Windows Blue release date, news and rumors

Microsoft has revealed more details about its Windows Blue project, which promises to bring a big update to Windows 8.

The new features for Windows look likely to hit public preview at Microsoft's Build developer conference in June - quite how that will work in practice remains to be seen, but it's likely you won't be able to plug it into an existing Windows 8 install.

A private preview is likely in the meantime. The final Windows Blue release date will be late in the year, while there will also be some new Windows Blue hardware.

But Windows Blue will not be the software's official name. Shame.

There aren't likely to be too many massive surprises from Blue, which our writer Kate Solomon says "we feel a bit guilty for passing off as a minor Windows update" now that we've seen plenty of Windows Blue screenshots.

Too late!

New Windows 8 apps

As well as the operating system itself, Microsoft is apparently building some new Windows 8 apps, looking at new ways to run apps side-by-side on smaller-screened devices without needing hefty black-box-level resolution. That's in addition to the March updates for standard Windows 8 apps.

Blue is also bringing in new Snap Views so you can share your screen 50:50 between different apps rather than the current 70:30, including across multiple monitors.

You'll be able to split Windows 8 apps 50:50 on screen

As expected, Microsoft is upping the Sky Drive integration, with some new treats like auto-camera uploads and more back-up options, as well as tab sync which will see your tabs mirrored across devices.

The grabs also reveal the inclusion of IE11 but not much detail on the next iteration of browser beyond that.

And for the personalisation fans, the grabs show a quick and easy menu of options for customising your desktop background and other design elements

Windows Blue will also see IE11 launch

Further Windows development

According to a February 15 job posting on the Microsoft Careers site, the software giant is seeking an engineer to join its Windows Core Experience Team.

That part of the operation will be working on improving the centrepiece of the new Windows UI, including the start screen, application lifecycle, windowing and personalisation, according to the post.

This seems to suggest that Windows Blue will bring more than a few tweaks under the bonnet and offer tangible visual enhancements to the Windows 8 software.

Indeed, the post mentions Windows Blue by name and says the updates will look to "build on and improve Windows 8" as time goes on.

An excerpt reads: "We're looking for an excellent, experienced SDET to join the Core Experience team in Windows Sustained Engineering (WinSE). The Core Experience features are the centerpiece of the new Windows UI, representing most of what customers touch and see in the OS, including: the start screen; application lifecycle; windowing; and personalization.Windows Blue promises to build and improve upon these aspects of the OS, enhancing ease of use and the overall user experience on devices and PCs worldwide."

Windows Blue will extend to other platforms

It is also thought that Windows Blue updates will be extended to multiple Microsoft platforms, including Windows server, the mobile OS Windows Phone 8 and applications like SkyDrive and Outlook.com.

Indeed, another post on Microsoft's job site mentions Windows Phone Blue by name, so that is definitely on the horizon.

The plan from Microsoft's point of view is reportedly to move towards a more regular update pace, rather than the three year gap that separatedWindows 7 and Windows 8, with little improvements in between.

iPhone 6 release date, news and rumours

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 5, the reaction was a bit muted: where previous phones were massive leaps forward, the iPhone 5 was a bit longer and a lot easier to scratch.

So what can we expect from the next iPhone, the iPhone 6 or 5S? Let's see what the crystal balls are saying.

One thing is for sure, with the release of such super handsets as the Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z andHTC One, the next iPhone will have to seriously up its game.

iPhone 6 and the iPhone 5S are two different phones

The rumour mill doesn't seem too sure whether the next iPhone is going to be the iPhone 5S or the iPhone 6. Given the iPhone's history - from the 3G onwards, there's always been a half-step S model before the next numbered iPhone - we'd bet on an iPhone 5S first and an iPhone 6 a few months later.

It's been suggested that there could even be three size variants of the new iPhone - check out these mocked up images by artist Peter Zigich. He calls the handsets iPhone 6 Mini, iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 XL.

Could we see both an iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 this year?

iPhone 6 release date

Some pundits predict a summer release for the iPhone 6, while Money Morning reckons that the iPhone 5's lack of NFC and Jumbotron display is because Apple's got a proper iPhone ready for a springtime release.

It's quite likely that Apple is moving to a two-phones-per-year upgrade cycle, but we'd bet on a springtime 5S model and a bigger, iPhone 6, update in the Autumn, probably September.

Even Digitimes reckons a springtime iPhone 6 is unlikely: it's predicting a

summertime reveal for Apple's next generation phones, which again fits with a WWDC unveiling.

