The Exynos 5440 quad-core could well be the processor which finds its way into the Samsung Galaxy S4 sometime next year.
Samsung has confirmed that the quad-core chip, based on the dual-core version found in the Korean-made Google Nexus 10 tablet, on its Kernel Git webpage - so we know that it definitely exists.
Little else is known about the Exynos 5440 at this point and there's no guarantee that it will be the processor of choice for the Galaxy S4 but it's certainly a strong contender.
Four, not eight
This could put to bed rumours suggesting the Galaxy S4 may sport a quite frankly ridiculous eight-core processor although we're not completely ruling out that option just yet.
According to various sources, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will rock up with a full HD display somewhere in the region of 5-inches, boast a powerful 13MP camera and run the latest version of Android – possibly even Key Lime Pie.
More rumours suggest that Samsung will look to launch the Galaxy S4 in April with the Korean firm getting its next flagship smartphone out early on, but we're yet to hear anything official from the manufacturer itself.
Amazon announced it will offer new features to help vision impaired users to the Kindle Fire and 7-inch Kindle Fire HD in the new year.
The two features are a voice guide and explore by touch option, both of which help users by reading menus aloud in intuitive ways.
Voice guide announces actions as they are performed, such as saying aloud a book's title and "book opened" when opening a book.
Explore by touch is a more proactive option, announcing menu items and book titles as a user's finger swipes over them. A second tap then actually performs the menu action.
Readying by ear
Both voice guide and explore by touch are currently available on the 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD, and in 2013 Amazon will expand the features to the standard definition Kindle Fire and smaller-sized Kindle Fire HD.
The new features are designed to make the Kindle Fire more accessible to visually impaired users, who might have trouble reading text options on the smaller tablet screens.
Amazon's Kindle devices have long supported text-to-speech options for ebooks, but providing those options for menus is a relatively new development for the company.
"We have heard from thousands of customers who are vision-impaired that Kindle has made a difference in their lives," Amazon Kindle Vice President David Limp said.
"With Kindle Fire HD 8.9 [inch] and soon our full line of new tablets, we are continuing our efforts to provide a range of accessibility features - voice guide, explore by touch, text-to-speech, optional text coloring and adjustable font sizes - for our vision-impaired customers."
Amazon didn't announce a date when these accessibility features will arrive on Fires, only offering an "early 2013" timeframe.
The Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, is one of the largest showcases of new technology in the world.
Hosted by the Consumer Electronics Association in Las Vegas, CES 2013 will open to press and exhibitors from every facet of the electronics industry, and TechRadar will be there.
We'll descend upon the gambling capital of the world for four days of basking in the glow of the latest computers, televisions, cameras, phones and more.
Read more: 10 best gadgets and tech at CES 2012
With plenty of winners and losers, last year's CES 2012 was big news for many reasons.
First, the show floor opened on Jan. 9, a week later than usual. LG and Sony unveiled 55-inch Ultra High-Definition TVs, then the largest in the world. Intel gave us a glimpse of the touch enabled Ultrabooks we've been seeing everywhere lately.
Last and most notably, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer gave the company's last CES keynote, introducing the world to Windows 8's Metro interface, and announcing Xbox 360 apps for Fox, IGN and more.
To follow that, CES 2013 will be a mix of keynote razzle dazzle, sneak peeks at the latest tech, and introductions to products that will go from patently unaffordable to a given in every living room, a lot faster than you'd believe.
Before TechRadar hits the CES 2013 show floor from Jan. 8-11, we thought we'd put together a preview of the gadget glory you can expect from our on the ground coverage.
A Red Ridge tablet from Intel
A recent filing at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission revealed an intriguing device illustrated with a label that read "Red Ridge."
Red Ridge is Intel's Medfield-based tablet platform, and while that news is certainly noteworthy, what makes us think a tablet could show at CES is that the device tested was reportedly a "production unit."
That means we could see a commercial model in a month's time - or just about when CES' doors open.
Read more about the Red Ridge tablet's FCC appearance.
A 110-inch 4K LED TV
Westinghouse isn't being shy about it's ambitions to present the "world's largest" 4K LED TV at CES. The company said as much in a press note.
While it won't be the biggest TV out there (Panasonic's 152-incher takes that crown) it will be interesting to see how the company prices this puppy.
Though it beats out Samsung's 85-inch behemoth in size, because it's a lesser manufacturer, we could actually see a price tag that the non-Jay Z's of the world can afford. Either way, it'll make watching football really engrossing.
Read more about Westinghouse's TV ambitions.
HTC might unveil a new phone or two
Mere months ago HTC released two killer devices into the marketplace, the Droid DNA and the HTC One X+. Apparently that wasn't enough for the Taiwanese manufacturer. If a couple of recent rumors are true, HTC has a couple more smartphones up its sleeve.
The first rumbling came back in June when a possible line-up of HTC Windows Phone 8 devices was leaked, the headliner being the 4.7-inch HTC Zenith. Then another WP8 device, the HTC Titan III registered on our radar thanks to a survey on Xbox Live. Now just a few days ago we caught wind of the HTC M7, which the rumors peg as a possible 5-inch flagship device.
If these leaks have any merit, big handsets would seem to be a running theme for HTC. After the iPhone went over 4-inches, everyone seems to be upsizing. Maybe this is HTC's new angle after it bowed out of the US tablet market?
