Samsung Galaxy Note III to pack Exynos 5 Octa, 8-core Mali-450

The Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa platform couldn't make it to all the Galaxy S4 flagships, so it was replaced by the fastest Snapdragon chipset available at that moment - the Snapdragon 600.

According to SamMobile's trusted insider, all Galaxy Note III smartphones will be powered by the Exynos 5 Octa platform. There is even more: the GPU inside the chipset will be Mali-450 with eight graphic cores. You could also expect 3GB of RAM.

Alleged image of Samsung Galaxy Note III

The rest of the Galaxy Note III specs should include a 5.99-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen with the same pixel structure as the Galaxy S4's display, a 13MP camera, S-Pen, and full-blown connectivity package. As the rumor has it, the Galaxy Note III will be as big as the recently announced 5.8" Galaxy Mega, which means smaller screen bezel.

The Galaxy Note III is rumored to run on the latest Android version available, probably 4.3 Jelly Bean. The Samsung's proprietary TouchWiz Nature UI will be on top with some new S-Pen features for sure.

We expect Samsung to announce the Galaxy Note III at the IFA 2013 in September in Berlin.

BlackBerry R10, Third member of BB 10

A third member of the new BlackBerry family of smartphones has posed for the camera. The BlackBerry R10, as it's called, is going to join the already available Z10 and the Q10, which is soon hitting the market.

The BlackBerry R10 isn't yet announced by the Canadian phone manufacturer, so information is sparse at the moment. The source of the photo adds that it's a "mid tier" handset with a plastic build, which nevertheless feels "nice".

The R10 is destined to sit below the BlackBerry Q10, and is aimed at the BlackBerry OS user who wants a more affordable QWERTY device. According to the person behind the leak, the R10 is scheduled to come out in Q3 this year, but a more specific time slot hasn't been mentioned.

Judging from the photograph above, the R10 will be available in multiple color options. Red and white are among them, given that they appear on the photo. Specifications of the smartphone are yet to be known

LG reportedly confirmed to build the Nexus 5 smartphone

The popular Google Nexus 4 was built by LG and, apart from the early manufacturing mishap, the Korean manufacturer seems to have done its job with the smartphone pretty well.

Rumors of the next generation Nexus smartphone are already growing thick and fast and, according to a report from Korea Times, Google has given the task of building the Nexus 5 to LG.

The report claims that Google's CEO Larry Page has been visiting the South Korean company often to discuss the technical aspects. However, there is no official confirmation from Google or LG just yet.

Acer Iconia W3 Windows 8 tablet makes brief Amazon appearance

Amazon may have just accidentally spilled the beans on the Acer Iconia W3, an unannounced tablet that was previously rumored to be the first 8-inch Windows 8 device.

The Iconia W3 appeared briefly today on Amazon.com under a listing titled "Acer Computer W3-810-1600 8.1-inch 32GB Tablet (Silver)."

Interestingly, the Iconia W3 was listed on Amazon with a price of $379.99 (around UK£244, AU$368); this is the first we've heard of the tablet's cost.

The Amazon link now leads to a "document not found" filler page, but Engadget managed to snap a screenshot, which you can see above.

Piecing it together

The photo of Acer's Iconia W3 that was posted with its Amazon listing today isn't new; it first appeared with a slew of other images when the existence of the new Windows 8 tablet was rumored last month.

That rumor claimed that the Iconia W3 would come with a 1.8GHz dual-core Atom Z2760 processor, 2GB of RAM, and two cameras.

The listing backed those stats up and also mentioned a resolution of 1280 x 800, integrated graphics at 64MB of memory, two megapixels for each cameras and a two-cell 3,500mAh battery that can last up to eight hours.

Granted, the page also said elsewhere that the Acer Iconia W3 will pack a 1.5GHz Apple A4 processor, which is clearly incorrect, so the rest of those specs could well be off too.

The Iconia W3's release date was initially estimated around mid-August, or by the time schools are back in session. Today's Amazon listing provided no hints as to dates, saying only that the 8-inch tablet was "temporarily out of stock."

We asked Acer to comment on the leak but a spokesperson for the Taiwanese company informed us that they had nothing to add.

Apple could drop Samsung for iPhone 6 processors in 2014

Apple may be able to finally stop relying on iPhone processors from rival smartphone maker Samsung in 2014, according to a report out of Taiwan today.

Instead, the company is expected to contract Taiwanese manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for all application processors used in 2014 models of its phone, wrote DigiTimes citing industry sources.

TSMC is said to be preparing new equipment at its southern Taiwan facilities in anticipation for next year's iPhone demand.

By the end of this year, the manufacturer will have an advanced semiconductor fabrication facility, moving it from 12-inch silicon wafers to 14-inch wafers, according to the report.

TSMC's acceleration of its new fab 14 facility is being seen as a sign that Apple wants to move from Samsung to the Taiwanese manufacturer as soon as possible.

iPhone 2014

Samsung is still expected to manufacture the next iPhone chips, rumored to be the Apple A7, this fall, despite TSMC's hastened roll out of new equipment.

