Smartphone market grows 45% in Q3, Huawei moves to 3rd place

Global smartphone shipments grew 45 percent annually to reach a record 251 million units in the third quarter of 2013, according to Strategy Analytics. Samsung took a record 35 percent share of the market, and Huawei moved up to third place. Smartphones accounted for 6 in 10 of all mobile phones shipped worldwide, driven by strong demand for LTE models in developed regions like the US and 3G devices in emerging markets such as China. HuaWei LCD

Samsung's share was up 2.3 percent points from a year earlier as it grew shipments an estimated 55 percent to 88.4 million units. Apple's growth was slower, and its market share fell to 13.4 percent from 15.6 a year ago. Huawei took a 5.1 percent share, as it grew shipments 67 percent annually to 12.7 million units in Q3.

LG was in fourth place, with 12.0 million smartphones good for a 4.8 percent market share. LG was also the fastest-growing vendor among the top five brands, with shipments up 71 percent year-on-year. Lenovo came fifth, with 10.8 million smartphones shipped and a 4.3 percent share of the global market.

Nexus 5 leaked in dual-tone White-variant, tipped for November 1 launch

When Apple first detailed iOS 7, it briefly hinted at support for gaming controllers. It also later discussed it with developers in documentation. It now appears that one of the first iPhone gamepad controllers is being developed by Logitech, and would be available under the product name, Powershell.

A render featuring the front and back of the Logitech gamepad, complete with an iPhone 5, was posted online by the notorious @evleaks through his Twitter account. This was followed up by another tweet, just a few days back, that said the device would be named Powershell.

Now, a trademark listing page on trademark and patent filing database Legalforce, for the same Logitech Powershell gaming controller has been spotted online.iPhone 5C Parts

The listing describes the device as an 'integrated game control device and battery pack for use with computers and digital electronic devices.' It was filed on 18 September by Logitech. The name Powershell definitely hints at the presence of a battery pack.

The render of the Logitech gamepad revealed a controller that allows the iPhone to fit inside it. In line with the controller diagrams that appeared in Apple's documentation, the controller includes shoulder buttons, a d-pad direction controller on the left and action buttons and a pause key on the right. The back has an opening to allow users to take pictures with the iPhone's camera, and a stylised 'G' branding.

Apple did not talk about game controllers when it unveiled the new iPhones and the new iPads, at its special events. It would be interesting to see how games developed keeping in mind these controllers drive forward the iPhone as a gaming device.

It was previously reported that according to Apple's guidelines for MFi game controllers (MFi is a licensing program to get the hardware components, tools, documentation, technical support, and certification logos needed to create electronic accessories that connect to iPod, iPhone, and iPad), game developers who offer support for game controllers would need to ensure that their games also work without them and that there's going to be a "Made for iPhone" branding for these controllers.

iPhone 5s stock almost out in the US, iPhone 5c fully available

Apple went off to a good start with its new generation of iPhone – in just the first weekend the company shipped 9 million units of the 5s and 5c combined. But analyst Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray thinks this is mostly thanks to the iPhone 5s, which was the top selling device in the US for the month of September.

Munster contacted 60 Apple stores and found that the iPhone 5s availability dropped to just 6%, down from 27% a couple of weeks ago. Even if you'd settle for any iPhone 5s variant you'd still find it hard to grab one – stores that have at least one iPhone 5s SKU went from 90% to 40% in about a week.iPhone 5S LCD Screen

All of this has pushed the resale value of the iPhone 5s pretty high – a 16GB version currently resells for 32% more than it costs at the store. Munster didn't mention color versions, but we guess the high-demand gold version is pricier than the white and space grey models.

Munster believes the short supply is caused by Apple preparing to launch the iPhone 5s into 51 new markets next month. This overwhelming demand contrasts the iPhone 5c, which is in stock everywhere. You don't even have to wait for it – while there's some lead time for the 5s, a 5c can be delivered to your door in just 24 hours in the six biggest markets for Apple.

Yesterday we heard a report that Apple halved iPhone 5c production orders after weak performance in China, as the high price tag didn't help its cause.

The 5c resale value is 11% lower than its retail value, another stark contrast with the 5s. For comparison, the Samsung Galaxy S4 resale value is currently around 12% lower than its retail value in the US (to be fair, the S4 has been available longer than the iPhones and is readily in stock everywhere).