LG gives CPU making a try
The rumor mill is turning even faster as the days wind down to CES 2013. One thread we keep seeing pop up is processors, and LG is the latest to jump in the mix.
A report out of Korea has the tech firm producing in-house made CPUs next year, starting with chips for its web-capable Smart TVs.
One chip could be the H13, with the H standing for home entertainment and the 13 for the year, and we could see it and others come early January.
Read more about LG's in-house chip producing prospects.
A tablet to take notice of
There's a good chance we'll see a good number of tablets at the show, but there's two we've heard about recently that could really turn some heads.
Asus is reportedly working on a tablet with the model name ME172V, a slate that could reach no more than 7 inches, come with a microSD slot for expandable memory and flash a price that puts the Google Nexus 7 on notice.
And while Samsung's Galaxy S4 is stealing most of the South Korean company's 2013 thunder, we've heard the firm might be planning a 13.3-inch tablet to take on Asus' Transformer series.
The 13-incher would even feature a QWERTY keyboard dock.
Read more about Asus' 7-inch tablet and Samsung's 13.3-inch QWERTY possibilities.
Intel to outline new tablet chips
In the mood for some T-time?
Intel is supposedly prepping the introduction of a next gen processor at CES 2013: the Bay Trail-T.
The Bay Trail-T is rumored as a quad-core scheduled for a 2014 launch, though CES will see the series' debut plus info on what manufactures are building slates based off the Trail-T.
A SoC sibling is also expected at the Vegas show. Dubbed the Valleyview-T, the chip could take on Nvidia's Tegra 3 and Qualcomm's S4.
Look for long battery lives plus 22nm prowess, superior audio, boosted memory capacity and amped up graphics when used in conjunction with the Gen7 Intel GPU. There's even talk 3D video recording could be in the cards.
Read more about Intel's rumored processors
Galaxy S4 with Full HD Super AMOLED display
As the major hardware manufacturer taking up CES real estate, it's no surprise Samsung should (so far) dominate the rumor mill.
This one has a Full HD Super AMOLED display arriving at the show, but that's not all: chances are we'll see such a screen housed inside the Galaxy S4.
A Samsung source reported that the display's resolution will reach 1920 x 1080 and a staggering 441 ppi, but the real point of interest is in the ultra-thin and energy efficient AMOLED technology.
Fingers crossed Samsung decides to bring a SIV with such a screen as its CES carry on.
Read more about the Galaxy S4 with a Full HD Super AMOLED display.
Huawei Ascends take flight
With Windows Phone 8 reveals by Nokia, HTC and Samsung already in the books, it was easy to forget that a fourth manufacturer received a Microsoft nod to use the new OS.
China's Huawei may take the CES stage to bring its WP8 dish to the party in the form of the Ascend W1.
Though the Ascend W1 will be the last guest to arrive, it may turn out to be the phone everyone flocks to if a cheap asking price is tacked on.
The firm may also introduce the higher-end Ascend W3, a phone with a 4.5-inch display that recently leaked online.
Huawei has kept its lips sealed on whether it's even working on one or more Windows Phone 8 handsets, so CES could be the time it decides to open up.
Read more about the likelihood of seeing Huawei's Ascend W1 at CES
World's largest Ultra HD TV from Samsung
Can you say "whoa?" Samsung is about to set mouths agape with an 85-inch Ultra HD LED TV, "the world's largest commercialized UHD LED TV."
The company made the over eight million pixel tube official Nov. 12, and we're looking forward to standing wide-eyed before the mondo television that probably makes the lights on the Strip look like dying flashlights.
Read more about Samsung's Ultra HD TV at CES
Samsung rebrands itself
Despite having the best-selling smartphone in the world and running an operating system on clip to eclipse all others, Samsung is reportedly preparing quite the rebranding at CES 2013.
While we don't necessarily anticipate a radical image reimagining, we do expect Samsung will take advantage of the stage (and a keynote speech) to introduce a new facet to its business identity – a refresh, as it were.
One of CES's exhibit categories is "Digital Health and Fitness," so Samsung will likely tack onto that theme with the introduction of products (or the retooling of current devices) that fit into the health and wellness category.
Samsung has reportedly hired a design team that's worked with Nike on some of that company's branding initiatives, so we'll likely see some dynamic stuff from South Korea in Vegas.
As Samsung continues to grow from an Asian powerhouse to a global one, how it sells itself to a broad international audience will be key to its future.
We expect Stephen Woo, president of Samsung Electronics' device solutions division, to set the tone of the company's refreshed self during his keynote address Jan. 9.
The debut of Ultra High-Definition television
It took a while but CRT televisions have finally become the stuff of garage sales and trips to grandma's house, and 3D screens have just started to crack the home market. Now everyone's lovely flatscreen is about to become a little bit obsolete, thanks Ultra High-Definition.
What you need to know: Ultra High-Definition television
After a brief flirtation with 4K high-definition, the CEA settled on the name Ultra HD. However, Sony, always one to buck a naming trend (remember Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD?) has said it will stick with numbered moniker, calling its pixel-dense displays 4K Ultra High-Definition (4K UHD).
