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Solid rumour says it will be launched ahead of schedule on 2nd March. It will have a minimum of 3GB of RAM like recent models in the Note series, but 4GB is a possibility. This contrasts with 1GB in recent iPhones, the stingyness of which has many Apple fans unhappy. Here's the rest: 64-bit eight-core 14nm CPU which is 50% faster5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display with a 577ppi density, stunning outdoor visibility, super dim mode for late night.A huge 20 megapixel OIS camera sensor and a 5 megapixel f/1.8 front-facing camera with real-time HDR32 / 64 / 128GB of storage2550mAh batteryBuilt-in wireless chargingFour hours of usage on a 10 minute chargeQuick connect chargingSamsung Pay: works with 90% of existing magnetic stripe payment terminals, and NFC payment terminalsMetal and glass bodyGorilla Glass 4Cat 6 LTEBuilt-in wireless charging is a big plus as it saves having to get hold of a special Qi back or find a mechanically unsatisfactory third party receiver coil. The new body is premium and a deliberate getaway from the plastic construction that on-line reviews often criticise (unjustly I think, because this has saved countless expensive drop disasters). Is it an x86 based product and a step change from ARM? The 14nm CPU might just provide a clue, though none of the rumours mention such a major change of direction.

We've known for a while that the iPhone 6 was going to be a fair bit bigger (once again), but here is a leak of one of the dummies supplied to case manufacturers to ensure they have their sizing absolutely correct. The white phone is, of course, a Sammy Galaxy S5. The Apple copy of the Galaxy Note seems to be due later. That this exists is in no doubt, and is another climb-down for a firm which ridiculed the original Note (and just about everything else they have slowly backtracked on). The Note 4 will be out near year end, so Apple have a lot of catching up to do. What it will be called is intriguing as surely they won't stoop to calling it the iNote? iPadPhone sounds more than awkward! None of this would matter if Apple adopted a live and let live attitude to competitors, and didn't constantly spin that their own originality and innovation was being compromised. The truth is that they are the biggest cloner of other people's ideas on planet Earth!

How's your Russian? Why for sure? Because it exactly matches all the other leaks of component parts from far-east contractors, and they've split it open to see the works! Plus the source has rep for not pulling hoaxes. There's going to be two models (4.7" and 5.5") of course, as Apple have been losing out big time to much larger and much more usable smartphones. So... yet another Steve Jobs myth bust: this time the ideal size of a smartphone. But, the Apple marketing machine is really good at rewriting history, and in leaving its past customers high and dry. That might be excusable at half the price, but when you add on the UK price premium they demand - plus the high cost of ownership - Android is a vastly better proposition for all but rather wealthy technophobes. Anyway, that it's going to sell and sell there is no doubt. iSheep will be lauding the usability of the sensibly sized screens and queueing overnight to boost Apple's coffers even more. It's a funny old world and competition is good, even if you have to accept a degree of brain washing in the mix! The important things are to keep blinkered technophobes very happy, and make megabucks doing so!

I'd like to see a comparative review, but just at the moment the new Pana seems to be about double the price of the Sammy. No Xenon flash would likely be a deal breaker too, unless the Pana's LED one is way better than anything else so far.

https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/os/devices/#zte_openc The Alcatel One Touch Fire is being sold by national network TIM in Italy for less than sixty euros just at the moment, though they seem to have run out them for now. Out of the entire bunch the Alcatel One Touch Fire E seems to be the best proposition: Apparently they are being made available in: Czech RepublicGermanyPolandRAM is still limited to 512MB but it has a more usable 4.5" screen and a tad faster dual core CPU. qHD means quarter HD i.e. 960x540 which isn't at all bad for general use. The only price indicator I can find for the Fire E is 6000 Indian rupees (just over £60), which is pretty hard to believe for such a specification. I'm trying to get hold of one and will report here if/when I do. The models with 128MB RAM (or even 256MB) are avoids, and likely only made for sale other than in "the first world". One of the models is being sold on UK eBay I'm told, not sure which at the moment. I've no information that any UK retailers are stocking any just yet. The Android One devices look interesting too but it's still very early days here too. Microsoft now has real problems if it's intending to peddle Nokia devices with Windows Phone into the developing world.

I notice this morning that following a pushed Samsung update to my Note 3 that the compass icon had gone from the pull-down control bar. It's been replaced by a Google maps "pin". It seems that Android has taken full control of the GPS power and full user emphasis is now on "Location Services". This is in line with what certain GPS based apps have been hinting for a short while now - announcing that Location Services are off when I'd simply thought I'd tuned off temporarily unneeded GPS hardware to conserve battery. We'll see how this one works out, but I'm uneasy about what looks like a move towards a operating system for ignorant tecnophobes like iOS. (idiots Operating System - just thought I'd sneak in this week's round of "Apple bashing" there Brett! ) I want to be able to turn off the GPS hardware when I don't see a need for it power-wise, and control Location services when I don't see the need for it on personal grounds. If Android is going the Big-Brother route I'm going to migrate to something else. Roll on *real* Linux phones; there's a big tech-savvy market out there, so what is stopping you smartphone manufacturers?

Here at last: http://www.sammobile.com/2014/06/02/samsung-finally-launches-its-first-tizen-phone-the-samsung-z/ Looks a nice phone, and if it doesn't virtually force the use of Java, and is a true Linux phone, it gets my vote. 2GB of RAM is nice, and has to be about the very minimum for a smartphone these days. If they produce a dual SIM version I will go out of my way to locate one, else it will have to be a half-price flog-off at the local store to persuade me. M$ is going to get its nose pushed out yet again! Number four is nowhere in the mobile space - ask Blackberry! The new LG G3 has come too late for me. If the G2 had had that removable battery and microSD I'd be an LG user now, but Sammy got there (and beyond) last year with the Note 3.