hauwei bend towards the middle of the Windows Phone market.
In the China Mobile ad the Ascend W2 appears briefly revealing a design which looks very similar to an image leaked by @evleaks a couple of months ago - and the styling appears to mirror the Android-based Ascend G330 and Ascend G510.
Coming soon
There's no exact Huawei Ascend W2 release date shown in the China Mobile video, although it is apparently "coming soon" to the network and we'd expect it to arrive in other countries around the world in due course.
It was suggested that Huawei may unveil the Ascend W2 alongside the Ascend P6 at its London event earlier this week but since this didn't come to pass, we're still waiting for the firm's second Windows Phone 8 device.
According to previous rumours the Ascend W2 will pack a 4.3-inch display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 8MP rear camera and a 2000mAh battery.
If these specs end up being correct, the Huawei Ascend W2 will be lining up alongside the Nokia Lumia 820 and HTC 8X in Microsoft's WP8 stable.
The numerous rumours surrounding the Nokia EOS and its absurdly powerful 41MP camera have been given further justification after Nokia itself posted a teaser on its website.
We expect to see the Nokia EOS officially unveiled at Nokia's July 11 event in New York, and it looks like Elop and co are planning to bring the camera tech from its 808 Pureview handset to the new flagship Windows Phone 8 device.
The teaser image on Nokia's official blog reads: "41 million reasons to zoom in to Nokia Conversations on July 11".
Black & white
That makes it pretty obvious that something camera orientated is on its way, and goes hand in hand with the "Zoom reinvented" tagline which adorned the press invite last week.
We could see Nokia build on the technology that wowed us at MWC last year on the 808 PureView, with perhaps more of an emphasis on the zoom capabilities as well as seeing the tech squashed down into a slimmer frame.
While Nokia doesn't give away any indication of the specs of the anticipated EOS, other rumours suggest the 41MP camera will be housed in an aluminium clad chassis - which would keep it in line with the recently launched Nokia Lumia 925.
We can also apparently expect the Nokia EOS to sport 720p display, quad-core processor and 32GB of internal storage - although all will be revealed in a couple weeks.
The Samsung Galaxy Note III has leaked several times already, first showing off a 5.9-inch display with a rounded corner unibody typical of Samsung's design strategy, then sporting a more straight-edged prototype look, and now with a 6-inch display with ultra-narrow bezels that supposedly result in 84% screen-to-footprint ratio.
Not much else in the way of specs information accompanied the leak, but a thinner bezel may be just what the doctor ordered to make the next generation of the popular Note phablet more appealing.
As far as other Galaxy Note III rumors go, there's the AnTuTu benchmark scores that have an alleged Note III clocked at 1.6 GHz, which is the same clock speed as the Samsung Galaxy S4 flagship. Also in the mix is the rumor that the Note III will feature optical image stabilization.
Another day, another Samsung Galaxy Note 3 leak to confuse and mystify us before the so-called phablet actually breaks cover.
The new image, dropped by a Tweeter by the name of @punkpanda, shows a handset with clearly curved edges much like the Galaxy Note 2, while recent leaks have shown the supposed Note 3 flaunting a more straight-edged design.
The leaker didn't have much to add, other than what we're looking at is "6-inches," with the "screen accounting for 84%".
There's been some speculation that Samsung will introduce the Galaxy Note 3 at today's Galaxy and Ativ event, but we're once again hearing that the handset is heading for an IFA 2013 unveiling.
Samsung is known for throwing us off the scent, so don't assume this is the real deal. It could all be smoke and mirrors.
Samsung has officially confirmed that it is working on a Snapdragon 800 based Galaxy S4 variant, carrying the model number SHV-E330S. Today we also got a manual uploaded a bit prematurely to give us more details about what the device will be like.
The chipset is obviously new – Qualcomm MSM8974 with four Krait 400 CPU cores (clockspeed is unknown but we've seen benchmarks at 2.3GHz), Adreno 330 GPU and LTE-Advanced connectivity.
The rest seems to be identical – a 5" 1080p Super AMOLED display, the phone measures 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm and weighs 131g, there's a 2,600mAh battery inside and all the other features the current I9505 Galaxy S4 has (plus a T-DMB antenna as this is a manual for the Korean version).
Samsung will be livestreaming its Galaxy & Ativ event this evening in London (starting at 19:00 BST), so there's a chance we'll see a proper announcement of the new Galaxy S4 as soon as today.