LG's 55-incher, we've its since topped
Still, everyone seems to be in agreement over the spec requirements set by the CEA, defining what it takes to be called Ultra HD. According to the group, Ultra means at least 8 million pixels, with a minimum resolution of 3840 x 2160, and an aspect ratio of at least 16 x 9.
Now the question is how big will the screens at CES 2013 be? There's debate between engineers as to whether anyone can even tell the difference between UHD and regular HD on a display that's less than 100-inches. And when will these TVs become affordable? Right now they're around $20,000 (UK£12,515, AUD $19,210), keeping them firmly in Donald Trump and Richard Branson territory.
Intel introduces a new mobile processor, stakes its claim
Intel is probably one of the most recognizable names coming to CES 2013, though it's not the only chipmaker making a stand on the Vegas exhibit floor.
We expect Intel to show up big at the event, schooling the competition on how it's done, and very likely announcing a new mobile processor or two as well as some destined for PCs.
Intel is in an interesting position in terms of its mobile future: although it claims to have 20 Windows 8 tablets sporting its new Z2760 processor coming to market soon, the firm's chips are currently only found in six smartphones.
ARM and its licensees (Nvidia and Qualcomm) are making a killing in the mobile space and all are heading down to Nevada for the show, creating a perfect storm for one-up-man ship on the Strip.
ARM-based chips, while found in major money makers like the iPad and various Android tablets, aren't terribly up to snuff when it comes to processing prowess.
Yet Intel hasn't even breached the realm of relevancy smartphone space, making CES the time where it needs to stake that claim.
There's been talk that Apple may chuck Intel as its CPU provider in the coming years. Cupertino recently developed a poppy processor for its iPad 4 – the A6X – a chip that's reportedly twice as fast as those found in older iPads.
For that reason alone, Intel has got to show why it's relevant in mobile and why it deserves to be considered the top chipmaker in the world now and for years to come.
We'd love to see Intel not only announce a new mobile processor, but unveil a new partnership. It's got to prove it can work well with others (and capture consumer imagination) if it hopes to move deeper into smartphones and tablets.
Nvidia trumps out Tegra 4
Nvidia's Tegra 3 has done quite for itself this year, jumping into phones like HTC's One X+ and tablets such as Google's Nexus 7 and Microsoft's Surface.
That doesn't mean Nvidia doesn't have its eyes to the horizon, and we believe the company will introduce its Tegra 4 processor come CES.
We might see the Tegra 3's successor at CES 2013
Word of the T40 (the new Tegra's model number) got going in April, with a report pointing to early 2013 as the time the Tegra 3's successor would ascend the throne.
At the time, it sounded like the Tegra 4 would fit four new Cortex A15 ARM chips, taking it way past the A9 Cortex chip summit.
Speeds of 1.8GHz are probably going to be average for the new processor, while by the middle/end of the year, 2.0 should be its cruising GHz.
If we're lucky, we might even see an Android or Windows 8 tablet poke about with the Tegra 4 inside.
Microsoft's show no more
The Consumer Electronics Show has long been Microsoft's chance to shine. The software giant has always given flashy presentations, usually involving celebrities. Shaq, Conan O'Brien, Ryan Seacrest, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and more have all appeared to help co-founder Bill Gates and current CEO Steve Ballmer show of the company's latest tech.
Read more: Microsoft's last keynote at CES 2012
Sadly, CES 2013 will be the first year where Microsoft won't be giving one of its signature keynote presentations. It gave the world plenty of notice, saying in December 2011 that CES 2012 would be its last. Steve Ballmer's last presentation at the Las Vegas trade show focused on Metro, the new Live Tile-based interface for Windows 8.
Ballmer and Seacrest present at CES 2012
Companies have moved quickly to fill the space left by Microsoft's exodus. Qualcomm has nabbed the open keynote slot. The telecommunications mogul will be giving its Born Mobile keynote on Monday, January 7th. Meanwhile, satellite provider Dish and appliance manufacturer Hisense snapped up Microsoft's booth space in under an hour.
However, Venturebeat has quoted CEA president Gary Shapiro as saying, "Microsoft will have something" at CES 2013. While it's unknown what that something will be, there are plenty of possibilities. More Windows Phone 8 devices? A Microsoft Surface Pro running Windows 8? Its all in the realm of possibility.
Via Venturebeat
LG unveils Smart TV platform underpinned by HP's webOS
While we expect LG to march out a bevvy of phones and TVs, including some we haven't seen before, what's really piquing our interest heading into the new year is word that it may launch a Smart TV service based on webOS.
webOS, the open source system developed by HP, could take the reigns from LG's antiquated NetCast Smart TV interface during the show, a move that wouldn't leave our jaws dropped.
HP delivered on its promise to walk out webOS to the public by September, a vow it made in January, and now it needs a big product and solid partner to get its face out there.
The marriage between the two should be equal – reports have HP providing the OS while LG will plug in its dual-core L9-powered motherboards.
If our expectations pan out, we'll likely see the death of LG's small screen partnership with the struggling Google TV service, a relationship LG championed at CES 2012 yet has since cooled.
Automotive electronics
The CEA estimates that factory-installed automotive technology will generate $8.7 billion dollars in 2013, so it's no wonder seven major car companies will be on the show floor.
