T-Mobile US confirmed that it will no longer stock BlackBerry smartphones in its retail stores. Going forward, customers who wish to purchase a handset from the Canadian company will have it shipped to them instead.
T-Mobile has taken the measure because of drastically slowing BlackBerry sales. According to David Carrey, T-Mobile’s executive vice president for corporate sales, “keeping stock in the retail distribution system was inefficient.”
BlackBerry smartphones will still be on display in T-Mobile stores. Customers who want one will simply have to be a bit patient.
T-Mobile’s change of retail strategy adds further to BlackBerry’s woes. Last week, the company announced that it will lay off 4,500 people and lose almost a billion dollars due to a massive stock of unsold devices.
The big Apple's iOS 7 has been out in the wild for a bit now and has made it onto quite a lot of iOS devices.
We previously reported on the high adoption rate of iOS 7 on launch day but now a little over a week later, ad network Chitika has some more data to share.
The site states iOS 7 has been downloaded onto 51.8% of all North American Apple devices as of today.
The site tracked the number of iOS 7 "adoption rates" and compared the data with last year's iOS 6 downloads over a period of seven days from launch to find that the latter only made it to 47% of Apple devices.
Global numbers were not included, but on Sept. 23, Apple reported iOS 7 had been downloaded a whopping 200 million times.
iOS 7 is dizzyingly troublesome
Though iOS 7 has been widely downloaded, it has seen its fair share of issues from buggy lock screens to hacks - and now it seems to be causing quite a stir on an Apple forum.
A surprisingly large amount of users have asked for help alleviating motion sickness caused by the parallax effect and animations of iOS 7.
For owners of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5, "Reduce motion" can be enabled, but according to one commenter, for those using anything below, it appears you're out of luck and can't get rid of the animations.
Thinking about upgrading your phone? Check out our reviews of the iPhone 5S or iPhone 5C.
An alleged tester with access to the HTC One Max released a couple of pictures yesterday that appear to show off the unannounced phablet's new camera features.
Like the HTC One, the One Max will reportedly sport a 4-"UltraPixel" camera that HTC says is scientifically better than its megapixel-based competition.
But the enlarged HTC One Max will also feature camera improvements like a "beauty mode" with three levels of blemish correction and a panorama mode, according to the leakster.
The HTC One Max will also feature HDR video recording, if the screenshots are anything to go by.
Let the fingerprint wars begin
We're used to leaks upon leaks in this industry, but the HTC One Max seems to be subject to even more than your average Hot New Device.
The device's fingerprint scanner has been well publicized by now, and the tester who released the camera images yesterday on China's Weibo forum also confirmed its existence.
The tester said it's proved accurate so far, with a "very high" recognition rate and "no awkward situation."
Phone Arena says it appears to be the same fingerprint recognition technology found in Apple's iPhone 5S, making the HTC One Max likely the second phone to feature it.
That's barring any trademarks disputes between Apple and HTC, which - let's be honest - doesn't seem farfetched.
Twitter alerts will offer important, accurate information in emergencies
Twitter has today announced a new alert service that will notify users by SMS when a there's an emergency situation developing in their locale.
The new Twitter Alerts tool allows users to sign up for alerts from reputable organisations and receive crucial information via text message, rather than having to check their Twitter timeline.
Texts, which will also appear as pop-up notifications for users on iOS and Android, will be sent whenever a group like FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) or the American Red Cross in the United States mark a tweet as an alert.
Twitter Alerts builds on the Lifeline service Twitter debuted last year, in response to the devastating Japanese earthquake.
Lifeline
In a post on its official blog, Twitter wrote: "Today, we're launching Twitter Alerts, a new feature that brings us one step closer to helping users get important and accurate information from credible organisations during emergencies, natural disasters or moments when other communications services aren't accessible."
"We know from our users how important it is to be able to receive reliable information during these times. With that in mind, last year we announced Lifeline (a feature that helps Japanese users find emergency accounts during crises), and since then, we've been working on a related feature for people around the world."