Nexus 5 image leaked; shows large sensor camera, Nexus 7 styling

The much-anticipated successor to the Nexus 4 has made another appearance on the Internet. The latest leaked image comes courtesy Spigen, a case-maker that has posted an image of the expected Nexus 5, revealing the rear panel.

Spigen has posted the image to its Google+ feed and notes, "Where will you be when the revolution begins?" accompanied by the #nexus5, #android and #google hashtags that suggests that case-maker wants more people to talk about the upcoming Nexus smartphone.Nexus 7 LCD Screen

The leaked image shows the rear camera with large sensor accompanied by an LED flash. The rear panel's design appears to be identical to that of the Nexus 7 (2013) tablet. The image has a tagline which said, "Nexus 5 Revolution be ready." Unfortunately, the case-maker has not revealed any details about the availability of the alleged Nexus 5.

Earlier this month, the rumoured Nexus 5's battery, pricing and storage details were leaked. The report claimed that the 16GB Nexus 5 model will supposedly be priced at $299 (Rs. 18,500 approximately), while the 32GB Nexus 5 might be expected to be priced at $399 (Rs. 24,500 approximately).

Additionally the report claimed that the next Nexus smartphone would come in two different battery sizes for 16GB and 32GB storage models. As per the report, the 16GB is said to include a 2300mAh battery while the 32GB model is expected to pack a 3000mAh battery.

We had already reported that the rumoured Nexus 5 will come with 16GB and 32GB storage onboard, as the company has shifted to larger inbuilt storage on the device.

Rumoured specifications of the Nexus 5 include a 4.95-inch full-HD (1080p) IPS LCD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz, 2GB of RAM, 8-megapixel rear camera with OIS and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. The alleged Nexus 4 successor has also been expected to include a host of sensors like ambient light, proximity, pressure as well as accelerometer, compass, notification LED and gyroscope.

Prior to this, a report suggested the successor to the Nexus 4 would be unveiled later this month, while it would start shipping in the last week of this month.

Apple to hold an iPad unveiling event on October 22

We have been hearing rumors of Apple holding an event some time this month to announce the remainder of the products for this year's holiday season. Although it's not official yet, both AllThingsD and The Loop have confirmed through their sources that the event will take place on October 22.iPad Mini Parts

Now a lot of things are being rumored to be announced during this event but the focus will be on the new iPads. By now, we have pretty much seen all that there is to see about both these devices.

The new iPad with Retina display (or the iPad 5) will feature a new design that makes it look like a bigger iPad mini. It will feature an updated SoC, possibly named A7X. The iPad mini, on the other hand, will have an A7 processor but no Retina display. Both devices will have the new M7 co-processor and Touch ID fingerprint scanner, along with the new colors: silver, space gray and gold.

Along with the new iPads, Apple is also expected to announce new MacBook Pro with Retina displays. The updated models will have the new fourth generation Intel Core processors, also known as 'Haswell', along with updated NVIDIA 7-series mobile GPU.

Apple is also expected to give an update on the new Mac Pro that they unveiled during WWDC. They will possibly be announcing the proper launch date, along with the pricing for the new Pro.

Lastly, the next version of OS X, 10.9 Mavericks, is also expected to be released on the same day on the Mac App Store. You can expect any new Macs announced on that day to ship with it pre-installed.

That's a lot of stuff for one event so for all the Apple fans out there, it seems Christmas has come early this year.

Wi-Fi version of Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 receives Android 4.2.2 update

The Wi-Fi version of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet has started to receive the Android 4.2.2 update via an OTA update. Those who have yet to receive the notification that the update has arrived can hook up their slate to that big ol' PC on the desk and pull out the update from Samsung Kies. Besides the updated OS build, the tablet will be more stable and there are some small UI changes to TouchWiz as far as Contacts, S Planner and Email are concerned. The LTE version of the slab has already received the update.Samsung Galaxy Note LCD Screen

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 offers an 8 inch screen with resolution of 1280 x 800. That works out to a pixel density of 189ppi. Under the hood is a quad-core 1.6GHz Samsung Exynos 4412 processor with the Mali-400 MP4 working on the graphics. 2GB of RAM can be found on board along with 16GB of native storage. The rear facing camera weighs in at 5MP and records video in 1080 x 1920 at 30fps. There is also a front-facing 1.3MP snapper. A 4600mAh cell powers up the tablet.

Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Tab line of tablets, the Galaxy Note 8 offers many of the features found in Samsung's phablet line such as S Pen capabilities, SAFE, Air View and Multi Window. And now, the Wi-Fi version will be running Android 4.2.2.