Apple may have a new roadmap, with new phones every spring and autumn

iPhone 6 cases

Multiple rumours say Apple's working on plastic cases for its next iPhone, mixing plastic and metal in such a way that "the internal metal parts [are] able to be seen from outside through special design."

It's unclear whether such cases would be for the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6, or if Apple is simply considering making cheaper iPhone 4s to sell when the iPhone 3GS reaches the end of its life.

Speaking in March 2013, a KGI analyst said it believed Apple would turn to manufacturer Pegatron to make up to 75 per cent of low cost iPhone products.

Pretty, yes, but also horrifically scratch-prone. Will your next iPhone have a plastic back?

The iPhone 6 will finally do NFC

That's what iDownloadblog reckons, quoting Jefferies analyst Peter Misek: it'll have a better battery too, he says.

The iPhone 6 will run iOS 7 and the iPhone 5S probably won't

Developers are seeing new iPhone model identifiers in their server logs: the device identifies itself as the iPhone 6,1 (the iPhone 5 is 5,1 or 5,2) running iOS 7, and its IP address is an Apple one. If the two-phones strategy is true, we'd expect Apple to unveil the next major revision of iOS at its WWDC conference in June, with it shipping on the iPhone 6 a few months later.

iPhone 6 storage

We've already seen a 128GB iPad, so why not a 128GB iPhone 6? Yes, it'll cost a fortune, but high-spending early adopters love this stuff.

iPhone 6 home button

According to Business Insider, of the many iPhone 6 prototypes Apple has made, one has a giant Retina+ IGZO display and a "new form factor with no home button. Gesture control is also possibly included" - more on that shortly. Mind you, it was mooted that Apple would dump the home button in time for iPhone 5, but it never happened.

iPhone 6 screen

Take this one with a pinch of salt, because China Times isn't always right: it reckons the codename iPhone Math, which may be a mistranslation of iPhone+, will have a 4.8-inch display. The same report suggests that Apple will release multiple handsets throughout the year over and above the iPhone 5S and 6, which seems a bit far-fetched to us.

Patents show that Apple has been thinking about magical morphing technology that can hide sensors and even cameras. Will it make it into the iPhone 6? Probably not.

You'll probably still be able to see the camera lens in the iPhone 6

iPhone 6 processor

Not a huge surprise, this one: the current processor is a dual-core A6, and the next one will be a quad-core A7. The big sell here is more power with better efficiency, which should help battery life.

Expect to see it in the 2013 iPad first, and expect to see an improved A6 processor, the A6X, in the iPhone 5S.

iPhone 6 camera

Apple's bought camera sensors from Sony before, and this year we're going to see a new, 13-megapixel sensor that takes up less room without compromising image quality.

iPhone 6 eye tracking

One thing seems certain - Apple can't ignore the massive movement towards eye-tracking tech from other vendors, especially Samsung. It seems a shoe-in that Apple will deliver some kind of motion tech within the next iPhone, probably from uMoove.

The new iPhone will have better 4G LTE

On its UK launch, just one UK network had 4G LTE: Everything Everywhere, which currently offers 4G on the 1800MHz band. In 2013, all the other big names will be coming on board, offering 4G in other frequency bands. International iPhones already work across different 4G bands to the UK, so you can expect the UK iPhone 6 (and possibly the iPhone 5S) to be more promiscuous than the iPhone 5.

iPhone 6 Wi-Fi may be 802.11ac

Apple likes to lead Wi-Fi standards adoption - its Airport really helped make Wi-Fi mainstream - and there's a good chance we'll see ultra-fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi in Apple kit this year. It's faster than Lighting, and not very frightening.

iPhone 6 wireless charging

Wireless charging still isn't mainstream. Could Apple help give it a push? CP Tech reports that Apple has filed a patent for efficient wireless charging, but then again Apple has filed patents for pretty much anything imaginable.

The tasty bit of this particular patent is that Apple's tech wouldn't just charge one device, but multiple ones.

iPhone 5S release date, news and rumours

It appears little will change inside the next iPhone [Image credit: Nowhereelse.fr]

he iPhone 5 may only be around six months old, but we're already hearing information about a successor. In keeping with Apple's naming convention this should end up being called the iPhone 5S.

The early arrival of the iPad 4 and the iPad mini - just eight months after the release of the iPad 3 in March - has meant that Apple still has the ability to surprise and we could well see an iPhone 5S appear earlier than expected.