Currently the organisations involved are limited to the United States, Japan and Korea, but Twitter plans to expand the initiative to more countries in due course.
Update: It appears that Nokia is planning a pretty big show come Oct. 22.
Sources have told The Verge that there will be six (yes, six) Nokia devices presented at the event. If the claims are true, then the company deserves some applause for keeping such a tight lid on the four mysterious gadgets.
The two we suspect will show up are the Lumia 1520 phablet and the purportedly newly named Lumia 2520 tablet, formerly codenamed Sirius.
Tune back to TechRadar on launch day as we're sure to have the announcement covered inside out.
Original article ...
The sand dune teaser image from a Tweet last week was just a sliver of a hint, as today Nokia confirmed it's hosting a Nokia World event Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Eremites.
Aside from naming the city, event details are still sparse. However, it's likely that the rumored 6-inch screened Lumia 1520 will finally be unveiled.
The phablet would be the first from the Finnish firm, along with the first to reportedly hold a full HD display and quad-core processor.
A Nokia tablet codenamed "Sirius" is also making the rumor rounds with details claiming the tablet will boast a 10.1-inch full HD IPS display, 2GB of RAM, up to 10 hours of battery life and come with 32GB of native storage expandable via microSD.
Perhaps we'll see the Sirius join the Lumia 1520 in the Nokia World announcements. It sounds like a long shot, but it could also be a big day of firsts for Nokia.
We're currently putting the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 through its paces in our in-depth review process. While we flog the battery, twiddle the S Pen and continue to stretch the pockets of our skinny jeans here's what we make of it so far...
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is looking to continue in the same vein as the original Galaxy Note and Galaxy Note 2, offering you a phone which could almost be mistaken for a tablet and wants you to believe it's both.
Let's get one thing straight before we dive into this review though, the Galaxy Note 3 is only going to appeal to a narrow segment of users, it's certainly not going to have the broad appeal of the Galaxy S4, nor catch the eye of the fashion-conscious iPhone 5S purchaser.
The Note 3 isn't pretending to be anything it's not. It knows it's a big, some may say huge, smartphone and Samsung understands that form factor won't be for everyone.
That said, with big size comes big price, and the Galaxy Note 3 will set you back a wallet-busting £600 (around $950, AU$1,000) SIM-free.
The hefty price tag can be softened if you choose to pick the Note 3 up on a two year contract, but you'll still be paying a relatively high amount a month for the privilege - upwards of £35 per month in the UK if you want a free phone.
In terms of competition there's not a great deal which compares to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, but its closest competitor is currently the Sony Xperia Z Ultra which boasts a massive 6.4-inch which dwarfs even this handset.
A quick glance over the Galaxy Note 3 and it does exactly what we thought it would do: takes over the mantle as the world's most powerful smartphone, although the advantage is a lot smaller this time.
First up we have to mention the display - it's grown again since the 5.5-inch offering on the Note 2 to a palm busting 5.7 inches complete with a full HD, 1080 x 1920 Super AMOLED display.
That's the same resolution as the Galaxy S4, but as the screen is larger on the Galaxy Note 3 the pixel count isn't as great at 386ppi, so it's not quite as pin sharp as its smaller brother. It still looks pretty impressive though - and so it should for the price Samsung is asking.
We're still waiting for Samsung to embrace the full metal chassis we've enjoyed on the HTC One and the iPhone 5, but it is trying something slightly different with the Note 3.
The Galaxy Note 3 has retained the metal frame from the Galaxy S4 running around the edge of the device providing a rigid body and a more premium look, but it's on the rear where Samsung has tried something new.
Lay the Note 3 face down, take a quick glance at the handset and it appears the rear is made of leather.
It isn't, of course, it's that famous plastic Samsung is so fond off. The finish is textured to give it the appearance of leather and this actually provides some much needed grip.
Those stitches running round the outside of the back cover? Well that's just a pattern formed in the plastic. It may not be everyone's cup of tea and it looks a bit tacky upon closer inspection, but the Note 3 does feel like a solid, well built device.