Audi, Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Kia and Subaru will be joined more than 100 auto tech companies displaying the latest in-car tech. This is a record setting presence for the automotive industry at CES.
Displays and presentations will include electric drive technology. GoElectricDrive TechZone will demonstrate electric vehicles paired with their respective charging stations, ones that can be used at homes and in public facilities. The Safe Driver presentation will show more than the typical hands-free devices, highlighting technologies that can help drivers park, watch their speed and avoid collisions.
However, not everything between automakers and car tech designers is completely sunny. With so much hardware being put into cars before they even leave the factory, will the aftermarket industry be facing an all-time low? A presentation titled "Are Automakers Running the Aftermarket Off the Road?" will address the issue.
Intel is suddenly becoming very interesting.
First, word got around that the chip maker might have two tablet processors to show off at CES 2013 - the Bay Trail-T and a SoC called the Valleyview-T. The chips are said to bring quad-core power, long battery lives and a whole lot of improvements that could give Qualcomm's S4 a taste of its dust.
Now we're seeing a filing from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) containing a tiny label with a load of info.
The 20 millimeter by 35 millimeter tag is plastered (figuratively) on a device based on Intel's Red Ridge tablet platform. Red Ridge, you might remember, is based on the company's Medfield processor.
Medfield minefield
Relatively little has been spoken about Medfield in recent months, and what's been said isn't entirely positive.
Intel successfully portedAndroid 4.1: Jelly Bean to Medfield in September, meaning devices like the Orange San Diego and ZTE Grand X IN could get a sugar bump up from Android 4.0: Ice Cream Sandwich, though that was an internal development with no commercial roll out.
What also came to light back then was that the chip couldn't support LTE in phones, kind of a "wa-wa" in today's mobile world.
However, Intel also said that it was planning to ship LTE products in late 2012, with deployment ramping up next year. Medfield might even push out a dual-core version to rival quad-core competitors.
Could Medfield start the year off with a triumphant debut...possibly at a major event like, say, CES?
The labeled device the FCC tested ran ICS and housed both Bluetooth and NFC capability. It also picked up 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi.
The filing also reveals something tantalizing: the device tested was apparently a production model, meaning a commercial unit could be ready in the next four weeks. That puts the timing squarely in CES territory.
While we're not the gambling type, it sounds like a pretty sure bet Intel could have a Red Ridge-ready, Medfield-packing tablet to show off in Vegas next month.
The Samsung Galaxy S3 is starting to get the Android 4.1.2 update, which may not seem like a big deal on the surface, but there are some key new features packed inside.
First up the multi-view function lets you have more than one app on screen at a time for an enhanced multi-tasking experience.
First seen on the Galaxy Note 2, the Galaxy S3 is only the second handset to get this nifty functionality, letting you snap apps above and below each other on the phone's 4.8-inch display.
Galaxy S3 takes Note
Page buddy is something else we saw on the Note 2 and has now made the leap across to the S3 – for example, plug in a set of headphones and a dedicated homescreen will appear giving you options related to the action, such as offering links to the music player.
Also bundled in the Android 4.1.2 update is an updated gallery app which matches the one found on the Note 2, plus a customisable notification panel, swipe input for the keyboard and smart rotation – which will only rotate the screen if the phone detects you want landscape mode and are not just lying in bed with your S3 at a weird angle.
The roll out started in Poland and the over-the-air update will make its way round countries worldwide in the coming days and weeks – so keep an eye out for it on your Galaxy S3. No word on US availability just yet, but it's surely only a matter of time.
A tipster reportedly outed plans on Friday for Microsoft to push the Surface RT tablet through retail channels outside official Microsoft Stores in the coming days.
According to this tipster, Microsoft is about to commence a two-phase plan that will see the Surface RT and, eventually, the Surface Pro running Windows 8 available in electronics retailers all over the world.
This process is set to begin in a matter of days, said the source, who added that the Surface retail rollout will begin in regions where there are no Microsoft Store locations.
That initial push is phase one of a larger plan, the second part of which will reportedly kick off in January.
Phase two commence
Phase two of Microsoft's big Surface push will reportedly begin in January, when the Surface Pro is released.
At that time, Microsoft will make both the Surface RT and Surface Pro available at retail locations including Best Buy and Staples, even in regions where Microsoft Stores exist.
The Microsoft Surface launched in October, and so far it's only been available for purchase in Microsoft Store retail locations and from Microsoft's online store.
Even with Friday's rumors, Microsoft has remained silent on the question of a wider retail release for the Surface, with spokespeople reportedly sticking to Microsoft's typical policy not to comment on rumors and speculation.
Fuel to the fire
ZDNet updated its original story on Friday with two addendums:
First, that further reports have indicated that the Surface has not exactly been moving mountains as far as sales go, but that the reported push to other retailers could help mitigate that during the pre-Christmas shopping season.
Indeed, reports at the end of November indicated that demand for the Microsoft Surface is weak.
Second, the Microsoft Surface RT has reportedly appeared on the website of a French retailer, with slightly lower price tag than Microsoft's official stores and expected delivery of Dec. 11.
In addition, one Chinese retailer is reportedly already selling the Surface RT as well.
If Surface tablets really are about to show up in retail stores, then Microsoft will likely make an announcement soon. Ears to the ground, people.
