Facebook has started to roll out an update for UK users of its Android Messenger app to enable free voice calls to friends, reports late on Wednesday claimed.

The Next Web blog has received word from Brit-based Facebook Messenger users who're starting to see the feature, which was only bestowed upon the iPhone version of the app on Monday this week.

The free, IM-centric Messenger app, which stands alone from the main Facebook hub, will showcase an 'i' icon within the chat window once the update has been installed

Hitting that button will provide the opportunity to make the Free Call over both Wi-Fi and 3G.

Free long distance calls

The UK is the third country to receive the feature, following successful roll outs in Canada and the United States.

The major advantage is the ability to make transatlantic calls free of charge when they spot a friend online and will come in handy when an IM chat creates the need for a longer, more vocal conversation.

The extension of the feature to Android phones remains unconfirmed at the time of writing, so we'll update this article if the Facebook drops official word.

"What's his name? You know, he's the guy from that show about the place. The one with the horse."

Every had a conversation while watching a movie that went like this? Google is hoping to put an end to these cinema frustrations with new info card pop-ups in movies watched through its Play Movies Android app.

The new feature will display actor information when movies are paused in Play, similar to the info seen when a celebrity is search for through the standard Google website.

Movies need to be updated to have info card data inserted, and so far Google only have about 200 movies ready with the feature.

Adverts in disguise

Of course, this is just advertising disguised as useful information, with the actor's filmography linking to rental pages for the movies in the Play Store. Amazon does a similar thing with Kindle Fire tablets and its X-Ray feature.

Amazon launched its metadata mining tool at the end of last year and now has versions of X-Ray on the Kindle Fire tablet, Kindle Paperwhite e-reader and in its iOS app for iPhones and iPads.

Google's info cards feature is rolling out now to Android tablets in the U.S. only, and even then to a random group of testers. But, as with all Google services, expect to see it spread across the world once the search giant is positive it works.

iPhone owners are voicing more iOS 6.1.3 battery drain concerns today, claiming that the latest update for their Apple smartphone has resulted in a shortened battery life.

"After 'upgrading' to 6.1.3 a few days ago I have been experiencing major battery drain," wrote Apple Support forum poster Joe, who said he tried all of the reasonable solutions posted.

"It's draining about 1 percent every 7 minutes but that's with the phone not in use. In contrast, last week before the update I would charge my phone at night (and on a day without use) it would still be around 99 percent."

Joe isn't the only iPhone owner experiencing the iOS 6.1.3 battery drain glitch and demanding a fix. This particular message board post has 175 replies and 14777 Views in under a week.

Worse, there are 30 more threads dedicated to battery drainage that have gone up in the Apple Support Communities forum since iOS 6.1.3 released.

The good news is that while iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S owners have made up a majority of those beset by battery withdraw problems, iPad 4 and iPad mini owners seem to be in the clear for the most part.

More iOS 6.1.3 glitches

iOS 6.1.3 managed to plug security holes that iOS jailbreak hackers were taking advantage of to install custom software, as well as provide a lockscreen fix.

However, in addition to the battery drain problems, users have uncovered a new lockscreen glitch, one that allows for unauthorized access to contacts and photos even with the passcode screen enabled.

Apple hasn't had a major iOS update without a rash of complaints in some time, and battery drain issues have been the source of the problem before.

iOS 6.0.2 notably affected new iPhone 5 owners after the update, and before that, iOS 5 battery drainage issues caused Apple to release a patch by the way of iOS 5.0.1.

And it seems as if Apple is running into problems on all fronts, as its two-step verification feature exposed users' Apple ID, iCloud, and iTunes accounts to a major password reset flaw last week.

Apple has yet to respond to a TechRadar inquiry into the iOS 6.1.3 glitch or whether or not iOS 6.1.4 is on its way.

However, the next update now has to address two problems - battery drain and lockscreen glitch 2.0 - for the emotionally and technologically drained iPhone owners.

With the emergence of smartphones as the go-to mobile device of choice, more and more people have taken to using social networking sites like Twitter on the go.

Twitter is already seeing some large improvements in its ad revenue, but the new mobile dynamic could change the game for the site quite drastically.

