Apple's Lightning charger is superior to micro-USB in many ways
Apple is the type of company that loves to do things differently, but soon that could become illegal in Europe where phone chargers are concerned.
A committee within the European Union Parliament voted unanimously this week to create a law that requires all phone makers to use the same type of charger. Tablet chargers could be affected as well.
The internal market and consumer protection committee said the law will cut down on waste from unused chargers, but given Apple is one of the last phone makers not using micro-USB it's clear who would be most affected.
The proposal still needs to pass the European Council and be approved by Parliament before the law can be created, so it will still be some time before anything changes (if it ever does).
Lightning round
Apple introduced its much-hyped Lightning connector with the iPhone 5 in 2012, and it's become the standard for Apple devices since then.
The Lightning connector replaced the 30-pin plug that was in use on Apple products for nine years.
The Lightning connector is easy to use because it can be plugged in no matter which side is facing up. It also has a smaller footprint, and it charges devices and transfers data more quickly than the old connector.
But it made loads of old iPhone and iPod accessories incompatible with newer Apple devices, irritating plenty of Apple users.
A switch to the standard of micro-USB would likely anger Apple fans further, especially since micro-USB, while nearly universal at this point, is inferior to Lightning in most ways.
Apple has solved this problem in the past with adapters, but if the law goes into effect it could be forced to rethink its strategy.
Unconvinced by the Samsung Galaxy Gear, but still want a wrist accoutrement to work in tandem with your smartphone? Well, Sony's SmartWatch 2 can now be strapped on in the UK and parts of Europe.
The Android-based device, announced in June this year, is now on sale for £149 (about US$240, AUS$258) with a rubber wristband or £169 (around US$272, AUS$292) with a fancy metal strap.
The release of the touchscreen device also sees the launch of a new accompanying smartphone app from the Google Play Store.
The SmartWatch 2 SW application, which is a free download, will enable the wearable accessory to play nice with other Android smartphones via Bluetooth.
Waiting for an iWatch
The launch of the SmartWatch 2, which is water resistant and brings NFC connectivity, gives users even more choice in an increasingly densely populated space in the tech world.
Since the arrival of the original, and largely unsuccessful SmartWatch, the Pebble Smartwatch has hit the market following a phenomenally successful Kickstarter campaign.
Earlier this month, Samsung really placed the four legged feline among the somewhat annoying flying rats by launching its Galaxy Gear. That device also went on sale this week.
However, the one most likely to shape the future of the sector, the rumoured Apple iWatch, is yet to make its presence known, with time running out for a pre-2014 launch.
You can check out Sony's latest offering in the YouTube clip below
It's just a matter of time before every HTC One gets Android 4.3
The moment HTC One users have been waiting for is almost here: Android 4.3 updates for the Android flagship are finally going out.
But right now only the unlocked, international version of the HTC One is being updated to Android 4.3, and the carrier-specific updates won't be out as soon as we expected them.
HTC America President Jason Mackenzie said on Wednesday that the update would be out soon, but today he tweeted otherwise.
"Unlocked out! Carrier skus coming, but will slightly miss 9/30," he wrote.
Soon…soon!
Previous word was that the HTC One would receive its Android 4.3 update by the end of September, but the update has been delayed. By how much is uncertain.
On Wednesday HTC spokespeople said the HTC One's Android 4.3 update was being certified on U.S. networks and "in progress" in Europe and the U.K.
In addition, it seems the update may have begun rolling out on HTC's home turf in Taiwan as early as Tuesday.
The irony is it may not be long after that that Android 4.4: KitKat, the next major update, arrives on the scene, and HTC One owners will have something else to pine over.
Android 4.3: all the latest
Mackenzie said on Wednesday that Android 4.3 brings "the latest Sense" experience to the HTC One, so it seems the phone's UI is being updated.
The update is also expected to fix the HTC One's camera issues, improving performance in low light environments.
A battery percentage indicator during charging is also being added.