Samsung has unleashed the Jelly Bean 4.1.2 Android update for international Galaxy S III handset users. The "Premium Suite" upgrade includes new features previously seen in the Samsung Galaxy Note II, such as multi-window views, context-aware cleverness and more.
First up, though, is a bunch of contextual features. Contextual photo tagging can automatically apply tags for location, data and weather conditions whether you grab a snap.
A new contextual menu function, meanwhile, helps you quick jump to your most frequently used apps. Then there's Page Buddy. It detects when you plug in headphones and automatically fires up the music player and queues your favourite music.
Split-screen multi-tasking is one of the great new features
Hmmm, upgrades...
Next up are what Samsung calls enhanced features. The biggie here is multi-window. It's basically a split-screen function for running two apps in parallel. How do you like them apples, iPhone 5?
A new reader mode for the web browser helps to maximise readability by cutting out unnecessary interface elements and making the most of the available screen real estate.
Oh, and the new Auto Share Shot pairing function adds proximity photo sharing courtesy of NFC radio. Nice.
You can get the full skinny on the updates in part 1 of the Samsung video below. Keep your scanners peeled for more funky features in part 2.
The Jelly Bean 4.1.2 "Premium Suite" update is being rolled out now for Galaxy S III users in Poland, India, the UK, France, Sweden, Italy, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Algeria are seeing the update.
Anything one screen can do, two screens can do better. Such is the thinking behind Asus's latest premium notebook-tablet hybrid, the Asus Taichi.
The second screen fitted to the lid of the 1.25kg (2.76lbs) chassis enables you to turn this ultra-portable laptop into a tablet and take full advantage of the touch-optimised Windows 8 operating system.
As with previous Asus products such as the Asus Zenbook Prime UX31A or the Asus Transformer Pad Infinity, the Asus Taichi is a gorgeously designed with a tapered wedge that measures only 3mm (0.12 inches) at its thinnest point.
Lift the lid and the gunmetal grey brushed metal effect reminds us of the excellent Samsung Series 9 ultra-portable laptop while, as ever, comparisons will be drawn with Apple's MacBook Air.
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Although the Asus Taichi is, first and foremost, a laptop, it doesn't stop impressing when you shut the lid and begin swiping through Microsoft's latest version of Windows.
We've seen plenty of hybrids already, from the rotating Dell XPS 12 to the sliding Sony Vaio Duo 11, but the Asus Taichi makes a particularly strong case for the dual-screen approach.
The display will automatically switch when you close the lid, and there's also a dedicated display key built into the keyboard that enables you to either switch screens or use both simultaneously.
Swapping screens takes little over a second, and the system automatically calls up the live tiles of the Windows 8 Start interface. The drawback is you can expect the glossy lid to be covered in smudges and fingerprints within minutes.
It's no surprise that the Asus Taichi doesn't come cheap. The likely £1,500 (around AU$2,310/US$2,415) price tag certainly lifts this above a casual purchase, but the Taiwanese company has made sure you get plenty of tech for your money.
Our review unit came sporting an Intel Core i7-3517U CPU clocked at 1.90GHz. The 4GB of RAM is admittedly lacklustre given rival Ultrabooks now regularly arrive with at least 8GB RAM, but the 256GB SSD is one factor keeping the speed up.
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It really comes down to whether Windows 8 can deliver in the long term. The Asus Taichi is an extremely well-designed laptop, but success as a tablet depends on continued app development and mass-market familiarity with the layout of Windows 8.
At present though, it offers an excellent example of how a hybrid machine should work, and we feel the versatility comes in particularly handy while on the move.
Commuters especially will value the ability to tap out an email on a proper keyboard before jumping on board a bus, train or taxi, flipping the screen down and using the Asus Taichi to catch up on the latest episode of Mad Men.
It certainly feels like Samsung is taking over the world right now – at least, the Android world. There's no doubt that last year's Galaxy S2 was arguably the phone of the year.
And not in recent times, discounting Apple of course, can we remember the anticipation and expectation of a phone as much as the Galaxy S3.
If you needed a barometer of this, just look at how it was unveiled. Not at MWC like lots of others, but its own event, proving the Galaxy line has reached the level where it can guarantee hoards will come just for an unveiling.
But that's last season's device, and we're looking forward to the next level of what to expect in the Galaxy SIV. The trickle of 'sources' talking about this new device is starting to build to a steady stream, so we're on hand to help let you know which whispers have a notion of truth about them - as well as providing our wishlist of what we want Samsung to improve on the new handset.
Samsung Galaxy S4 screen
The Galaxy S2 had an amazing Super AMOLED Plus display – and boy, was it vibrant. The S3 upped the screen size from 4.3-inches to 4.8-inches and the pixel density went from 217 to 306 to take a run at the iPhone's Retina Display.
But, Samsung also opted for a PenTile approach, to the chagrin of geeks. What does that mean for the end user?
Well, the screen looks great but you can make out pixels if you really, really strain. And some of the vivacity and colour saturation is lost. On the plus side, Samsung reckons the screen will last longer – but we'd rather see a much more S2-like screen with a sharper resolution - and given that's now appeared on the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, we're pretty hopeful we'll get it on the Samsung Galaxy S4 too.