Though the company's overall ad revenue wasn't impacted much at all by mobile ads in 2011, there was a tremendous spike over the past year.

Now, not only is Twitter expected to rake in major dollars from advertising, but mobile ads are estimated to account for 53 percent of all ad revenue.

Sponsored tweets

Market research firm eMarketer is already predicting Twitter will make $582.8 million (UK£385.6, AU$558) in ad revenue this year, with $308 million (UK£203.8, AU$295) coming from mobile.

Through 2014 and 2015, that mobile share is expected to increase to nearly 60 percent, with total revenues reaching $950 million (UK£628, AU$909.6) in 2014 and $1.33 billion (UK£879M, AU$1.27) in 2015.

For comparison, in 2012 Twitter made just $138.4 million (UK£91.4, AU$132.5) from mobile ads.

The company's global reach is also expected to increase over the next few years, with the U.S. share decreasing from 2012's 90 percent to 83 percent in 2013, and all the way down to 70 percent by 2015.

Twitter's new ad API should only help make advertising easier, and thus generate more income for the network, and it will be interesting to see just how closely these new estimates are when all is said and done.

The elusive LG Optimus G Android handset has finally gone on sale in the UK, through independent retailer Expansys.

The 4.7-inch superphone was revealed to the world way back in August 2012, but the Koreans have shown scant appetite for the UK market, partly due to the UK's "immature" 4G network.

However, it seems the company's icy attitude towards Blighty may be melting with the 1.5GHz quad-core, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean device available now for the SIM-free price of £469.

The Optimus G is 4G-ready, meaning 4GEE subscribers will be able to harness next-gen speeds, meaning faster uploads of shots taken with the Optimus G's 13-megapixel camera.

Bad timing

However, it's questionable just how much interest the device will generate at this stage, given how the Android stakes have been raised in recent months.

Since the phone was announced, the HTC One, Sony Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy S4 have all arrived on the scene, making the Optimus G seem a little 'old hat'.

LG itself also announced the Optimus G Pro handset at MWC in February, which offers a 5.5-inch, full HD display and a faster 1.7GHz processor, so this device is already a generation old.

Hopefully, now the spectrum auction is out of the way and universal 4G coverage is in the pipeline, LG will be a little more prompt with its big UK launches. Otherwise it risks becoming obsolete on these shores.

Samsung patents can't be mentioned without Apple coming up in the same breath, but the Galaxy-maker trumped its Cupertino rival soundly in at least one way in 2012: Samsung acquired the most mobile patents and became the top mobile patent holder in the world.

This despite - or possibly because of - its setbacks in its patent war with Apple, to the tune of billions in possible damages.

Sure, Samsung didn't have a great year in the patent wars, but it also spent 2012 shoring up its defenses by snapping up mobile patents like a Hungry Hungry Hippo.

After acquiring the most mobile patents of any company worldwide in 2012, according to research from mobile analyst Chetan Sharma, Samsung is now the world leader in mobile patents.

On top of the world

ZTE announced last week that it had ranked number one in patent applications for the second straight year in a row in 2012.

But just because it applied for the most patents doesn't mean it has the most patents, and according to Chetan Sharma, that honor goes to Samsung - at least when it comes to mobile patents.

In a summary of his research into 2012, Sharma wrote, "Samsung has been fiercely building its patent portfolio in both Europe and the US and the efforts have paid off as it has built a significant portfolio and a formidable lead that is likely to serve it well in the coming years."

Nokia previously held the most patents in the industry, but it fell down the rankings in 2012 along with Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent. IBM and Microsoft went up in the rankings, while Motorola dropped out of the top 10, according to Sharma.

Sony, Qualcomm, RIM (BlackBerry), and LG rounded out the top ten mobile patent holders in 2012.

A global struggle

The research examined over 7 million mobile patents in the U.S. and Europe, the two biggest patent markets in the world. It found that the U.S. accounts for 72 percent of mobile patents between the two regions, while one fifth of the patents filed in the U.S. and one tenth of those filed in Europe are related to mobiles.

In the U.S., at least, that number is up significantly, as less than ten years ago under 10 percent of total patents in the U.S. were mobile related.

