While Apple and Samsung are locked in battle in the high-end smartphone market ... Nokia has been taking he entry-end and midrange market by storm.

"Nokia is strengthening its deployment in the entry-level to mid-range smartphone market with the launch of Lumia 620, a move which will affect the sale of Windows Phone 8 handsets rolled out by HTC and China-based smartphone brands, according to industry sources.

The Lumia 620, priced at US$250 unlocked, will hit the shelves in some markets in Asia, including China, in January 2013, prior to the launch of WP8 models by China-based vendors, indicated the sources, noting that the Lumia 620 will be also available in Europe and the Middle East later.

The Lumia 620 comes only one month after Nokia launched its first wave of WP8 phones, the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820, indicating Nokia's strong efforts to regain market share, particularly in India, China and other emerging markets, the sources commented."

Source: Digitimes

Apple maybe one of the top mobile brands in the western world ... but not in China. They've recently fallen to 6th place, behind Nokia, Samsung and HTC.

"Apple is expected to rebound with the iPhone 5 launch. Apple's position in the Chinese smartphone market was bumped from No. 4 to No. 6 in the third quarter as China-based brands fire up the competition.

Apple, which previously held the No. 4 spot in the Chinese mobile phone market, slipped to No. 6 in Q3 due to its low number of shipments, according to research firm IDC. Out of China's 60 million mobile phone shipments in Q3, Apple's iPhone accounted for less than 10 percent.

China is the world's largest cell phone market with over one billion mobile subscribers at present. Chinese electronics brands have been pushing sales harder with better prices and enhanced features.

Another issue is that less than one-fifth of the one billion subscribers still use the 3G network, according to Reuters. Apple's iPhone 4S and previous do not have 4G compatibility, so other options in the market likely looked a lot more attractive."

Source: Dailytech

Believe what you will ... iPhone 5S Photos Leaked.

"ETrade Supply claims it has the rear shell of the upcoming iPhone 5S. The world was finally graced with the iPhone 5's presence in September of this year after a long wait (remember when we all thought the iPhone 4S was actually going to be the 5 in 2011? Oops). Only three months after the 5's release, rumored photos of the iPhone 5S are already starting to circulate. 

ETrade Supply, a parts firm, has released many photos of what it believes to be the shell of  the iPhone 5S. More specifically, it looks to be the rear shell, and it shows a few minor differences between the 5 and the future 5S."

Source: ETrade Supply via Dailytech

There is some kind of truth in this ... based on your voice patterns, smartphones with smart apps could predict your mood. How accurate may depend on the user!

"New computer application determines your mood based on voice. Smartphones could become mood rings in the near future, as researchers toy with a mood-reading application for our mobile devices.

Engineers at the University of Rochester, led by electrical and computer engineering professor Wendi Heinzelman, have created a computer program that examines certain qualities in our voices to determine our mood. 

How exactly does a smartphone understand human emotion? Rather than pay attention to what we're saying, the computer focuses on how we're saying it. More specifically, it analyzes 12 features of speech like volume and pitch to determine which emotion is felt. The emotions in this test were happy, sad, fearful, neutral and disgusted. "

Source: Dailytech

Now this is cool ... voice unlocking on your smartphone.

"Attempts to get away from unlocking our smartphones through codes and finger swipes have mostly centered on camera tricks like Android's Face Unlock. If you happen to pick up a Lenovo IdeaPhone A586 when it reaches China on December 12th, you'll have the option to use some dulcet tones instead. The Android smartphone builds in a new speaker verification system from Baidu and A*STAR's Institute for Infocomm Research that looks for a specific voice signature: speak a distinct passphrase and the phone unlocks without gestures or a longing stare.

Few will be especially smitten with the 4.5-inch, 854 x 480 display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 5-megapixel camera or 4GB of storage, but they'll be glad to get access to their A586 in a more hands-off (and hopefully spoof-resistant) way. We'd only be worried about choosing a passphrase that won't trigger odd looks from passers-by."

Source: Engadget

Engadget reviews the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini ... and they don't like it! Personally ... I think it's cute, maybe it's suitable for females.

"Samsung made a bold move when it announced the Galaxy S III mini. Here was an Android phone with the potential to take the iPhone 5 head-on. While the original Galaxy S III is clearly the flagship, its 4.8-inch display means it's literally too much for some people to handle. By matching Apple's screen size inch for inch, it could have been pitched as a device aimed at winning over some iOS fence-sitters.

However, when you look at the specifications: a dual-core 1GHz processor, WVGA (800 x 480) display and a 5-megapixel camera, it's clear that Samsung had other ideas, opting to fish for a more mid-range customer instead."

Source: Engadget

I wonder if Apple will come up with a bendable phone ... the iBend or maybe the iFlex (the latter sounds better). However, this ain't going to happen cause Samsung are already on it! Check out their bendable phones!

"Imagine treating your phone like a piece of paper. Roll it up. Drop it. Squish it in your backpack. Step on it - without any damage. Researchers are working on just such handsets - razor-thin, paper-like and bendable. There have already been prototypes, attracting crowds at gadget shows.

But rumours abound that next year will see the launch of the first bendy phone. Numerous companies are working on the technology - LG, Philips, Sharp, Sony and Nokia among them - although reports suggest that South Korean phone manufacturer Samsung will be the first to deliver.

Samsung favours smartphones with so-called flexible OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology, and is confident that they will be "very popular among consumers worldwide"."

Source: BBC

More annoying lawsuits for RIM ... especially when you're about to launch BB OS10.

"Nokia has asked courts in the US, UK and Canada to block sales of rival Blackberry smartphones. It follows a patent dispute between the Finnish company and Blackberry's parent, Research In Motion (RIM). Nokia says an earlier ruling means RIM is not allowed to produce devices that offer a common type of wi-fi connectivity until it agrees to pay licence fees. RIM said it would respond to Nokia "in due course".

"Research In Motion has worked hard to develop its leading-edge Blackberry technology and has built an industry-leading intellectual property portfolio of its own," it said in a statement - a possible signal that it might counter sue.

The clash is the latest in a series of legal distractions for the Canadian company at a time it is preparing to launch an operating system that could determine its survival."

Source: BBC