Whether or not this last Samsung-produced system-on-a-chip is in aniPhone 5S or iPhone 6 depends on what Apple announces this fall.

Beyond that, TSMC should be able to take over by the 2014 iPhone launch, as the company will be ready in the second half of the new year, according to the report.

So long, Sammy

Apple's move away from Samsung wouldn't be a big surprise considering the South Korean company is its chief competitor with Android-based smartphones like the Galaxy S4.

And then there's that whole billion-dollar patent lawsuit between Apple and Samsung.

The news, if true, might be an even bigger blow to Intel, which was rumored to be inheriting the iPhone system-on-a-chip-making business from Samsung.

Intel and Samsung, the world's first and second largest semiconductor companies, would all of a sudden have to compete against current No. 3, TSMC.

If a Motorola prototype sounds like the X Phone, is it the X Phone?

According to PhoneArena sources, @evleaks images are legit and show off the X Phone, codenamed Ghost. Sources also say that in addition to AT&T, the phone will head to Verizon and "will support all major carriers," though it's not clear if those are U.S.-only or international carriers as well.

A non-disclosure case is said to encapsulate the pictured device, though the real panel shown is the device itself. The "M" will reportedly disappear as it's a marking reserved for prototypes, while the phone will apparently be made of polycarbonate and not metal or Moto's signature Kevlar.

That's not all: Though the prototype has a 720p screen, the X Phone is planned to come with 1080p plus 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM. The screen size is an unconfirmed 4.7-inches.

Last but not least, it looks like this phone has a scheduled release of early July, meaning we could get a well-timed earful about it at Google IO.

Original article...

The elusive Motorola X Phone, the rumored first smartphone under the Google-Motorola partnership, may have just been shown off in prototype form thanks to a four-photo leak.

The device in question has markings that back up several rumors about the hotly rumored Android phone, first and foremost being the AT&T logo in the top left corner.

Another hint is that this composite photo, posted by @evleaks, depicts the purported X Phone with a screen that isn't too large.

That's important because it would fit into the "sweet spot" screen category that Motorola design chief Jim Wicks said the company found to be "just about right" for consumers.

Model: X-FON ATT is the clearest, blurriest hint yet

X-Fone Home

A second leaked photo of the supposed Motorola prototype gives further, albeit blurry, credence to the fact that this is the Google X Phone.

The backside photo reads "Model: XFon-ATT," which almost seems too good to be true.

Of course, this is different from the model number that was floating around the internet this week, XT1055.

A benchmarking app that caught the XT1055 claimed it to be a 1.7GHz quad-core processing smartphone running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, which sent X Phone rumors swirling.

Whether or not this AT&T-bound Motorola prototype is the X Phone remains to be seen, as the U.S. wireless carrier and Google have not yet responded to TechRadar's inquiry. We doubt we'll hear anything definitive on this speculative device, but we'll keep you posted.

Confirmation of what the X Phone looks like, instead, may come at the Google IO conference, which kicks off on May 15.

Acer unveils 'ergonomic' Aspire R7 tablet-laptop-hybrid

As well as its two new Iconia tablets, Acer has revealed the next generation of its laptop line-up, with the hybrid Acer Aspire R7 Ultrabook-cum-tablet leading the charge.

The Acer Aspire R7 is a laptop that features a repositioned keyboard as well as an HD touchscreen that uses a 'revolutionary' "Ezel Hinge" that allows you to flip reverse the screen, lie it flat or let it float above the keyboard.

Apparently that's an ergonomic design, but we'll wait til we get our hands on it to pass judgement.

On the inside, the 15.6-inch notebook is rocking an Intel Core i5 processor, up to 12GB of memory, up to 1TB hard drive or a 256GB SSD.

If you like the sound of the flippable R7, you'll have to wait until the end of June, at which point it will set you back £899.99 (around $1399 / AU$1365).

A hybridge too far

Sticking with the tablet/laptop hybrid theme, the 11-inch Aspire P3 weighs in at 1.39kg and is 19.75mm thin at its thinnest point. It comes with a touch-screen display which you can detach from the casing if that's how you roll.

Acer's P3 - aspirational

Acer says you can ditch the desktop because the Aspire P3 is powerful enough to be your main computer thanks to the Intel Core i3 or i5 processors, efficient power consumption and full-size chiclet keyboard. You can also opt for a 60GB or 120GB SSD depending on your budget.

The Acer Aspire P3 is out now, and starts from £599.99 (around $933 or AU$909).

Onwards down the ladder, and the Acer Aspire V7 comes in a variety of colours with varying screen sizes, resolutions, with touch, without touch and various processor and graphics options, none of which Acer has been abundantly specific on just yet.

It features the same design as the lower-spec Aspire V5 line-up, but the V7 Ultrabook comes with a 'silky touch' finish on the bottom which sounds… weird.