On the plus side the plastic cover can be removed giving you access to the Note 3's sizable 3,200mAh battery as well as the microSD slot which is cleverly stacked on top of the microSIM port - allowing Samsung to save some space.
Somehow Samsung has managed to make the Galaxy Note 3 slightly smaller than its predecessor, measuring 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm. That's still quite a sizable device, but considering it's got a slightly larger display, beefier processor and more powerful 13MP camera it's an impressive feat.
Those of you blessed with smaller palms will still struggle to hold the Note 3 in one hand, especially when typing is involved, but thanks to its reduced weight (it's 168g, down from 183g on the Note 2) it's certainly the most manageable Note smartphone to date.
The sheer size of the Galaxy Note 3 means you'll be constantly shuffling it up and down your palm as you try and reach the volume rocker and power/lock keys located towards the top on the left and right sides of the handset and the menu keys below the screen.
While the buttons are responsive, we found we tended to employ our second hand to help us out when moving from the power/lock key down to the home, menu and back buttons.
Under the hood of our review unit sat an insanely powerful 2.3GHz quad-core processor, although a select few markets will be treated to an octa-core option which houses two quad-core chips.
You also get 3GB of RAM and the option of 32GB or 64GB of internal storage in the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, while the latest version of Google's operating system - Android 4.3 Jelly Bean - runs merrily on top of all this.
From the front you'll note there's a pleasingly slender bezel running down either side of that monster 5.7-inch display, while below you get the customary physical home key flanked by two touch keys - menu on the left and back on the right.
You can't see the touch keys when the Note 3 is idol, as their backlights are only displayed when you unlock the handset or tap the area they're located in.
They are incredibly responsive though, and you don't have to worry about getting your finger right on the logo, the area of recognition is wide enough to pick up even the most misguided stabs.
Apart from the questionable leather-effect rear the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 offers up little in terms of design. Sure it looks a little more premium than the Galaxy Note 2, and it does feel well made - but at the end of the day it's a little uninspiring.
Those will petite palms or a penchant for skinny jeans will struggle with the size of the Note 3, but if you've been taken with its predecessors then you'll be happy to hear this is the best looking Note smartphone to date.
Samsung has plopped its Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch on shop shelves, and consumers cn head to a few outlets to pick one up.
Update: We've had a scout around and added in some more Note 3 prices, as well as a couple for the Galaxy Gear, so if you want to know where to get it, this is the place to come.
Although you're already here, which negates that somewhat. Tell a friend.
The main place those that don't want to mess around with a contract, but are desperate to have both devices, should head is directly to Samsung itself, where it's offering the two for £868. That's a £50 saving over buying the Note 3 (£629) and the Gear (£219) separately, although you can only have the smartwatch in black or white if you go through this portal.
The Galaxy Gear is in limited supply around the web, with Expansys still stating it's only for pre-order (and bringing the cost up to £335) and Clove offering it in unknown colours for £282... although still not available.
The Carphone Warehouse is following Samsung's lead and offering up the Galaxy Gear for cheaper if bundled with the Note 3 - we just spoke to their sales team and while they don't have any idea on how much the Gear will be, the phone seller is now offering it for £100 off (not the £50 listed on its site), with prices expected to be £199 with discount.
Note 3
The Galaxy Note 3, as you can imagine, is a pricier beast, with EE, O2, Orange, Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U and Amazon all starting off with it on sale.
Amazon wants you to part with the best part of £800 to get the 32GB version, although has listed this as out of stock.
Other prices on contract range from £51 a month for 4G on EE (with a £30 upfront phone cost) to free on £42 a month deals with Carphone, to £52 a month with a free phone on O2 Refresh (more if you fancy 4G).
Orange is listed as a retailer by Samsung, but is still listing the Note 3 for pre-order, and Vodafone has nothing on the device at all just yet. Three is going to be stocking the new Note, but will be sending it out on 9 October.
Nokia is holding an event dubbed Innovation Reinvented in Abu Dhabi on October 22 and according to sources close to the company's plans, the Finns are preparing to unveil a total of six devices.