Alternatively, there have been a number of rumours that Samsung is going to bring a flexible screen to the Galaxy S4 - but given the Korean brand is already pushing the delivery of such tech back into 2013 for its customers, we think we'll be in Galaxy S5 territory before that happens.
There seems a much more likely option in the shape of the 5-inch 1080p screen that could offer up an eye-splitting 441ppi, making it easily the highest res out there. It would probably need to be shrunk down a smidge to fit into the palm, or Samsung could actually just make the phone even closer to the edges of the screen. Dare we dream of an edge-to-edge display like on the 9000 series TVs?
However, the bad news is that due to reported manufacturing issues these may have been delayed... does that mean the phone will have to be pushed back as well?
Samsung Galaxy S4 release date
It seems more than likely that Samsung will eschew MWC 2013 once more for the release of its top handset, instead focusing on the launch in May 2013, which we'd really like to see.
This makes sense for a number of reasons: time to allow the current customers to buy the S3, being able to scoop up all the customers about to come out of contract from the S2 and also not making its fans feel like its throwing out a new flagship phone every three seconds.
However, that didn't stop the rumour mill deciding that the Galaxy S4 launch was set for March 2013, based on something a Samsung 'representative' said to the media. The brand quickly took to Twitter to discredit the rumours, so it looks like the middle of the year launch is still firmly on the cards.
Since then another rumour, of a phone dubbed 'Project J', has emerged, and that's set for an April unveil... so it seems we're looking at a Q2 2013 Samsung Galaxy S4 launch as it stands, which means you'll probably be able to actually hold one in your hands come May.
Samsung Galaxy S4 specs
There's not a lot around about specs at the moment, but the rumours emanating from the good ol' internet rumour mill are certainly enough to make us excited.
The first is that the S4 will have a quad-core chip, which might sound a little 'last gen' to many. However, it will be based on ARM's A15 architecture, bringing with it a big boost in power for all those resource-intensive tasks we love to do all the time.
But then again, that's not Samsung's way really, is it? We want to see bigger, bangier and faster, so doubling it again to an OCTO-core would be the way to go.
Rather than just making it super powerful though, the eight core innards would split into two groups: A15-spec chips for the big stuff, and A7 when things need to get a little lower power, bringing with it the best of both worlds.
The other big news that we think should be on our wish list is the fact that Samsung's internal storage bods have been hard at work bringing the flash memory down in size and up in speed... so think even thinner phones with higher capacity that can be written to up to 10x faster. We're now looking forward to the S4 even more now. Update: A quad-core processor looks more likely than an eight core offering after the new Exynos 5440 quad-core chip appeared on Samsung's site, making it a strong contender to feature in the Galaxy S4.
Samsung Galaxy S4 battery
Ok, we admit we always want more. The S2's 1,650mAh was manageable and the S3's 2,100mAh blows that out of the water. But it's still only OK.
You can get by on a day of moderate use but if you use this phone heavily (and we're talking watching TV shows on the morning and evening commute alongside your normal tinkering), this handset will still want a plug in at some point.
Motorola has proven it can be done by whacking a 3,300mAh power pack into the RAZR Maxx which can still be considered a skinny Minnie. Something of that size – along with ICS and Samsung's power management abilities – would really be the icing on the Ice Cream Sandwich.
Samsung Galaxy S4 design
We've lost count of the amount of people we've shown our device off to who've replied with the words: "Yeah, it's great but looks like a bit of a toy." It's a double-edged sword: the plastic is used to keep this handset nice and light, but does detract from what should be a premium device.
A bit of glass wouldn't go amiss. Android users, say what you like about the iPhone 4/4S (and we know you won't be short of words), but aside from being smash-tastic, the glass really adds that premium and expensive feel that the S3 just doesn't have.
Forget what your mum told you – it's what's on the outside that counts too, so the Samsung Galaxy S4 needs to step it up in the design stakes.
Better S-Voice
S-Voice just isn't there. At least Siri had the nous to call itself a BETA so that it could be excused for not getting things right at times. The problem we have with S-Voice is it just doesn't seem to be able to do much.
Sure, it can tell you what the weather is like if you really can't be bothered to look out the window. And it'll save you 10 seconds by setting an alarm.
But it's just not powerful enough - and is, frankly, awful for something that's supposed to be a headline feature on one of the world's best smartphones.
We've actually been using Speak To It Assistant far more often because it's superior. Samsung could do worse than buy a company like this to give the Galaxy S4 a real chance of being the best voice-controlled mobile out there.
Better Mac support
Yep, we know many consumers believe Mac users account for only 0.000001% of Android owners (why wouldn't they just buy an iPhone, right?)
But there are lots who like Apple computers as well as Android devices. And up until the S3, they got on famously.
But Android has changed the rules and how storage works so that it follows the MTP Protocol which plays along brilliantly with Windows but can't stand Macs.
Yes, we know this is a Google issue and not something that Samsung can be blamed for. But having said that, the HTC One X also runs Ice Cream Sandwich and it has managed to tweak the code enough for there to not be a problem.
Please Samsung – don't shut them out. Ice Cream Sandwich may be frozen – but we shouldn't be, so when you bring out the Jelly Bean or Key Lime Pie-powered Galaxy S4, let's get some support.