Nevertheless, it's more likely that the iPhone 5S will hit stores in the latter part of 2013, following the trend set by the iPhone 5 and 4S. It's even possible that Apple will skip the iPhone 5S and hop right on to the iPhone 6, though there is little suggestion that this would be the case.

And, as for the software, we're expecting that to be revised too. Some developers contacted The Next Web in early January to say they had seen a new iPhone6.1 identifer in logs - a device running iOS 7.

Apple's past 'S' models have featured the same shell as the core model, though with different features and slightly different tech specs.

The iPhone 5S isn't expected to differentiate itself from the iPhone 5 too drastically, though a better camera and slightly faster processor will surely be part of the package.

One analyst has claimed Apple could use the iPhone 5S to increase its margin for iPhones as a result of falling profitability.

One thing is for sure, with the release of such super handsets as theSamsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z and HTC One, the next iPhone will have to seriously up its game.

• Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Sony Xperia Z vs HTC One vs iPhone 5 vs Lumia 920

iPhone 5S release date

That means the iPhone 5S release date could be as early Spring 2013. However, we believe it's still likely that we'll see another iPhone later in 2013.

But that's not what everybody thinks: many sources claim that full commercial production of the rumored iPhone 5S has begun already. That's borne out by further rumors suggesting a March manufacturing start date, followed by a mid-year release - probably in June, a date backed upby Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster and others. A cheap iPhone could also appear later, possibly in September.

Digitimes reckoned in 2012 that the iPhone 5S release date would be a little later, citing predicted sales targets of relevant component manufacturers. "Apple is expected to introduce its next-generation iPad and iPhone series around the middle of 2013... Component orders placed by Apple, which climbed to high levels prior to the iPhone 5 rollout, will rise again between March and April, the observers indicated."

iMore rumours in early March pointed to the 5S being out in August 2013, something Digitimes then agreed with in late March 2013. It came up with the startling revelation that the new handset would appear in Q3 2013 (probably September). As our own Kate Solomon puts it, "in other news, night to follow day, Tuesday to follow Monday and bears to continue using largely wooded areas to take care of business".

The International Business Times said in March that production had been delayed to make up ground on the progress made by other handset manufacturers. That wouldn't be at all surprising considering how far behind its rivals the iPhone 5 has fallen - in terms of raw specification, at least.

iPhone 5S display

iPhone 5S or iPhone 6 will include a Super HD screen display and cameraaccording to new reports in December 2012. The China Times says a 'Touch On Display' panel is being developed by Taiwanese supplier Innolux with 10 point multi-touch and a 0.5mm thickness. Apparently the site spoke to sources inside Apple's supply chain.

iPhone 5S casing

According to further rumours, the iPhone 5S might not be the only Apple handset we see this year - rumours abound about cheaper, plastic iPhones, while Apple could be readying an even bigger smartphone to launch in June, apparently called the iPhone Math.

Reports suggest that a cheap iPhone 5S would mean Apple diversifying manufacturers from Foxconn, perhaps leading it to turn to Pegatron. An analyst estimates Pegatron could be responsible for 75 percent of low-cost iPhones.

According to the hit-and-miss China Times wesbite the iPhone Math will carry a sizable 4.8-inch display and an 8MP camera.

The new, larger, lower-cost handset could be aimed at emerging markets such as China.

However, it remains likely that the iPhone 5s will simply use the iPhone 5 shell given Apple's penchant for doing this with the iPhone 3GS andiPhone 4S.

iPhone 5S camera

In January 2013 iLounge received information that indicated the handset would sport the same design as the iPhone 5 with the key difference being a beefier camera and larger flash on the back.

That's hardly ground breaking from Apple, with the touted 13MP camera on the 5S hardly bucking the trend considering the Sony Xperia Z already has this and we'd expect the Samsung Galaxy S4 to offer up something similar.

New rumours from January 2013 pointed towards the iPhone 5S having a 13MP camera as well.

Have we already seen the iPhone 5S?

It was reported on 6 December that images of a purported next-generation iPhone have surfaced on French website Nowhereelse.fr, revealing an exterior virtually identical to the current iPhone 5 but with slightly different internals.

Phones Review suggests that a dual-SIM iPhone 5S could be released, hot on the heels of a rumoured Samsung Galaxy S4.