At least two of them are going to be "new Lumias." Most probably, one of them is going to be the Nokia Lumia 1520 6-inch phablet that has beenleaking recently. The other Lumia is allegedly the Nokia tablet, which is also going to be part of the Lumia family of products.
Additionally, there are going to be a set of accessories that'll also debut in Abu Dhabi. One of them, according to the TheVerge source is going to be "pretty special." No further details have been given, but we guess the rest of the devices will be budget mobile phones from the Asha series.
Nokia has been gradually revealing more information regarding its upcoming October 22 event. The start time of the event is yet to be confirmed.
Alcatel has officially announced that its two new affordable smartphones - One Touch Fierce and Evolve will be launching on T-Mobile.
The One Touch Fierce and Evolve will be available across T-Mobile's retail stores from October 5. Alcatel Evolve will retail for $27.99 with 24 monthly device payment of $31. On the other hand, the One Touch Fierce will cost you $19.99 down with $6 monthly payment for next 24 months.
If you are wondering what these affordable smartphones has got to offer, here's a quick rundown. The One Touch Evolve comes with a 4-inch display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean powered smartphone features a MediaTek processor clocked at 1 GHz, 512 MB RAM and 4 GB of internal storage with the ability to expand memory via microSD Card slot.
Strangely, the much cheaper offering from Alcatel, the One Touch Fierce sports a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 960 x 540 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core MediaTek processor along with 1 GB of RAM. Fierce runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and has 4 GB internal memory.
You can head on to T-Mobile website to know more about the plan details and other terms of the contract.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date is, well it's actually come and gone, so now's the time to start planning where you'll get hold of one.
The newly announced phone-that-moonlights-as-a-tablet is available on a number of British networks, and we've sorted out what's what to make life easier for you.
The 4G-loving EE has the Galaxy Note 3 available in its 32GB guise, although there's no option of a free handset. You can pay as little as £29.99 up front, but you'll need to commit to paying EE £51 every month for two years - you do get 20GB of data each month though.
The handset will set you back £69.99 on EE's recommended £46/month 24-month contract which comes with 10GB of data and unlimited calls and texts.
If you don't want to be locked in for two years then you can always plump for a 12 month contract, but you'll be paying more up front. The lowest initial payment is £49.99 on a £66 per month contract which gives you 8GB of data.
Orange is charging £42 a month with an initial outlay of £120 on a boring old 3G contract, although its site says the Note 3 is still in pre-order.
O2
Meanwhile over at O2 the stock is in, the 4G is live and there's an option to pay nothing up front for a Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
That £0 up front does come at a cost - £42 per month to be exact if you want a two year Refresh 3G contract with 1GB of data, or £47 per month for the same period with 4G connectivity and 1GB of data.
There's no sign of PAYG or SIM-free offers here though.
Three
Three has confirmed that it will be bearing its namesake Note, but hasn't let slip its contract deals just yet - even though it's in stock at other retailers.
Vodafone
Vodafone hasn't shown any sign that it will be stocking the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, but we're chasing the big red for more information.
Phones 4U
The keen-bean phone retailer is selling the Galaxy Note 3 on a variety of tariffs spanning four networks - although two of those (T-Mobile and Orange) and owned by EE. The other network in question is Vodafone - who has been oddly quiet on everything Note 3 thus far.
You can grab yourself a free Note 3 on Orange or Vodafone from Phones 4 U, although it will require you signing up to the network for two years and splashing £47 per month.
Carphone Warehouse
Carphone is also getting in on the Galaxy Note 3 action with tariffs from all the major networks listed above, plus TalkMobile, so there's certainly a lot of choice here.
If you pick yourself up a Galaxy Note 3 at Carphone Warehouse you can also get £100 off the Galaxy Gear smartwatch - which currently only works with this handset.
Online retailers
Fancy some SIM-free, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 action? We'll we hope your pockets are deep as it's not coming cheap.
Expansys has the white Note 3 in stock now, with the black version expected in the next few days, and both will set you back a hefty £619.99.
The Samsung Galaxy Note phablets are some of the best-selling smart devices around – the original Note has around 10 million sales to date, while the outgoing Note II has reached 30 million.
