BlackBerry Messenger has been a favourite tool for fans of BlackBerry for many years, and now BlackBerry is hoping to spread the love on the iOS and Android platforms.

But this announcement has many wondering: is giving away BBM really such a great idea?

On the surface it certainly looks like they are giving current BlackBerry users one more reason to join the mutiny to Android and iOS. If the core reason for staying with BlackBerry up until now had been staying in touch with BBM contacts, then there is no reason to stick around any longer.

These users can now ditch BlackBerry and gain access to popular apps, like Instagram, Vine and Spotify, plus they can keep pinging their friends and work colleagues on BBM without any sacrifices.

The effect of this move may be felt most in emerging markets,especially in South East Asia where BBM (and the unlimited messaging plans that come with it) are mostly responsible for the huge popularity of the BlackBerry brand.

BlackBerry is hoping it will have the opposite effect and drive people to the platform. But will anybody buy the BlackBerry cow if they are giving away the milk for free?

This isn't a short-term strategy, and cross-platform BBM is more likely to damage the BlackBerry subscriber base in the near future than help grow it.

Current BlackBerry users are keenly aware of the reasons they want to switch (if they do), while iPhone and Android owners generally don't think much about BlackBerry at all.

To this end, cross-platform BBM will invariably build BlackBerry's brand awareness. Every time BBM shows up in an app search on iOS or Android, that's a win for BlackBerry. Every download of the app is a new customer.

If these new users start to use BBM as their IM app of choice, then it will plant the seed and give BlackBerry a better chance at a sale the next time these customer's contracts come up for renewal.

Of course, the big variable here is whether these people end up actually using BBM, and there is already strong competition on the other platforms.

What's app, doc?

With the rise and rise in popularity of the Whatsapp instant messaging service, no BBM announcement is complete without pundits drawing comparisons between the two services.

Whatsapp is already cross-platform, boasts twice as many messages per day from a user base which is now nearly three-and-a-half times larger than BBM. With so many people on Whatsapp, will anyone even bother with BBM on iOS and Android?

BlackBerry's offering will have a richer feature set though, with video and voice calling coming to the iPhone and Android by the end of the year.

There is also BBM's unique screen-sharing capability, where you can stream a mirror of your display during a call, letting your friends browse through your image gallery with you, or share a map while planning a get-together.

But ultimately smartphone users aren't loyal to one service or another. At the end of the day, it all comes down to where your friends are.

If you have friends among the 60-million people who use BBM, chances are you will download it and get in touch with them. You'll install both Whatsapp and BBM, plus Twitter, Skype and Facebook Messenger and happily switch between them all.

This multi-service usage is good news for BlackBerry. Ultimately, it just needs to be part of the conversation, it doesn't need to dominate it.

Win, win?

There are hearts and minds to be won on the competing platforms. Still, this is a big gamble for the company formerly known as RIM that could backfire.

BlackBerry believes that this is the "right time to do it". Many of the executives at BlackBerry Live used exactly the same phrase, saying that the company believed that BlackBerry 10 has enough uniquely attractive features to draw in customers besides BBM. It no longer has to rely on BBM to keep customers in the ecosystem, so the company can afford to share the love.

Being more inclusive of the other platforms is a great way to reach out to millions and millions of users. But does BlackBerry need to give these users everything? Would a cross-platform text-only service be a smarter play?

Give Android and iPhone users a taste - a nibble of the possibilities - but make them switch to a Z10 for the full suite of tools, especially the awesome screen-sharing functionality.

Either way, we'll be rooting for BlackBerry in the meantime. It's nice to watch a company getting back up on its feet with innovative ideas at the core of its strategy.

With stealthy automatic updates, you might not know that the Firefox 21 release date was today, but you may want to know about the its new features.

The official Firefox 21 release notes begin with the browser's integration of three additional social media networks.

"Today, we are adding multiple new social providers Cliqz, Mixi and msnNOW to Firefox," wrote Mozilla in a blog post today.