Android 4.3 brings a number of other improvements and new features as well, so check out TechRadar's full rundown for more.
As a journalist, you're meant to stand by your convictions. But I'm about to do an amazingly blatant u-turn. Despite writing last week about how much I've been looking forward to getting my hands on an iPhone 5S, I've done the unthinkable in the eyes of many Cupertino disciples.
I've cancelled my pre-order. That's right. Who cares? Keep your 64GB of self-righteous goodness to yourself. I'm going large.
When it comes to people, the fact they come in all shapes and sizes is brilliant... and I've become rather entranced by a larger model myself. Her name? The Samsung Galaxy Note 3.
I may have cheated on you, Android, but I didn't get physical with the iPhone 5S. I promise. It was just lust. We never even got to touch. She was too elusive.
Flabby phablets
I've used the Note phablets before. I know they're not to everyone's taste. They're big. Very big. There's no getting away from that and I'll be the first to say I was sceptical.
Who on earth would want a device this size with a flashy stylus? Erm… That would be me now.
It's amazing how attitudes have changed. Ten years ago, mobile makers were on a mission to get as tiny as possible. The Nokia 3210 was considered small for its time (remember, size is relative. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it...) but it got shrunk out by the Nokia 3310. And then the Nokia 8210 and 8310.
I'm only mentioning Nokia here because back then, there really was no serious competition. Motorola was in second place and its devices were hardly small. Ironically, Samsung was yet to launch. And when it did with the dual-screen A3001, it had a teeny size and novelty on its side. But that was it. It was rubbish.
Fast forward and so much has changed since the smartphone was 'invented' by Apple. I've actually sat with iPhone-preaching friends who've played with my Galaxy S4, and despite their hatred of Android (stolen product, thermonuclear, etc etc), they do tend to say the same thing each time: "Oh yeah, but I do love the size of the screen. I wish Apple would do this." Take Note, Tim Cook.
Maxed out clout
The question though is, where will it end? Looking at the specs, given what we now do with a phone or a phablet, the power is starting to max out. Add any more grunt and you probably wouldn't notice it.
But what about size? Sony prefers big too. It's launched the Ultra, and pretty soon HTC and LG will have joined the oversized smartphone party, crashing through the front door with a half drunk bottle of plonk and begging for acknowledgement.
Will these things keep on growing and growing until they can't get any bigger? Remember that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is eight inches and that too can make phone calls. You really would look like a prize turnip doing that, but it's an interesting thought.
I wasn't on board with the Note. The Note 2 only made me feel a little warmer. So why on earth should the Note 3 suddenly swing my head from the beauty of the iPhone 5S?
I can't really answer that... and that's why I love smartphones, the pure idiocy of fanboyism. Just know that if you see me clasping a Galaxy Note 10.1 to my head and shouting at it, you have my permission to call my mother. I'll need all the help I can get.
Nearly seven years after first showing off the iPhone to the world, a key Apple photo gallery patent has been invalided in Germany - and Cupertino has no one to blame but Steve Jobs himself.
Foss Patents reported Thursday that Germany's Bundespatentgericht Federal patent court sided with Samsung and Motorola Mobility by effectively invalidating the iPhone maker's famous "bounce-back effect" in that country.
The patent in question, EP2059868, is described as being used on a "portable electronic device for photo management" - or more specifically in this case, the iPhone's built-in Photos app.
As fate would have it, Apple's rivals were able to use the most incriminating piece of evidence they could possibly come up with: The ghost of Steve Jobs.
Grace period
Despite the late Apple CEO's insistence "boy, have we patented it!" during the original iPhone keynote in January 2007, it turns out a 12-month grace period Americans enjoy when filing for new inventions doesn't exist overseas.
While the keynote video in question cannot be used as prior art in a U.S. patent dispute, European courts are far more restrictive, making an inventor's own public demos fair game if they're dated before an application is filed.