More parts appeared in photos shown by BGR towards the end of January 2013.

iPhone 5S NFC

Rumours have abounded for years that the iPhone will incorporate NFC at some stage, but this has proved unfounded. Indeed, Apple decided to incorporate Passbook into the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 as a way to provide a similar, if different, feature.

Now, according to the often-wrong China Times, Apple is rumoured to be equipping the 5S with NFC in addition to a fingerprint scanner for added security. We're really not sure about this one, though rumours of fingerprint scanners and NFC support in Apple's devices trace back to last July when Apple bought mobile security firm AuthenTec for $356 million (UK£238 million, UA$346 million).

It's possible, then.

iPhone 5S wireless charging

According to CP Tech, Apple filed a patent application last month for Wireless Power Utilization, a wireless charging system with near-field magnetic resonance (NFMR). That means we'll get wireless charging at last.

Needless to say, TechRadar will be keeping a close eye on all the iPhone 5S rumors and will bring you the latest developments as they emerge - on this very page.

WP outsells iOS in 7 and BlackBerry OS in 26 markets now

Microsoft's VP of Corporate Communications Frank Shaw has cited a report by the IDC stating that Windows Phone has managed to outsell the iPhone in 7 markets and Blackberry in a whopping 26.

Sadly, he didn't disclose where exactly Microsoft has managed to get in front of Apple and Blackberry, but it does sound very promising for the company's mobile OS.

Shaw also mentioned that Windows Phone now touts a 10% smartphone share in many markets, an aim that the Redmond top dogs set back at the OS announcement a few years back. However, we are clueless just how successful the WP smartphones are without actual numbers.

Nevertheless, Shaw said there'll be more information regarding the reach of Windows Phone, as well as the cool new features that Microsoft prepares for the platform at the annual Build developer conference. That will take place on June 26 through 28.

Octa-core Galaxy S4 benchmarks surface, live up to expectations

So far, we've only got to evaluate the performance of the I9505 Galaxy S4, which is powered by the Snapdragon 600 chipset. SamMobile on the other hand were lucky enough to fiddle with the Exynos 5 Octa variant of the Galaxy S4 and make it sweat in some synthetic benchmark tests.

The tests in question are AnTuTu and Quadrant, both being all-round suites that gauge pretty much every component of the device - CPU, GPU, RAM, storage, etc. As you'd imagine the quad Cortex-A15s don't disappoint and posted amazing scores beating every device we have seen so far.

AnTuTu

Higher is better

• Sort by Label
• Sort by Value

• Samsung I9500 Galaxy S427417
• Samsung I9505 Galaxy S423607
• HTC One22678
• Sony Xperia Z20794
• LG Optimus G Pro20056
• HTC Butterfly19513
• Samsung Galaxy S III15547
• Oppo Find 515167

What we noticed from a screenshot of the AnTuTu benchmark was that the frequency of the CPU is reported as 1.8GHz. Samsung announced the Octa 5 Exynos variation of the Galaxy S4 is running at 1.6GHz for the Cortex-A15 cores and 1.2GHz for the Cortex-A7 cores. It could be possible that the market version of the device to arrive a bit more beefed than what Samsung's initial announcement suggested.

Quadrant

Higher is better

• Sort by Label
• Sort by Value

• Samsung I9500 Galaxy S412726
• LG Optimus G Pro12105
• Samsung I9505 Galaxy S412028
• HTC One11746
• Sony Xperia Z8075
• HTC One X+7632
• LG Optimus G7439
• Oppo Find 57111
• HTC One X5952
• Samsung Galaxy Note II5916
• Samsung Galaxy S III5450
• Meizu MX 4-core5170
• Nexus 44567

In case you're wondering, you can check out in which countries Samsung is going to launch the Exynos 5 Octa and Snapdragon 600 editions of the Galaxy S4.

Sony rolls out the Jelly Bean update for the Xperia TX

Sony announced its Jelly Bean upgrade schedule last December and everything so far has arrived on time. The Xperia T and Xperia V already got their Jelly Bean treatment in February and as promised, now is the Xperia TXturn.

We wonder what took so long, since the Xperia T and TX are basically the same phone, but still we are happy to see Sony's kept its promise. The Xperia TX update is available as of today, but the rollout is gradual so some of you will have to wait a few more days to get it.

The update version number is 9.1.B.0.411 and brings the usual Jelly Bean features, including Google Now, Project Butter, improved notifications, etc., along with Sony's own changes.

Now we really hope to bring the same news to the Xperia S owners soon.