This is in addition to the inclusion of Facebook Messenger for Firefox, which has been baked into the browser ever since FireFox 17 released in November.

According to Mozilla, these real-time updates will "help you stay connected to your social networks, no matter where you go on the Web."

What's new in Do Not Track, bug reports

The second pillar of what's new in FireFox 21 is an enhanced three-state user interface for Do Not Track.

The tweaked Do Not Track feature, located in the privacy tab, gives users the option to tell websites that they don't want to be tracked, do want to be tracked, or tell websites nothing at all.

More importantly, the third big change in today's Firefox download is the debut of Firefox Health Report.

The new feature should help users improve the browser's start-up time and reduce crashes thanks to tools that help them understand and actually fix problems.

Firefox users will no longer just encounter a somewhat useless "Report crash to Firefox" error screen, but have the chance to log and remedy the problem.

Firefox for Android update

Mozilla has kept its promise to simultaneously release Firefox for Android updates, launching a new version of the mobile browser in the Google Play store today.

The release notes for this pint-sized Firefox browser state that it adds access to recent history through the back and forward buttons and now includes the ability to save files via a long tap.

Mozilla also improved the fonts rendered by this browser in what it dubbed "Project Readability."

Mozilla's rapid release cycle estimates that the next Firefox browser update is due out toward the end of June.

Today's Nokia Lumia 925 launch event in London came and went without being coupled with an announcement of a Nokia tablet for 2013.

However, the Finnish phone manufacturer doesn't sound as if it is ruling out releasing a Nokia Lumia tablet in the near future.

"We're very interested in tablets and that's an area we're looking at," said Nokia executive vice president of smart devices Jo Harlow, according to CNET.

Nokia is "looking at" tablets, but not ready to officially announce a device just yet, as she added, "I don't have any product news I can share."

Staring contest

Nokia has been on the record as "looking at" tablets for more than two years now.

In 2011, the company's CEO, Stephen Elop, said "Our team right now is assessing what's the right tablet strategy for Nokia."

More recently, Elop used Harlow's talking points, saying, "It is something we are clearly looking at very closely."

The only concrete evidence that Nokia has taken more than an eyes-on approach to making a tablet comes from design head Marko Ahtisaari, who confirmed "We are working on it" more than a year ago.

Nokia tablet with Windows 8?

Microsoft was roundly criticized for being late to enter the tablet mix with the Surface in 2012, but its chief phone partner, Nokia, is taking an even longer time to produce a full-sized device.

Although Nokia is the No. 2 handset maker, it trails Apple, Samsung, LG, HTC, Motorola, Sony, and even Blackberry in releasing a tablet with a modern-day operating system.

Speculation about a Nokia Lumia tablet immediately points to a device running either Windows RT or Windows 8 Pro given its close partnership with Microsoft.

Whether or not it's a keyboard-equipped Nokia Lumia tablet remains to be seen.

However, new phones people are willing to buy like the Lumia 925 and the debut of a tablet could help put Nokia back on top as it was in its Symbian days and avoid it from resorting to its back-up plan.

The newly-announced BlackBerry Q5 handset will be winging its way to the United Kingdom in July, according to high street retailer Phones 4U.

The retailer is the first British outlet to confirm it'll be stocking the more affordable Q5 handset, which is BlackBerry's attempt to put its BB10 operating system in the hands of more users.

Following its unveiling at BlackBerry Live in Orlando, Florida, the company was vague about launch details, claiming the device would be targeted at emerging markets primarily.

The device, which will come in three colours, will be pushed as a QWERTY alternative to the flagship BlackBerry Q10 device, which is available SIM-free for a whopping £579.

The Curve to the Bold

The Q5, if you will, is the BlackBerry Curve compared with the Q10's BlackBerry Bold.

The Q5, which will come in red, pink and white, packs a 3.1-inch LCD display, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 2GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage.