Anyway, the new Acer Aspire V5 line-up is also slim and light but not quite at the heady Ultrabook standard. They come in 15.6-inch, 14-inch and 11.6-inch versions, with optional upgrades available.

You can go for an HD (1366 x 768) or Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS screen, Nvidia GeForce or Radeon graphics cards and "a range of" Intel processors.

The Acer Aspire V5 and V7 will be available from the end of May, with the V5 starting from £399.99 (around US$622 and AU$607), and the V7 from £499.99 (about US$778 / AU$758).

The world is flat - iOS to join Windows in the race to smooth

We're in high spirits this week and that means using headlines with the word "Yippee!" in them. "Yippee!" says Matt Swider, reporting the news that Microsoft's Surface has cracked the tablet top five. "Microsoft is in it. In it to Win8," he puns, painfully: analysts at IDC reckon that Microsoft moved some 900,000 tablets in the first quarter of the year, many of them the Surface Pro.

Amazon's still miles ahead - and Samsung and Apple are miles ahead of Amazon - but it's good news for Microsoft as it prepares to show of - yes! - the Surface 2, which we might see next month. Yippee! Again!

Do you know what would be funny? If Apple copied Microsoft, maybe by putting Windows 8's famously divisive Modern/Metro interface into iOS. And do you know what? That's exactly what Apple's doing, and by "exactly" we mean "not really". Apple's iOS is under the new management of design boss Sir Jony Ive, and he is apparently overseeing a significant redesign.

As Michelle Fitzsimmons reports, that redesign is going to be "flat". Not just "flat" but "very, very flat," apparently, "sans gloss, shine and skeuomorphism." It has a level of "flatness", apparently, and the learning curve for users also looks "flat". In a word? "Flat".

Looking through Glass

The response to Google Glass has been curiously flat too: the would-be world-changing device may be the most interesting thing in tech right now, but early reviews suggest that if you'd paid $1,500 for it, you'd be a bit disappointed.

Our Google Glass review round-up found consensus among the early Glass Explorers: battery life is closer to five hours than the full day Google promised, the screen's hard to see in bright sunshine - something that UK users will have to worry about for, ooh, minutes per year - and the basic features are still, well, basic. Factor in some confusion, frantic head movements and the design of Glass itself and you're going to look and feel a bit daft using it, but it's a fascinating bit of kit with enormous potential.

Yeah, we're not sure about that thing on your face either

The big problem with Glass isn't the tech, which is great, our columnist Gary Marshall suggests: it's how we'll feel about it. There's a big difference between everyone walking around with cameraphones and actually walking around with a camera strapped to your head - especially when other peoplecan't tell whether you're filming them or not. "Whenever someone comes up with a new technology, someone else finds a reason to panic," he says. "The Daily Mail has already pondered whether Glass could cause cancer, but Glass [also] promises to roll every tech scare story ever into one faintly stupid-looking device".

There are two causes for concern: the screen and the camera. The first could make drivers even more dangerous, and the second could make us all paranoid. "Imagine you're in a playpark with your child and you see a funny-looking man wearing Glass, looking over," Marshall says. "Would you feel comfortable? People's fears might not all be reasonable, and they might not last forever, but that doesn't mean they aren't real or that they won't be picked up on and blown out of proportion by the tabloids."

The Mrs Dorsey test

We know what you're thinking: which is best? Google Glass or iWatch? And the answer, despite nobody knowing anything about iWatch or whether it even exists, is of course - iWatch. Just ask Jack Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter: speaking to a newspaper in a grilled cheese shop, he said he couldn't imagine his mum wearing Google Glass - and that, of course, means Apple wins. Never mind spec sheets, reviews or star ratings: from now on we're going to judge all tech by whether we can imagine Jack Dorsey's mum using it.

It's what the co-founder of Twitter's mum would want, and by extension, everyone

We've saved the best news until last: have you been lusting after our digital magazine Tech. but found yourself unable to experience its many joys because you don't have an iPad? Good news! It's on absolutely blimmin' everything now! If that doesn't deserve a yippee, nothing does.

Microsoft Surface 2 rumoured for June reveal

A second generation of the Surface tablet has beenrumoured for some time, but we're now hearing that the reveal could be very soon - this June, in fact.

The announcement is expected to come at the Build Developer Conference, which will take place June 26-28, where more information on Windows Blue will also be revealed.

The word comes from supply chain sources claiming to have been shipping components to Microsoft from the end of 2012.

The sources also told Digitimes that the new Surface devices will come with a 7-inch to 9-inch display, smaller than the current version, which would see it competing with the iPad mini and Nexus 7.

Xbox crossover?

There's also a good chance we'll see some Xbox crossover that could means Microsoft's new tablet - or at least a version of it - will also be gunning for the likes of the PS Vita.

It's been rumoured that the next Surface will be very gaming-focused, and if the new announcement does happen this June, it will be in the same window at the new Xbox reveal on May 21.

So will it be a separate Surface device or will Microsoft roll all the gaming and user into one slate? We expect a few more hints may drop come May 21.