There numbers come from general manager of Samsung Taiwan's mobile communication team Andy Tu. This sounds about right as JK Shin himself (Samsung Mobile's chief) said that the Galaxy Note line has sold over 38 million a couple of weeks ago.
The Galaxy Note II has come a long way since it sold 3 million units a month after launch and reached 5 million units sold another month later. The pace is accelerating, however, as the original Note took until March 2012 to hit the 2 million mark and it launched in October 2011.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the new Galaxy Note 3 will see a similar jump in sales but we're waiting for the quarterly report from Samsung to see if the phablet will be mentioned alongside the Galaxy S4 as one of the hottest sellers (the S4 passed 20 million as early as July). Korean site ET News claims the Note 3 isn't doing too hot in its home market, in part due to a government crackdown on subsidies.
Gold! Always believe in your soul! Or whatever: Samsung has unveiled not one but two gold iterations of the Galaxy S4.
If you happen to in the well-moneyed, gold-fancying United Arab Emirates then you can now pick up a Gold Pink or Gold Brown S4 and if this all sounds a bit familiar then it's because two weeks ago Apple launched a gold version of the iPhone 5S.
Samsung may not be original but you can't say it's not efficient.
It's no secret that BlackBerry isn't having the best of times at the moment, but news of the potentially budget BlackBerry Kopi could ease the pain slightly - although like everything from the Canadian firm recently it's rather late.
Details and photos of the Kopi were passed to BGR from a "close source", and it will apparently slide in beneath the BlackBerry Q5 handset the firm launched back in May.
According to the report, the Kopi will actually have a faster processor than the Q5, but misses out on 4G connectivity. There's a win for battery fanatics however, as the Kopi will have a removable power pack - like the higher end Q10 and Z10.
A screengrab supposedly taken from the Kopi reveals it's running the latest version of the firm's new BlackBerry 10 operating system - v10.2.
Credit: BGR
Too cheap, too late?
In terms of design it appears from the leaked photos that the BlackBerry Kopi isn't that dissimilar to the Q5, with a chunky plastic case and bezel-heavy front encompassing the firm's famous QWERTY keyboard.
There's no word on a potential Kopi release date or price, and with BlackBerry in such an unstable position at this moment in time it may not see the light of day.
BlackBerry Q5 and Kopi (credit: BGR)
A cheap BlackBerry 10 handset was really needed at launch to encourage the kids rocking cut-price Curves to upgrade to another BB handset, instead of making the switch to a low price Android or Windows Phone device.
BlackBerry is currently beginning to roll out its larger Z30 handset, but with reports suggesting another handset - dubbed the Americano - is also on the way, the Canadian firm may be biting off more that it can chew in this tricky period of transition.
Surface 2 is about "bringing all of Microsoft to life," Surface vice president Panos Panay said at its launch. That should make it one of the first examples of the 'one Microsoft principle' from the recent reorganisation.
The company is bundling Skype and SkyDrive in with the price of a Surface 2 to make the tablet more useful. This chimes with comments made by Terry Myerson, the new head of Microsoft's OS group, at last week's financial analyst meeting.
"All of our devices are becoming more cloud-powered," said Myerson. Similar to bundling Xbox Live with Office 365 and Bing on cheap Nokia featurephones, it's also a chance to get you hooked on Microsoft services.
Microsoft is hoping its services for Surface bundle pays off
In the same discussion, Julie Larson-Green, who runs the devices and services group, said the initial release of Surface taught them that "you need to have balance to be successful in the market - you need to have the combination of great hardware, great software, apps and services in order to win."
Microsoft is hoping that Surface will be more like Xbox than the failed Zune music player and service. Xbox had a slow start against the big players in the console market ("when the first Xbox came out it had hardly any games, it took a while for us to get going with it," Larson-Green pointed out). But it's the mix of hardware, software, apps (from Microsoft and others) and services like Xbox Live that Microsoft wants to get on Surface and Windows Phone.