The 2007 keynote demo featuring Jobs was shown in court Thursday, leaving the judge little choice but to temporarily invalidate the patent until Apple's legal team can come up with other ways to challenge Samsung and Motorola's claims.
It's important to note the invalidation isn't yet an official ruling - Samsung still has to come up with other prior art since the keynote video falls within Germany's six-month "Neuheitsschonfrist" (novelty grace period) that can be used to protect such public disclosures.
The LG Optimus G Pro may be getting a dual-SIM version called LG G Pro Lite Dual (now that's quite a mouthful). The rumor suggests the new device will keep the 5.5" True HD IPS+ display of 1080p resolution, but will demote the camera to 8MP resolution (still with BSI sensor).
It's not entirely clear why this model bears the "Lite" moniker, as the camera downgrade probably isn't enough to justify it alone. Unfortunately, there's no info on the chipset, but the software will offer many of the features we saw on the LG G2, including KnockOn (wake device by double-tapping), Guest mode and QSlide (floating mini-apps with optional transparency).
The rumor also adds that the battery will be unchanged at 3,140mAh and there will be a "Dual Speaker" that has improved sound reproduction for both high and low frequencies (but it doesn’t sound like we're talking about stereo speakers).
According to Hi-Tech.Mail.Ru who published the rumor, the LG G Pro Lite Dual will hit Russia in mid-October at RUR13,000 ($400) or about half the current price of the LG Optimus G Pro in the country.
The HTC One Max will probably have a dual-SIM version too, we might have a dual-SIM phablet battle on our hands.
It's no secret that BlackBerry isn't doing too well, but no one knew just how bad until the company's just-released fiscal Q2 report. It highlights a whopping $935 million loss on the BlackBerry Z10.
The "Z10 inventory charge," a clever way to say that the device simply isn't selling, is enough to almost wipe out the listed $1.6 billion revenue. When combined with the corporate restructuring losses, the company posted an overall loss of some $965 million.
The Canadian-based company has struggled to post a profit since it dropped the RIM name and released its anticipated BB10 OS update. Its latest flagship, the BlackBerry Z10, has failed to make a significant impact, and the company continues to lose market share to more competitive Android, WP and iOS devices.
This news comes hot on the heels of the $4.7 billion buyout offer from one of their minor shareholder groups, Fairfax Financial Holdings, who own a 10% stake in the company.
The Moto X is built in Fort Worth in Texas and ships to the US – and so far only to the US. There's talk, however, of a cheaper version, which the rumor mill has dubbed Moto DVX. It's this version that might be available outside the US, probably without the customization options.
Not all of them anyway, a photo allegedly shows four back panels for the Moto DVX in four different colors – Turquoise, Raspberry, Chalk and Black from the options on the Moto Maker site. The Moto Maker has another 24 color options, so there's a chance there are DVX covers other than the ones in the photo.
So, Moto DVX buyers might not be able to choose the color of the ring around the camera, but there will be a wide selection of color options. Also (fingers crossed), the removable back cover might mean user-replaceable battery (and microSD card slot, although we believe the Moto X lacks a storage expansion slot on purpose, it's what the Google overlords want).
The Moto DVX will cost $300 unsubsidized (or even as low as $200) according to recent rumors and will launch sometime next month.
The rumours were true: Beats Electronics is buying back all its shares from HTC for $265 million (around £165m / AU$284m).
The Dre-owned audio specialist still plans to work with HTC as a partner, but neither company is willing to explain why the official link-up failed to work out.
HTC bought up 50% of Beats' shares as well as a generous slice of cool-factor two years ago, announcing the partnership at a star-studded, Lady-Gaga-attended party in London town. Will.i.am was there too, of course, which just goes to show.
But the glitz faded quickly and HTC sold Beats 25% of its shares back last year.
More than mobile
Beats has its sights set on more than just mobile phone audio, after all: its headphone range is much beloved by kids these days and it has its eye on music streaming with Daisy set to in the next few months.
HTC, meanwhile, could use the $265m cash injection after a rocky couple of years' financial results.
