LUSARAP

Rumours that the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C will hit shops from September 20 appear to be on the money, judging from information posted by China Telecom.



Apple is set to push hard into the Chinese smartphone market with its next generation of iPhone devices. Indeed, many feel that the low-cost iPhone 5C has been developed with such a lucrative mid-range market in mind.

This view has been strengthened in recent days with the announcement that Apple will host a separate iPhone launch event in China just a day after the US event being held on September 10.

So when China Telecom, the countrys third largest mobile network, spills details on the new iPhone ranges release date, its worth taking note.

According to Sina Tech, the network has taken to Chinas microblogging website Weibo to inform customers of the imminent arrival of the iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C. It also indicated that the new phones will be available to purchase from September 20, just 10 days after the initial US launch event.

The message has since been removed, confirming that China Telecom jumped the gun somewhat in its announcement.

September 10 should see the reveal of a new top-of-the-range iPhone, the iPhone 5S, which will closely resemble the iPhone 5 from the outside. However, its expected to sport a faster processor, a superior camera, and a fingerprint scanner.

Also on the cards is the first ever purpose-built budget iPhone, the iPhone 5C. It will feature similar proportions to the iPhone 5S, but will be made of tough plastic rather than aluminium. It should feature a similar 4-inch display, but will probably contain older, slower internal components.

Both phones will run on iOS 7, Apples boldly overhauled mobile operating system.

HTC is expected to launch its Galaxy Note rivalling HTC One Max this September as a 6-inch phablet device.


Building on the success of its flagship HTC One, the Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer is not only launching a HTC One Mini but also a HTC One Max edition later this year.

According to the latest leak, the HTC One Max will be launching in September, just in time to rival the newest addition to the Galaxy Note range, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 tipped for an IFA conference reveal.

Markedly different in specs from the HTC One smartphone, the supersized HTC One Max is said to feature a 6-inch Full 1080p HD display up from the 4.7-inch Full HD display of the flagship handset.

It is also said to have a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

Powered by a 3200mAh battery, the HTC One Max will retain the same design aesthetics as the HTC One, with its curved back and aluminium finish.

Similar to the recently announced Sony Xperia Z Ultra and popular Samsung Galaxy Note 2, the HTC One Max could feature widespread stylus support for handwriting input.

HTC hasn’t included such a function in any device since the 7-inch HTC Flyer that emerged in 2011, but with such a large screen and increasing competition from other similarly-sized devices, HTC would be a bit silly not to include it.

New HTC One Mini pictures and specs leaked earlier this week, revealing that the heavily rumoured smartphone should pack a 4.3-inch 1280 x 720p HD display and a 1.4GHz dual-core CPU.

Running Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, the HTC One Mini, and potentially the One Max as well, should retain the UltraPixel camera technology and the new BlinkFeed feature introduced with the latest HTC Sense UI.

A Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date has been teased once again, with latest reports suggesting the much mooted stylus hosting handset will be formally unveiled on September 4.


Widely expected to make an appearance at IFA 2013, claimed sources “close to the matter” have reportedly confirmed that the South Korean manufacturer will hold another Samsung Unpacked launch event on September 4, an event which will see the heavily rumoured Samsung Galaxy Note 3 unveiled.

While IFA 2013 is not set to officially kick off until September 6, the proposed Wednesday unveiling would fall in line with the Berlin based conferences’ press days.

Although the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 follow-on has yet to be formally mentioned, a flurry of Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumours have been doing the rounds in recent weeks, suggesting the Sony Xperia Z Ultra rival will land in the near future.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Rumours

With a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date now being tipped for September 4, attention turns to what features the smartphone turn tablet hybrid will offer.

According to latest reports, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 specs sheet will see a 6-inch Super AMOLED display make the cut, providing 1080p Full HD visuals. Further setting the device out as a high-end handset, the Note 3 is expected to sport the same 13-megapixel rear-mounted camera as its Samsung Galaxy S4 branded sibling.

Taking additional pointers from the company’s flagship model, further Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumours have tipped to phone to run the same 1.9GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD, as the S4.

Rovio has officially announced the next instalment in its bird flinging game series, Angry Birds Star Wars 2, complete with an interactive toy lineup from Hasbro.


Angry Birds Star Wars 2 will be available across various app stores on September 19, complete with a full range of Star Wars Angry Birds toys that will work in a similar fashion to Skylanders.

“Today we’re extremely excited to announce the arrival of Angry Birds Star Wars 2, launching on September 19 across app stores worldwide”, said Rovio. “The new game will tackle the preview, introducing a wide roster of never-before-seen Angry Birds Star Wars characters. The best part? You’ll get to play with over 30 of them!”

As expected by the Angry Birds Star Wars teaser released at the end of last week, Rovio’s next game will focus on the Star Wars prequel movies including lots of new characters and elements from the films.

We expect that Anakin Skywalker, General Grevious, Darth Maul and Padme Amidala will all get an Angry Birds make-over, but interesting Rovio are declining to comment on whether Jar Jar Binks will be making an appearance.

“At this point we will not comment on rumours or speculation that Jar Jar Binks will be in the game.”

Hasbro will also be launching a range of 30 Angry Birds Star Wars figures that can be scanned into the game, similar to the functionality of Skylanders: Spryo’s Adventure.

Known as Telepods, the toys are around an inch high and are placed onto a plinth which can scan them into the game via the front-facing camera on iOS, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone 8 devices.

“To compliment this wide lineup of characters, there will also be a line of over 30 collectable Telepods figures from Hasbro. Placing these figures onto your phone or tablet camera will scan your character of choice directly into the game, allowing you to select new characters on the fly.”

Angry Birds Star Wars 2 will also introduce the new “Pork Side” mode that allows players to toss Empire Pigs instead of the birds.

“Stay tuned for more news on Angry Birds Star Wars 2 over the coming weeks; we have some really cool reveals planned! Also, look out for Return of the Jedi in the original Angry Birds Star Wars!”