It'll also boast a 5-megapixel rear camera, a front-facing webcam, the all-important 4G connectivity and a 2100mAh battery.

We've already enjoyed some hands-on time with the device at BlackBerry Live, so check out our initial impressions for a hint at whether this could be your route to owning a BB10 device.

Via CNET

Microsoft's annual developer conference has a bit of Google IO glow surrounding it this year, thanks in no small part to the Windows 8 conundrum.

Is it a failure? Is it the beginning of a software revolution? What about apps? How many Surfaces have been sold? When will we see new devices? And what the heck is going on with Windows RT?

Microsoft has already given us more than a taste of what to expect between June 26 - June 28 in the form of Windows Blue news, but plenty of possible announcements on new devices, services and updates remain distinct possibilities.

We've gathered what we know about Build into one handy guide for you (right here, of course) plus added some well-informed hypotheses on what you can expect from the event, taking place in the halls of San Francisco's Moscone Center late next month.

1. Welcome, Windows 8.1

This is the big, no brainer announcement as Microsoft has already confirmed Windows 8.1 will be released via public preview during Build.

We've heard plenty about this Windows 8 update, known until recently as Windows Blue, but Windows 8.1 still has plenty of mystery surrounding it.

Microsoft will officially release the update "later this year," providing "more options to businesses, and give consumers more options to work and play," but Build will be our first chance to see specifically what the Softies are planning for the Windows 8 refresh.

This isn't simply an operating system update: We'll see more for apps (more on that below), a likely Windows Phone 8 update, and some new stuff for Windows server.

Blue a.k.a Windows 8.1 a.k.a the free Windows 8 update could spell feast or famine for Microsoft's new take on the OS, so we'll be keeping a close eye on how well it functions and how well it's received, which may be a given if Microsoft decides to bring back the Start button.

2. Splitting up and coming together - apps, that is

Word is Microsoft is building some new, built-in Windows 8 apps as part of this whole Blue revamp, including ways to run apps side-by-side on devices home to smaller-sized screens. The hope is to do so without a massive internal work over, which if Microsoft can achieve would make for more expedient delivery to awaiting Windows 8 customers.

Blue will apparently bring something called "Snap Views" that will split a screen 50/50 between two apps, including across different monitors.

What does this mean for consumers? Easier operability and greater personal choice. A revamp of first-party apps is certainly something Microsoft fans would like to see, and we can't imagine the company letting Build slip by without a decent overhaul on the individual app front.

3. Smaller Windows 8 devices

There's a space Microsoft hasn't extended its Windows 8 reach to yet, but that could change before year's end.

That space is of course smaller devices, namely ones developed by the company's OEM partners and sized in the 7- to 8-inch range.

"As part of [new device offerings], we are also working closely with OEMs on a new suite of small touch devices powered by Windows," former Microsoft CFO Peter Klein said during the company's April earnings call.

The timing seems right for Microsoft to introduce a tablet or hybrid meeting the smaller size requirements: In March, the company revised its display resolution requirements for OEMs down to 1024 x 769, meaning the producers are now free to play with daintier displays.

We've seen leaks for an 8-inch Acer device called the Iconia W3, which actually made a hasty appearance on Amazon before getting the hook. Asus seems to be on board with whittled-down Windows 8 products, and that's nothing to say about Microsoft's potential Surface Mini musings.

Will we see an OEM-made 7- to 8-inch device burrow out of Build? We certainly think it's possible.

4. Windows Phone Store strategy 101

Let's be frank: Windows Phone lacks hard in the app department. At last count, the Windows Phone Store counted 145,000 apps - compare that to the bajillion-plus in the iOS and Android app stores, and Windows Phone is doing a fine job of holding up the rear.

Granted, the Store's app count is growing, and the Microsoft team is "talking to a lot of folks" about various apps, something the company told us in a March interview, all the while staying focused on developing a "vibrant, differentiated third ecosystem."