Interestingly, Sharma's research places ZTE near the bottom of the patent food chain, both in granted mobile patents and pending applications. So it appears that either someone at ZTE (or the World Intellectual Property Organization, from whose data came ZTE's report) fudged some numbers, or Sharma's research is leaving something out of this picture.

On the other hand it's not unusual for different research groups to reach slightly different conclusions.

Either way, it can take years for patents to be awarded after application, so maybe in 2015 or so ZTE (a Chinese company) will be usurping the Korean king, Samsung, in the never-ending patent wars.

EE is making BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10, the management suite for smartphones running on the BB10 operating system, available to its business customers from April 2.

An EE representative told TRPro that the company will enable organisations to run BES 10 themselves through its network, and provide a hosted service. It will also provide the licences for users and a server to run BES 10 within a dedicated plan, saving smaller firms from the cost of a server.

There is no minimum or maximum on the number of licences that can be managed through the package.

Using BES 10 also gives IT administrators the ability to manage devices running on iOS and Android.

EE said it is the first UK mobile network operator to support BES 10. Its Director of Business, Max Taylor, said: "Alongside our Secure Mobility management software, the introduction of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 means we are the only network operator to offer enterprise grade security across all mobile operating systems, covering 3G and 4G."

Pricing begins at £15 per month for 1GB of mobile data, with 4G plans available for an extra £3. EE provides 4G to 37 towns and cities and claims this covers 45% of the UK population.

With the runaway success of Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet - the media-happy device owns over half the Android tablet market - it seems only natural that the company would turn to smartphones next.

Amazon's strategy of putting all its media content directly into consumers' hands has worked out well so far, so wouldn't the Seattle company take the next logical step?

Like the Kindle Fire, an Amazon smartphone would be a veritable home-shopping network - replete with Kindle books, Android apps and Amazon Prime video - only as a phone, so it would be the only device users would really need.

Given the anticipation that's built up around a product that's not even certain to exist, we figured it wise to compile all the rumors and speculation in one place.

Amazon phone to hedge its bets with a reasonable 4.7-inch display

According to Digitimes, so called "industry supply chain sources" have put a ruler to the Amazon Phone. They say the handset will have a 4.7-inch display, which would put it in between an iPhone 5 and a Galaxy S4 when it comes to visual real estate.

This supposed fact, combined with a rumored low asking price, suggests that Amazon is going for the casual smartphone user, one who does want to spend a fortune and would like to be able to carry the phone in their pocket with ease.

Amazon phone will miss rumored Q2 2013 release date, still looking like a Foxconn product

It's all still the stuff of rumors, but previous rumblings pegged the Amazon Phone (or maybe Kindle Phone) as arriving in the second quarter of 2013. Now it looks as though that deadline will make a delightful whooshing noise at blows past.

Somewhat infamous manufacturing mogul Foxconn is said to be on deck to produce the dirt cheap device. Its subsidiary Ensky Tech made the original Kindle Fire and now produces the Kindle Fire HD, the Kindle Paperwhite, so it would be no shock at all to see the two collaborate on the project.

As far as what's causing the delay, a report at Digitimes blames the "engineering verification test period due to issues related to its mobile platform," saying that the process, "has not been as smooth as expected."

This is surprising, given the great deal of experience Foxconn and its partners have in this field. It has us wondering what Amazon could have up its sleeve that's making the phone such a bother. As always, rumors are like cheap takeout; they just leaving you hungry for more.

Foxconn to manufacture Amazon phone for summer 2013 release date

This might be the most concrete rumor yet regarding the Amazon phone. Supposedly the online retail giant has inked a deal with Foxconn to manufacture its first smartphone. Industry insiders also expect a summer 2013 release.

According to the reports, the phone may also have a dirt-cheap asking price of $100-200 (around £60-120/AU$95-190). This would fall in step with Amazon's strategy with its Kindle Fire HD and Kindle Paperwhite line, devices sold at highly competitive prices in order to get customers investing in Amazon's media library.