Microsoft wants services like Xbox Live on the Surface
When we asked Larson-Green at the Surface 2 launch what's special in Windows 8.1 for the new Surface, she was quick to emphasise the mix of hardware, software and services. "I think 8.1 is a great update for all PCs, but then the special things we did working together [with other Microsoft teams] really bring to life the capabilities of Surface 2," she said.
"The power in the Surface device to run the Halo games and the full Office suite at the same time, snapped side by side, the low-light camera working with Skype [to adjust exposure automatically]… We spent a lot of time working across software and services with the devices team to make sure it all comes together in a seamless package."
Word out of Korean news site ETNews is that Samsung is allegedly developing a new ultra-premium Galaxy F series to go alongside its well-known Galaxy S line. The first device in this series is slated to get introduced early next year.
If the source is to be believed, the first F series device (most likely called the Galaxy F), will feature a full-metal body and updated design. It's set to come with an Octa-core Exynos processor, 16MP camera with OIS. No word on the screen size or resolution, but it will likely be priced higher than the Note series.
The introduction of a new premium lineup makes sense, as the S series and Note series usually produce two flagships a year, and the smartphone is usually released in the first half.
This means that by the time the H2 rolls around, competitors like LG and Sony have outed their own superior offerings, resulting in a less-than-stellar holiday sales season. Releasing a high-range metal-clad smartphone during this period would be a smart move.
Not content with it's top-end Galaxy S products it looks like Samsung might be working on an even more premium range of devices, supposedly set to carry the "Galaxy F" prefix.
According to ETNews, dubious "industry sources" have spilled the beans on Samsung's plans, claiming the Korean firm is lining up its first super-premium smartphone for a March 2014 launch.
They suggest Samsung doesn't think two flagship products a year is enough to keep up with industry change, although we're inclined to disagree - especially as most people will hold onto a top-end handset for a couple of years now.
More class, more money
Handsets such as the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3 have been criticised by some for their plastic cases which make these highly expensive phones feel a little cheap, but the F-series is said to sport a full metal body, bringing them inline with the HTC One and iPhone 5S.
The sources claim the first Galaxy F device will rock up with the firm's Exynos octa-core processor (that's two quad-core chips) and a 16MP camera.
There's no word on the screen size, resolution or price for this rumoured smartphone, but considering the Galaxy Note 3 is pushing £600 (around $950, AU$1,000) SIM-free, it's probably going to sport an eye watering price tag - if it actually exists of course.
Big payouts to tech company CEOs are nothing new, but the tale of Nokia and Elop has added layers of mystery and intrigue, from whispers of industrial sabotage to multi-million dollar divorce settlements.
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop is in line for a $25m (around £16m) payout when the sale of the handset business to Microsoft goes through and he steps down as the company's CEO.
Elop will receive 18 months of his salary and a "management short term cash incentive", which together come to $5.7m. He'll also receive share awards of around $19.7m, and gets a new job at Microsoft when the deal is finalised.
Back to basics
Elop is no stranger to Microsoft HQ having left the company to take over at Nokia in 2010.
And it's this return to his old stomping ground that has many people up in arms, suspecting that the whole Microsoft/Nokia deal had been orchestrated years in advance, the plan being to skim off Nokia's hardware business all along.
The Finnish, in particular, are unhappy with the size of the payout Elop is to receive for effectively taking the country's biggest company away.
It doesn't help that Nokia's chairman, Risto Siilasmaa, told reporters that the terms of Elop's payout are comparable to those of his predecessors, only to later backtrack and say he was wrong. Some have speculated that Elop's contract actually offered him an incentive to broker a buy-out deal.
Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat today reports that the beleaguered company has "pleaded" with Elop to accept a smaller package to try and quiet the drama around the deal.
However, Elop is reported to have rejected this idea for the most soap opera of reasons: because he is getting divorced. That the soon-to-be-former-Mrs Elop cannot be expected to take a reduced divorce settlement is apparently Elop's argument.
The whole situation does not exactly speak of an elegant end to an always controversial management move. But the big question remains: who will play Elop in the inevitable movie?