The UK saw its first, belated, 4G network appear for use late last year thanks to EE, which managed to wangle approval from regulator Ofcom to launch an LTE service before the other main providers.
The downside is that you're probably going to need a new phone to use this super-super-fast data connection, as many older mobiles don't have the necessary radios inside them to hook into the frequencies used by 4G systems.
Already got a 4G-ready phone? Find out which is the best 4G network
Luckily for you, though, the mobile networks are falling over themselves to stock new 4G-ready phones and updated versions of popular current models, with some of the best handsets from the top makers supporting our new LTE bands.
And we've done the hard work for you, so sit back, relax and check out the best 4G phones compared.
The iPhone 5S isn't as tricky as the iPhone 5 because, along with the iPhone 5C, it supports the most 4G bands of any smartphone currently on the market. This means it will happily play with any 4G network here in the UK.
It's not all plain sailing though, as O2 still needs to do some work to its 4G service before the iPhone 5S will work on its superfast network, although we're told this will be sorted "soon".
Meanwhile over at Vodafone and EE all is well with the 5S, and Three tell us Apple's latest flagship will also play nicely with its 4G when it's launched in December.
As for the phone itself, the iPhone 5S isn't an enormous update over the previous models, but Apple has managed to squeeze a faster A7 processor inside the chassis, along with an updated camera module and a nifty fingerprint scanner hidden under the home button.
This is HTC's best phone yet, and that's saying something. The HTC One is 4G-ready from the offset, so can be bought on any of the networks peddling the super fast connection.
The HTC One earned rave reviews for its metallic chassis, superb low-light camera performance and the general smoothness of HTC's updated user interface, with the new HTC Sense social features also going down a storm.
This phone and a 4G data connection would make most people very, very jealous indeed.
This year's Galaxy S series update was not without controversy. Its launch event was a bizarre music hall experience that some said was rather sexist, the phone's full of so much bloatware and additional Samsung software it's been complained about on TV, but none of these whinges have stopped the Galaxy S4 shipping in record numbers and making it the most popular Android phone around today.
It's not just good marketing either, the Galaxy S4 is an excellent handset in its own right and while it may be trumped by the HTC One it's still worth a look.
The only model sold in the UK comes with a 4G-friendly radio inside it, so once you've got it, you've got the 4G power on EE, Vodafone and O2.
Nokia's latest Windows Phone 8 model isn't to be sniffed at just because it's not running iOS or Android, it's a decent handset with some great features and a premium build which goes hand in hand with the premium price you'll pay for 4G.
It's main attraction, and you may have spotted it in the TV adverts, is its 8.7MP camera which Nokia boasts produces the best low light pictures around - and we're inclined to agree.
The Windows Phone interface is slick and provides something very different from the Apple and Google offerings, plus support for all the key UK 4G bands means the Lumia 925 is future-proofed connectivity wise.
If you want something a little more avant garde, BlackBerry's new Z10 is also an early member of the UK's 4G phone club.
The first phone to run the company's new BB10 mobile OS, the Z10's software is a little quirky in places, but the powerful, feature-packed web browser and 4G connectivity makes it a decent contender for those after something fast and a little different.
Plus, with a relatively modest 4.2-inch display, it's one of the more pocketable modern smartphones and less of a slab than other big name models. Don't ignore it just because it's BlackBerry.
The camera is the obvious winner here. While 41MP seems like overkill for a smartphone, it does have its benefits. Images are sharper at larger sizes, and the 5MP photos are crisper than you'd normally find on any other 5MP or even 8MP smartphone camera.
To top it off, battery life is pretty good on the Lumia 1020, so that should give you confidence when leaving home without a charger or battery pack.
You can pick the Lumia 1020 up from O2, Three, EE and Vodafone, with 4G supported on all networks which offer the superfast connection.
If all these fancy smartphones are just too big for your dainty little hands then fear not, for 4G also comes in smaller packages and one of those is the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.