While the involvement of Foxconn is not surprising, since the company has become a prolific manufacturer of all things electronic, it is somewhat troubling given its reputation for overworked, striking employees. Maybe the Amazon phone will be one of the first devices assembled in American Foxconn factories?

Amazon Phone rumors catch fire

Rumors of an Amazon Phone started to catch on in late 2011, when analysts began predicting the Amazon Phone's existence, despite a lack of hard evidence.

That hard evidence, by the way, still hasn't made an appearance, but that hasn't stopped the rumor mill from churning away.

Kicking things off, analyst firm CitiGroup reported that it discovered the existence of the then-unheard of Amazon Phone through its "supply chain channel checks in Asia."

Analyst Mark Mahaney led the Amazon Phone charge, proclaiming that the bookseller was in cahoots with infamous Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn to build the device.

Other analysts agreed: "A smartphone would be a logical next step for Amazon," ABI Research's Aapo Markkanen told Wired in May.

"The lock-in effect of a great content ecosystem shouldn't be under-estimated," he continued.

Bloomberg fed more fuel to the Amazon Phone fire in July, when its anonymous sources ("people with knowledge of the matter") confirmed that Amazon and Foxconn remained hard at work on the smartphone.

Further, the same report claimed that Amazon is busy hoarding as many wireless patents as possible to defend itself from the inevitable infringement suits that follow any modicum of success in the market.

Windows Phone executives board the good ship Amazon

The summer heat must have helped the Amazon Phone fires spread, as July gave birth to yet another bout of speculation when two Windows Phone vets joined Amazon.

First Brandon Watson left the Windows Phone team to become Amazon's director of Kindle cross platform, then Robert Williams, previously Windows Phone's senior director of business development, joined Amazon as its app store director.

Of course, the mere fact that the two previously worked on Windows Phone in no way proved that Amazon had brought them on to work on its own phone - but then again, it's not that far of a stretch, is it?

To further stoke the flames, it appeared toward the end of July that Amazon's innovation center - Lab 126 - had been hiring workers to develop new mobile devices that would run on wireless carriers' networks.

In other words: an Amazon Phone. Imagine that.

Amazon Phone release date

In CitiGroup's original 2011 report, the firm predicted that the Amazon Phone release date would fall in Q4 2012, though that's looking less and less likely the more time passes without a peep from Amazon.

That doesn't mean it's not going to happen, of course, but other rumors since then have been somewhat less optimistic about the Amazon Phone release date.

Less than a week after Bloomberg's report that Amazon and Foxconn still had their collective noses to the grindstone, another source (this one from Amazon's component suppliers) told the Wall Street Journal that the bookseller was already testing Amazon Phone prototypes.

That report claimed that the device could go into production during the second half of 2012, and that the Amazon phone release could fall in late 2012 or early 2013.

Amazon Phone price

From the beginning, speculators foretold that an Amazon Phone would hit the low end of the price spectrum.

In part, it's assumed that Amazon would sell the device wholesale (or maybe even at a loss) in order to further expand its digital content distribution.

Every pair of hands holding an Amazon Phone comes with eyes, ears and a wallet, after all.

CitiGroup analyst Kevin Chang said in 2011, "For a normal brand like HTC, they need to price the product at $243 to make 30 percent gross margin. If Amazon is actually willing to lose some money on the device, the price gap could be even bigger."

That means the Amazon Phone price could sink as low as $170 or even $150, though Amazon would surely make up the difference somehow - just like it does with the Kindle Fire.

Amazon Phone specs

There's been little speculation about the Amazon Phone's specific hardware features, considering there's yet to be any official word - or even a measly leaked prototype image - to go off of.

But the WSJ's source claimed that the Amazon Phone's screen size would fall somewhere between 4 inches and 5 inches, placing it right in line with top Android phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S3 andHTC One X.

The Amazon Phone would at least need to perform well enough to reliably stream content and be integrated with Amazon's various media and cloud services, and the better the resolution, the more attractive the device would be for streaming video.

Battery life will be another important factor, as nothing will turn the average consumer off faster than being interrupted in the middle of "Real Housewives" by a pesky low power warning.

Will the Amazon Phone run Android?