Flexible phone displays have been in the news recently as we look to the next generation of smartphones and the boom in wearable tech, and it looks like Samsung is getting fully behind the idea.
Yesterday we heard that a special version of the Galaxy Note 3 would be produced bearing an "unbreakable" flexible display, and now the Korean firm has revealed a curved display smartphone will break cover next month.
The Verge reports that the news was announced by Samsung executives during an event in Seoul for the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch.
Curvy
Now this wouldn't be the first handset to sport a curved display, the Google Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus for example had gentle curvatures to their screens, but it's expected Samsung's new handset will be more defined in its bend.
Earlier this year Samsung applied for a patent regarding a "slightly curved display smartphone", which saw the bend along the handset's vertical axis and a kick stand incorporated onto the back of the device.
It's not clear whether the smartphone in question will follow the design depicted in the patent sketches, and the executives who spilled the beans were unable to furnish us with any further information on the device.
We're a little unsure as to why anyone would actually want a noticeably curved display on their smartphone, as we can't see if helping when it comes to video playback or gaming - plus typing may be tricky.
Samsung's big IFA 2013 announcements – the Galaxy Note 3 phablet and the Galaxy Gear smartwatch – are already on sale and some early-bird customers in the Netherlands already have them in (or on) their hands.
In the Netherlands, an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (the N9005 with Snapdragon 800, LTE and 2160p UHD video capture) will set you back €600 unlocked for either the Black and White version.
If you want it on contract, you can have it on Tele2 for €150 upfront and €38 a month or T-Mobile for €163 and €43 a month. Vodafone has it at €205 and €44 a month. You can also have it on Telfort for free at €52 a month or Hollands Niuewe for €316 and €50 a month. These are all for 2-year contracts.
In the UK, Expansys lists the white Note 3 as available at £620, the black one isn't there yet. EE has set the price of the white one at £30 up front and £31 a month. Clove will be getting its Galaxy Note 3 units tomorrow at £594 SIM-free (both black and white).
Clove also has the Galaxy Gear on pre-order (expecting stock "at the end of September", which is about now) and is yet to confirm which colors will be available. The price is £282.
Germans will be getting their Galaxy Note 3s in about a week from Amazon – the white one is €700, but the black one is listed at €760. Other stores have the black one at the proper €700 price.
The French will have to pay €712 for their Galaxy Note 3s and €300 for the Galaxy Gear.
Negri Electronics ships internationally and has the Note 3 unlocked as well as the carrier-specific versions. The site also lists the N9000 – that's the Exynos 5 Octa version – which starts at $770. The Galaxy Gear is $389.
HTC's flagship smartphone, the HTC One, will soon be brought bang up to date with the addition of Android 4.3.
That's come straight from the mouth of Jason Mackenzie, President of HTC America, who announced via Twitter that the update will be pushed to HTC One Developer Edition owners this week.
That's largely just confirming what we already knew, as he'd previously stated that it should arrive with Dev Edition owners by the end of September.
However this time he went one better and said that Canadian customers with a standard HTC One should have the update by the end of the month.
Mackenzie also stated that Android 4.3 for HTC One comes with 'the latest Sense experience', so expect changes beyond those found in stock Android, though what exactly that will entail has yet to be revealed.
Date unknown
He went on to say that HTC was working hard to get the update certified with US networks, but unfortunately there's no word on when Android 4.3 will make its way to HTC One handsets in Europe.
We've had a word with HTC to see if they have any word on a potential timeframe but are yet to hear back. Fear not though, as we'll update you as soon as we hear anything.
Update: A HTC spokesperson has told TechRadar: "The 4.3 update for the HTC One in the UK & Europe is definitely in progress, but I don't have a specific timeframe yet.
"There are a lot of different variables involved with software updates, especially around testing and carrier certification, but rest assured it's coming soon."
At this rate Android 4.4 KitKat will be out by the time the HTC One gets Android 4.3, if the October release date rumours are to be believed. Still, it's better late than never and if it does come with some juicy new Sense features it should be worth the wait.
You've read about the update, now read about the phone in our HTC One review.