Samsung Galaxy S4 accessories
Samsung unveiled the SIII alongside a raft of accessories – the usual things like cases were complimented by the C-Pen (like the Note 2's S-Pen but smaller) and the dongle for connecting to your TV to stream stuff.
The problem is, they're all so expensive: £20 for the C-Pen and the best part of £70 for the AllShare Dongle. They're not mainstream accessories – and little wonder.
If Samsung made these cheaper – or even threw them into the box for the Galaxy S4 (highly unlikely, but we can dream) then it would make for a much happier customer.
Perhaps a premium package where you spend a little more but get the accessories at the same time would work... people like to get the most out of things when they get their shiny new device.
Better charging
Plug it in and charge until it's full. That's always been the way. But we'd love to see a more advanced version of charging - ditching the wires should be more prevalent.
Maybe something similar to the conductive methods used by Palm in the Pre which never really caught on. The idea being that you don't have to plug the phone in to charge, just place it on a particular mat or place and it does it automatically.The S3 has that functionality, but it's hardly been well-publicised since launch.
The likes of Nokia with the Lumia 920 have been banging on about the amazing world of wireless charging for ages now, with a range of accessories too. Given that it will all be based on the Qi wireless charging standard, we'll soon see reams of coffee shops and airports with these charging stations littered around - just don't forget to watch your phone.
Or how about something really radical – like a battery that can also charge kinetically on the S4. Sure, it would be slow but wouldn't it be great if you could go for a run and manage to gain an extra 10 or 20% just by doing so to get you through the day? Radical – yes. But Samsung is known for its innovation.
Improved speakers
As beautiful and wonderful as the S3 is, the speaker still sounds tinny. Ringtones sound cheap and when it is on its back, they're also muffled. At least the iPhone has a bit of bass.
But what about going a bit further? Have three or four powerful but small speakers around the rim so when you play music, it comes out loud and with a bit of bass.
Hell, even make it so strong that it negates the need for a travel dock so you can play music at a decent volume when you nip away for the weekend or are sitting on the beach. That'd be a real selling point.
If you want an iPad mini but you want it to do web things at speeds that rival a greased weasel, then get down to EE quicksmart.
The data-enabled iPad mini arrives at the UK's first 4G network today with the new iPad 4 also available at those next-gen speeds.
You can get one whole month of free 4G with EE if you take out the company's £15.99 30-day SIM-only iPad plan which comes with 5GB of data.
Also available in slower flavours
Orange and T-Mobile are also offering the new iPads on HSPA+ and DC-HSPA networks.
There are EE, Orange and T-Mobile plans starting from £21 per month, although you'll be locked in for two years. Apple released three new iPads this year – just think how out of date your tablet will be by 2015.
The new cellular iPad mini and iPad 4 are both also available today from Three as well, although you won't be able enjoy a 4G contract from the numerical network.
Experience the best in photography, apps and on the go speed with the ground-breaking new flagship Nokia Lumia 920.
With next-generation optical image stabilisation, an all new low-light mode to make those evening snaps all the more vivid and a PureMotion HD+ screen, the Lumia 920 brings you brilliant snaps in any scenario.
Coupled with the latest OS from Microsoft – Windows Phone 8 – the new Lumia brings you the best a smartphone can offer in a variety of attractive colours, with a scratchproof polycarbonate shell to frame the new customisable live tiles, allowing you to make the Lumia 920 experience personal to you.
And on top of that, the Nokia Lumia 920 is ready to go when you are: with inbuilt wireless charging just put your phone put your phone down to get juiced up, without needing to fiddle about with charger sockets.
See the world more clearly
The new PureMotion HD+ screen is the world's brightest, fastest and most sensitive touchscreen, allowing you to see everything in incredible detail even in bright sunlight, or tap and scroll around while wearing gloves – all while maintaining excellent sharpness and vividness.
The Nokia Lumia 920 brings the best of the photography world into the palm of your hand, with myriad features taking those off-the-cuff snaps or videos to life through the advanced 8.7MP sensor. With optical image stabilisation, combined with the Carl Zeiss lens, your movies won't have the stereotypical shakiness and blur associated with smartphone recording.
And navigating from A to B will become a joy every day with the Lumia 920, with Nokia Drive offering you turn-by-turn voice-guided navigation (which you can save onto the phone to avoid data costs too) – plus if you're a regular commuter, the app can let you know of any potential issues before you get in the car.
But that's not all: with Nokia Maps you can discover the best places in any neighbourhood and find the smartest ways to get there – and Nokia Places will help you find restaurants and places of interest nearby too.
And once you're done with photography you'll be able to share it with your friends in no time at all, thanks to the Lumia 920 being 4G-enabled. This means speeds five times faster than you'll find on a normal 3G phone, allowing you to upload, download and stream instantly.
The Nokia Lumia 920 takes all this new technology and combines it with the best Windows Phone 8 offers, be it connecting with your social networks, zipping through the web or downloading one of over 100,000 apps, including options from Red Bull, Amazon and Netflix.
And with the pre-loaded Nokia Mix Radio you've got access to 17 millions tracks – with no subscription needed and new songs being added all the time. It works straight out of the box, so you won't even need to sign up to get access to hundreds of professionally-edited channels bringing you constantly updated tracks from all kinds of genres – even when you're offline!