An Amazon Phone is almost dead certain to run on some variation of Android, as Google and Amazon, despite occasionally finding themselves at one another's throats, can just as often be found sitting snugly in one another's pockets.

According to some reports, the retail giant has even considered stocking Google tablets like the Nexus 7 in its stores, indicating that their rivalry can't really be all that heated.

Besides, Windows Phone is sat firmly in Nokia's camp, at least for the lifespan of Windows Phone 8 - Microsoft's not about to throw away years of build-up just to hop in bed with Amazon.

That leaves BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, who - to be fair - is rumored to be shopping the BlackBerry 10 OS around for a licensing deal.

But there's a chance BB10 will be more or less dead on arrival, and either way, an OS swap at this point would just be too risky for Amazon, who'll already be tossing the dice with a smartphone gambit in the first place.

Furthermore, Citigroup's initial Amazon Phone report from 2011 claimed that the bookseller would have to pay royalties to Microsoft, all but spelling out that the phone would be another Android device.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is official and while it may be more of an incremental upgrade from the Galaxy S3 instead of a total revolution, it's still a tempting proposition.

In terms of the Samsung Galaxy S4 release date the flagship smartphone is due to land in stores on April 26 - sadly there's no one week turn around a la Apple (and BlackBerry in terms of the Z10) here.

A number of retailers and networks had pre-registration pages up ahead of the Galaxy SIV announcement in New York and Expansys told us that interest in the S4 has been "overwhelming."

So without further ado, here's the breakdown of where you can grab the Samsung Galaxy S4 in the UK.

Carphone Warehouse

You can "register your interest" in the Samsung Galaxy S4 on the Carphone Warehouse site, with the network saying the handset will be available on all networks from April 26.

And apparently you've been registering in your droves, with the retailer confirming interest had been "off the charts", with "four times (446%) as many pre-registrations for the Galaxy S4 than the Galaxy S3 last year".

Pre-orders will open on March 28, and the first 2,000 people to pre-order online will also get a free Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0, which isn't too shabby.

Currently there is no pricing information, but expect to shell out some big bucks for the Galaxy SIV.

Phones 4U

It's much the same story over at Phones 4U which has its own registration process, and April 26 the date given for the Galaxy S4 arrival.

Registration is going well with Scott Hooton, Chief Commercial Officer at Phones 4u, saying: "it has already received the most pre-registrations at Phones 4U of any other smartphone launch in 2013, as well as a 40% increase on pre-registrations for the Galaxy SIII in the first 48 hours."

Phones 4U has confirmed to TechRadar that it will be carrying both the 3G and 4G models of the Galaxy S4.

EE

Unsurprisingly EE has announced it will be the only UK network to offer the Samsung Galaxy S4 with 4G - basically because it's the only network which offers the super fast connection.

If you're not too bothered about the whole 4G business for now, and fancy spending less money per month you'll also be able to pick up the 3G variant of the Galaxy S4 on sister networks Orange and T-Mobile.

You can "register for updates" for all three networks over on EE's site, and once again we're waiting to hear back on pricing.

EE has confirmed its Samsung Galaxy S4 pre-orders will commence on March 28, with stock due to arrive on April 26.

Three

Three has told us it's "really excited about the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S4", and the data-centric network has a pre-registration page up if you fancy jumping in with it.

You'll be able to get a contract with all you-can-eat-data to fully enjoy your new Galaxy SIV as well, which is handy.

O2

O2 is another that is offering only a 'sign up for updates' page on the S4. We'll keep you abreast of any announcement on pricing and contracts.

Vodafone

Registration is the name of the game and Vodafone isn't getting left out of the Galaxy S4 party, although its page doesn't look quite as fancy as the rest.

The big red will be offering the 4G version of the Galaxy SIV, which means you will be good to go as soon as Vodafone 4G arrives.

In terms of pre-order dates and pricing details, we're told that's all coming soon.

Virgin Media

Branson's network has confirmed that it will be ranging the Samsung Galaxy S4 at some point and unveiled the exciting pre-registration link which is here.

Pricing is still up for debate but Virgin broadband and TiVo subscribers will get £5 off whatever the tariffs are when they arrive.