The big question for Microsoft is how to get that message to developers while simultaneously courting the big name apps that are embarrassingly hard to come by on the platform.

Yes, Windows Phone 8 is a new platform, and every week the company seems to add at least one high-profile app (recently it was a full-fledged YouTube app) but if Microsoft wants its mobile OS to be around for the long term, it's got to figure out its app situation quick. Build seems like the place to lay all its apps on the line.

5. Xbox ties us all together

On May 21, Microsoft will introduce the world to a new generation of games, TV and entertainment through the Xbox 720, the long-awaited follow-up to the Xbox 360.

Microsoft has promised a multi-part introduction to the new Xbox, including some going-ons at E3 2013 and yet more at Gamescom 2013, but by the time Build rolls around, the new Xbox will be out of the bag in all its green-glow glory.

Developers are sure to be clamoring to learn more about the console and how it fits into the larger Microsoft ecosystem. To be honest, we'll be wondering the same things, and can't imagine Microsoft passing on the chance to talk about and introduce new features related to its flagship console.

While we don't know specifically what Microsoft has planned for the new Xbox, all signs point to not just a gaming console, but a completely different way to be entertained and connected. Build will build on the announcements of May 21 and E3, no pun intended.

Apple has submitted a request to the courts that it be allowed to add Samsung's recently released flagship Android phone, the Galaxy S4, to the companies' upcoming patent battle.

That's right: if you thought that the epic patent war between Apple and Samsung was more or less finished when Apple was awarded over $1 billion nearly a year ago, you're dead wrong.

The "he copied, she copied" has continued ever since, with Northern District of California Judge Lucy Koh in March ordering a new trial altogether.

Apple and Samsung were recently ordered to narrow down their cases against one another, and while they each downsized their list of the other party's infringing products to 22 devices, Apple now wants to swap one out for the Galaxy S4.

The dogs of patent war

Apple told the court in a filing that after analyzing Samsung's Galaxy S4, it "concluded that it is an infringing device and accordingly intends to move for leave to add the Galaxy S4 as an infringing product," Phone Arena reported today.

Apple will reportedly swap the Galaxy S4 in for another Samsung device on its list of infringing products, keeping the number at 22, if the court allows it.

Apple's current list of infringing Samsung devices includes the Galaxy Nexus, multiple versions of the Galaxy Note, and the Galaxy S4 predecessors Galaxy S2 and Galaxy S3.

Samsung's list, on the other hand, includes various iPhones, iPads, and iPods, and multiple Apple computers.

The Apple-Samsung patent case is scheduled to hit the courts again in March 2014.

We've asked Samsung for its comment on Apple's request, but so far we haven't heard back.

Kaspersky Labs has done a deal with Qualcomm that will see its Mobile Security and Tablet Security software pre-installed on Android devices powered by Snapdragon processors.

Kaspersky says the deal, which was agreed on 'special terms', will see its apps offered to a wide range of customers who are manufacturing, or have manufactured on their behalf, Snapdragon-enabled mobile devices or tablets running Android.

The company's Mobile Security and Tablet Security apps are currently sold on Google's Play store for $15 (£9) and $20 (£13) respectively.

Qualcomm joins a list of more than 80 existing Kaspersky Labs partners, including Microsoft, IBM, Cisco, Juniper Networks and Alcatel Lucent.

Eugene Kaspersky, Chairman and CEO of Kaspersky Labs, said: "In Kaspersky Lab, we have a solid number of global companies we work with, and Qualcomm Technologies will be one of the most important among them.

"We are looking forward to providing solutions to a wide range of device manufacturers, who are designing and/or building Snapdragon-enabled mobile devices or tablets running on Android."

According to a study by NQ Mobile, which tapped into the company's database of 283 million mobile users, the number of malware attacks on Android doubled in the period from 2011 to 2012.