Borrowing the styling from its big brother the S4 Mini comes in at a cheaper price point but still packs a decent punch for a mid-range mobile.
A bright screen and capable camera make the S4 Mini an attractive proposition and its broad 4G prowess means its available from EE, O2 and Vodafone.
If you want traditional QWERTY BlackBerry hardware to accompany your futuristic 4G data speeds, there's only one choice (well actually there's two now thanks to the BlackBerry Q5) -- the Q10.
The phone looks like your usual old BB with its chunky keyboard and landscape display above, but comes with the updated BB10 OS for adding a bit more style to proceedings.
The phone also includes NFC support, for transferring mobile data rather more slowly over distances of a couple of centimetres, should that ever really become a thing people want to do. Oh and it'll work on EE, O2 and Vodafone - phew.
Like the 5S, the iPhone 5C provides the widest range of 4G band support out of any phone, so you won't have to worry about compatibility issues - that is unless you're on O2.
Grab the iPhone 5C on Vodafone and EE and you'll be enjoying 4G from the word go, but O2 is yet to get its 4G house in order for the new iPhones, lumping customers with a 3G connection for now - but a fix is "coming soon".
The iPhone 5C is a bit of an odd handset. It's plastic body, yet slick operation should see it compete with the likes of the One Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini, but it's premium price tag means it prices itself closer to the big brothers - both of which have more features. It does come in some bright colours though.
Another "mini" 4G handset to break into the ranks is the HTC One Mini, arriving on EE and O2 - but currently shunned by Vodafone.
Would we recommend the One Mini? Absolutely. We love the aluminium shell, the UltraPixel camera and BoomSound speakers.
You also get to play with the latest version of Android as well as all the cool apps like the Music Player, which show lyrics to songs as they're playing.
Samsung has started locking its Android smartphones, built after the end of July 2013, to their respective home continents. So far the new practice has been confirmed for Europe and America (read South, North and Central, including the Caribbean).
Each device will come with a sticker in the retail package, indicating the region it can be used in.
The information became public primarily through UK retailer Clove which reported that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 units it received came with a warning that they are locked regionally.
Samsung Germany issued an official statement, which shines some light on the new policy. Only devices produced after the end of July 2013 are SIM locked to their region and it refers to the Samsung Galaxy S III, S II, S4, S4 mini, Note and Note 3. The lock lets you freely travel across the whole continent - a device purchased in Europe will work in all European countries, for example. However, according to the warning stickers you can't use those with a SIM card issued from an Asian, African, Australian or American carrier.
If a device is purchased in one region but hasn't being activated before being exported, you will be able to get it unlocked through a Samsung service partner.
The SIM lock uses an MCC (Mobile Country Code) lock method and is done through the CSC's (Customer Software Customization) whitelist of countries. Removing the lock yourself will most probably be enabled later on but will almost certainly end up voiding your precious warranty.
Despite official information on the new policy Samsung does not address the reason behind it. Why is it doing it? It might be an attempt to try and prevent retailers importing devices from different continents, but it's the customers who travel a lot that will end up suffering because of it. Not quite ideal, if you ask us.
Eyebrows were raised when Samsung announced the Galaxy Gear smartwatch and revealed it would only initially work with the Galaxy Note 3 - luckily support for the Galaxy S4 is just weeks away.
The Korea Times has quoted Samsung vice president Lee Young-hee confirming that the company will roll out an upgrade for the Galaxy S4 in October, allowing it to work with the Galaxy Gear.
"All functions of the Gear will be connected to the Galaxy S4 smartphone by next month and the connection will be expanded to Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 by the end of December."
Tablet love
It's worth noting that the new Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition also plays nice with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, but who wants to lug a tablet around with them all day?
The Galaxy Gear sports a titchy touchscreen display, 800MHz processor and even a 1.9MP camera - allowing you to check messages, make phone calls and snap pictures without having to remove your phone from your pocket.
Keep a look out for our full Samsung Galaxy Gear review which will be online soon.