Tesco Mobile

Tesco has told us that it will be putting up some form of Galaxy S4 pre-order process soon.

Online retailers

Unlocked-Mobiles has taken the bold step to be the first UK retailer to come out with a price for the Galaxy S4, posting the 16GB version for pre-order at £529.98 with a stock date of April 26.

Expansys was taking pre-orders for the White Frost and Black Mist models, but it has now reverted back to its registration page.

There's no word on an official release date or price, but a spokesperson told TechRadar it expects the handset to land around the £500-£550 mark, with stock arriving at the end of April.

Clove has also got its pre-registration pages up, but there's no mention of price with availability saying "first stock expected 26th April."

The Amazon phone has become the rumour that refuses to die and fresh reports now suggest it will launch with a sizeable display.

According to the wildly hit and miss Digitimes those famous "industry supply chain sources" (whoever they may be) have apparently offered up another nugget of information on a phone with could sport the online retail giant's name.

The sources claim the Amazon phone will launch with a 4.7-inch display, which is bigger than was originally planned.

Force feeding

Reports suggest Amazon wanted its first phone to have a 4.3-inch display but with the swath of 5-inch devices now on the market it's been forced to change tack.

In terms of an Amzon phone release date the supply chain leakers suggest it will happen later this year, as a second quarter launch is now out of the question thanks to production issues.

While Amazon continues to dabble in the tablet market with the likes of the Kindle Fire HD, it's made no mention that a smartphone could also be on the horizon and we're not pinning too much hope on this latest report.

When Apple unveiled the iPhone 5, the reaction was a bit muted: where previous phones were massive leaps forward, the iPhone 5 was a bit longer and a lot easier to scratch.

So what can we expect from the next iPhone, the iPhone 6 or 5S? Let's see what the crystal balls are saying.

One thing is for sure, with the release of such super handsets as the Samsung Galaxy S4, Sony Xperia Z and HTC One, the next iPhone will have to seriously up its game.

iPhone 6 and the iPhone 5S are two different phones

The rumour mill doesn't seem too sure whether the next iPhone is going to be the iPhone 5S or the iPhone 6. Given the iPhone's history - from the 3G onwards, there's always been a half-step S model before the next numbered iPhone - we'd bet on an iPhone 5S first and an iPhone 6 a few months later.

It's been suggested that there could even be three size variants of the new iPhone - check out these mocked up images by artist Peter Zigich. He calls the handsets iPhone 6 Mini, iPhone 6 & iPhone 6 XL.

Could we see both an iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 this year?

iPhone 6 release date

Some pundits predict a summer release for the iPhone 6, while Money Morning reckons that the iPhone 5's lack of NFC and Jumbotron display is because Apple's got a proper iPhone ready for a springtime release.

It's quite likely that Apple is moving to a two-phones-per-year upgrade cycle, but we'd bet on a springtime 5S model and a bigger, iPhone 6, update in the Autumn, probably September.

Even Digitimes reckons a springtime iPhone 6 is unlikely: it's predicting a summertime reveal for Apple's next generation phones, which again fits with a WWDC unveiling.

iPhone 6 cases

Multiple rumours say Apple's working on plastic cases for its next iPhone, mixing plastic and metal in such a way that "the internal metal parts [are] able to be seen from outside through special design."

It's unclear whether such cases would be for the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6, or if Apple is simply considering making cheaper iPhone 4s to sell when the iPhone 3GS reaches the end of its life.

Speaking in March 2013, a KGI analyst said it believed Apple would turn to manufacturer Pegatron to make up to 75 per cent of low cost iPhone products.

The iPhone 6 will finally do NFC

That's what iDownloadblog reckons, quoting Jefferies analyst Peter Misek: it'll have a better battery too, he says.