So pick up the Nokia Lumia 920: the world's most innovative smartphone that brings the latest technology into the palm of your hand.
You wait a year for an Amazon Kindle Fire (see our Kindle Fire
review) to make its way to the UK, then two come along at once, with
the greatly enhanced Amazon Kindle Fire HD arriving at the same time as
its predecessor.
We'll say this from the off: now that the Amazon
Kindle Fire HD is here, the original Kindle Fire seems somewhat surplus
to requirement.
Far more interesting, though, is the intense external rivalry presented by the Google Nexus 7 and the iPad mini.
Starting from just $199, and offering a 7-inch HD display and a
1.2GHz dual-core CPU, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD appears to offer great
value for money.
But it also needs to offer a stand-alone tablet
experience that's capable of matching - or even surpassing - its
illustrious rivals.
The Amazon Kindle Fire HD certainly matches the Nexus 7 in terms of
price and raw hardware, and it comfortably trumps the iPad mini on price
and screen resolution.
But, as we've come to realise, Apple's
dominance in the tablet market has been built on strong design, coupled
with a peerless content ecosystem and a super-slick UI.
The Amazon Kindle Fire HD may be cheap, but ultimately it will still
need to embrace all three of these key elements if it's to succeed.
If
you still think of Amazon Kindles as those little monochrome holiday
companions, then you should know that the Amazon Kindle Fire HD is a
completely different beast.
Rather than focusing on the very
specific job of downloading and reading electronic books, this is an
all-purpose tablet that acts as a window onto Amazon's wider multimedia
world - films, music, apps and games are all included in the Kindle Fire
HD's remit.
With that in mind, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD is a much simpler, purer design than the original Kindle.
The
emphasis here is on the screen first and foremost, with the only
hardware controls coming in the shape of some weedy and
difficult-to-locate volume and power buttons on top of the device, right
alongside its 3.5mm headphone jack.
The lack of a fixed home key adds to that minimalistic vibe (we'll
discuss the effect that has on usability later). The only detail on the
front of the device is a 1.3-megapixel camera for video calls - there's
no rear-mounted camera here.
Despite that impossibly cheap price
point, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD doesn't feel like a cheap device. It's
solid in the hand, with none of the creak you find in many budget
Android tablets.
There's a nice contrast between the Amazon Kindle
Fire HD's smooth, glass front and its grippy matte back. It's quietly
pleasing from a tactile perspective, even though it lacks the sheer
machined precision and premium feel of Apple's tablets.
While Apple has opted for a super-slim bezel for its iPad mini -
partly to facilitate that wider 7.9-inch display - Amazon has been more
generous with its own offering.
Indeed, the thick border around
the smaller 7-inch screen brings it closer to the full-sized iPad in
design than its miniature brother.
We like this approach from a purely practical perspective (it actually makes it look a little chubby, if we're honest).
It's
still comfier to hold the Amazon Kindle Fire between your thumb and
fingers than it is to rest it in the span of your hand, even when held
in portrait view. Of course, that's partly because it's slightly chunky
for its size - at 395g it's almost 90g heavier than the iPad mini.
One
area in which Amazon would hope to gain a big advantage with the Amazon
Kindle Fire HD over its rivals is with its display. As we've mentioned,
we're talking about a 7-incher here, but it's the quality of that
screen that's causing Amazon to boast.
The company claims that the display features a polarising filter and
anti-glare technology, which apparently boosts colour and contrast, as
well as improving viewing angles.
Despite such claims - not to
mention early positive reports from the US - we have to admit to being
slightly underwhelmed by our initial experience with the Amazon Kindle
Fire HD display. It seems distinctly yellow to our eyes.
Of course, it could just be that we've been conditioned by Apple's slightly cooler, bluer high-definition displays.
Indeed,
once your eyes have grown accustomed to its warmer hue, you'll no doubt
begin to appreciate the Amazon Kindle Fire HD display's more
naturalistic colour contrast - particularly when viewing video content.
It's certainly richer than the somewhat washed-out and dim Nexus 7
screen.
That's only half the story with the Kindle Fire HD
display, too. The clue is in the name - that 7-inch display is sharp.
It's high-definition-sharp. In fact, with a resolution of 1280x800 and a
pixel density of 216ppi, it's considerably sharper than the iPad mini
equivalent.
This isn't particularly apparent within the main Kindle Fire
interface, but it certainly bears fruit when reading a book or browsing
the internet, where small text remains clear and eminently readable.
This
display is powered by a capable 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4460 CPU.
While this is far from the most powerful processor on the market, it is
very well balanced and certainly doesn't come up short when faced with
demanding tasks like high-definition video and 3D games.
One final
piece of hardware-related info we really must cover is the Amazon
Kindle Fire HD's impressive speakers. Positioned on either side of the
device (if you're holding it in landscape), they're surprisingly punchy,
given their size.
They really do crank out some respectable stereo sound - both in terms of volume and clarity.
Naturally,
we'd recommend using earphones whenever possible, but for those times
where you're just following a quick email link to a YouTube video,
they're more than adequate.
S-Voice just isn't there. At least Siri had the nous to call itself a BETA so that it could be excused for not getting things right at times. The problem we have with S-Voice is it just doesn't seem to be able to do much. 