The iPhone 6 will run iOS 7 and the iPhone 5S probably won't

Developers are seeing new iPhone model identifiers in their server logs: the device identifies itself as the iPhone 6,1 (the iPhone 5 is 5,1 or 5,2) running iOS 7, and its IP address is an Apple one. If the two-phones strategy is true, we'd expect Apple to unveil the next major revision of iOS at its WWDC conference in June, with it shipping on the iPhone 6 a few months later.

iPhone 6 storage

We've already seen a 128GB iPad, so why not a 128GB iPhone 6? Yes, it'll cost a fortune, but high-spending early adopters love this stuff.

iPhone 6 home button

According to Business Insider, of the many iPhone 6 prototypes Apple has made, one has a giant Retina+ IGZO display and a "new form factor with no home button. Gesture control is also possibly included" - more on that shortly. Mind you, it was mooted that Apple would dump the home button in time for iPhone 5, but it never happened.

iPhone 6 screen

Take this one with a pinch of salt, because China Times isn't always right: it reckons the codename iPhone Math, which may be a mistranslation of iPhone+, will have a 4.8-inch display. The same report suggests that Apple will release multiple handsets throughout the year over and above the iPhone 5S and 6, which seems a bit far-fetched to us.

Patents show that Apple has been thinking about magical morphing technology that can hide sensors and even cameras. Will it make it into the iPhone 6? Probably not.

iPhone 6 processor

Not a huge surprise, this one: the current processor is a dual-core A6, and the next one will be a quad-core A7. The big sell here is more power with better efficiency, which should help battery life.

Expect to see it in the 2013 iPad first, and expect to see an improved A6 processor, the A6X, in the iPhone 5S.

iPhone 6 camera

Apple's bought camera sensors from Sony before, and this year we're going to see a new, 13-megapixel sensor that takes up less room without compromising image quality.

iPhone 6 eye tracking

One thing seems certain - Apple can't ignore the massive movement towards eye-tracking tech from other vendors, especially Samsung. It seems a shoe-in that Apple will deliver some kind of motion tech within the next iPhone, probably from uMoove.

The new iPhone will have better 4G LTE

On its UK launch, just one UK network had 4G LTE: Everything Everywhere, which currently offers 4G on the 1800MHz band. In 2013, all the other big names will be coming on board, offering 4G in other frequency bands. International iPhones already work across different 4G bands to the UK, so you can expect the UK iPhone 6 (and possibly the iPhone 5S) to be more promiscuous than the iPhone 5.

iPhone 6 Wi-Fi may be 802.11ac

Apple likes to lead Wi-Fi standards adoption - its Airport really helped make Wi-Fi mainstream - and there's a good chance we'll see ultra-fast 802.11ac Wi-Fi in Apple kit this year. It's faster than Lighting, and not very frightening.

iPhone 6 wireless charging

Wireless charging still isn't mainstream. Could Apple help give it a push? CP Tech reports that Apple has filed a patent for efficient wireless charging, but then again Apple has filed patents for pretty much anything imaginable.

The tasty bit of this particular patent is that Apple's tech wouldn't just charge one device, but multiple ones.

Three Mobile says it is likely to wait until the end of 2013 before it starts rolling out 4G LTE services and will ignore the opportunity to "move quickly" on the next-gen mobile tech.

During Tuesday's earning's call, Three said it saw little reason to rush, while the speeds offered by its current "ultrafast" 3G service are not significantly below those on the fledgling 4GEE network.

Logistically, the company is able to roll-out 4G services on the 800MHz spectrum it acquired in the recent spectrum auction but, unlike rivals O2 and Vodafone, the Three seems happy to wait for the right moment.

CEO Dave Dyson told reporters: "Our network stacks up very well. Right now the latest version of 3G and the early versions of LTE are not dramatically different and I am very confident that our customers are getting the right experience.

"Realistically, I think it's going to be towards the end of the year before you see us launch (4G) LTE as a technology.

New customers and profits through the roof

It's little surprise that the company isn't willing to push the big red 4G panic button, considering the UK's smallest major mobile network announced the addition of a million new customers on Tuesday.

The annual slew of newcomers brings Three's customer base to 9.1 million, all of whom contributed to the company's £101m annual profit - only its second year in the black since Three began trading here in 2003.

Indeed, when the company eventually does decide to launch a 4G LTE service, it can expect to snare even more new subscribers.

Three earned a lot of goodwill back in February when it vowed not to jack up the prices for 4G tariffs, unlike Everything Everywhere's super-premium next-gen contract offerings.