NQ Mobile estimated that over 32.8 million Android devices were infected last year, versus 10.8 million in 2011 - a rise of more than 200 per cent.

This summer BlackBerry will launch its popular messaging application BBM on iOS and Android this summer.

Initially the Android and iOS app will feature messaging and groups with the roll out of voice, screen share, video and new feature Channels all arriving in updates at a later date.

The BBM app will work on iOS 6 and Android Ice Cream Sandwich and above, although there's no word on Windows Phone support just yet.

BlackBerry claims it wants to make BBM the premium multi messaging solution around the world, but it's got some tough competition with the likes of iMessage and the well established WhatsApp to contend with.

Channelling BBM

On top of the text, voice and video functionality already available within BBM, BlackBerry also announced a new service for the app at its BlackBerry Live conference in Orlando, going by the name Channels.

Channels is being billed as a social engagement platform within BBM, allowing users to follow brands, people, bands etc.

If appears to be some sort of mashup between Twitter and Facebook pages, with notifications popping up on your BlackBerry to alert you when the channels you've subscribed to have posted something new.

BlackBerry will start rolling out Channels this summer to the Z10, Q10 and Q5, while Android and iOS users will have to wait until later this year.

The BlackBerry Z10 will start reaping the rewards of the BlackBerry 10.1 update from today as the Canadian firm pushes it out to its fully touchscreen device.

BlackBerry 10.1 can already be found on the BlackBerry Q10 which launched with the updated software, and it brings a few new tricks to both handsets.

This means the BlackBerry Z10 will now be able to take advantage of the HDR mode in the camera app, plus the messaging hub gets pin to pin messaging for super secure missives.

Skype ahoy!

The 10.1 update brings more good news when it comes to apps and one of the biggest players to take advantage of this new version is Skype - which you'll now be able to fully enjoy on the BlackBerry Z10.

We've been told that by the end of this week most of BlackBerry's carrier partners (of which there are over 200 in 14 countries) will offer the 10.1 update to Z10 users, although those in the US will have to wait until the end of the month before they can grab 10.1.

Speaking at BlackBerry Live in Orlando company CEO Thorsten Heins confirmed it was committed to future upgrades to BlackBerry 10, promising to "provide regular platform updates to customers".

The BlackBerry Q5 has been officially announced at the Canadian firm's annual Live conference in Orlando after numerous leaks and rumours, promising to bring BlackBerry 10 in at a more affordable price point.

Eyebrows were raised when BlackBerry's first two handsets to sport the new BB10 OS, the Z10 and Q10, both carried premium price tags but initial fears seem to have been laid to rest with the arrival of the Q5.

Sporting the firms trademark QWERTY keyboard the noticeably plastic BlackBerry Q5 has been given the isolated buttons found on the firm's later Curve range of handsets, marking it out as a cheaper option.

Young people are the future

The BlackBerry Q5 could be the handset which sees BB10 get into the hands of the masses as it will look to capitalise on the youth market which were so receptive of the low cost, BBM enabled Curve range.

At the moment there's no word on the BlackBerry Q5 release date or price, but it will start rolling out to select markets with a focus on emgerging markets this summer.

We'll be getting our mitts on the new budget BlackBerry soon, so keep an eye out for our hands on BlackBerry Q5 review.

More to follow...

With the advent of the Nokia Lumia 925, it's time to pit it against the big phones of the last few months.

With the exception of the iPhone 5S / iPhone 6 due at some point in 2013, we now have our mitts on the best that Android, iOS and Windows Phone have to offer us this year.

Because the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 are the best phones around and because they both run Android, that means we've dropped a third Android handset from this roundup (the Sony Xperia Z).

So now we have room for the Windows Phone 8-powered 925 and the iOS-based iPhone 5.

Not so long ago, if you weren't on an iPhone or a BlackBerry, chances were you were rocking an HTC Android device with a big clock on the homescreen.

But times change – and Samsung got busy with its Galaxy line, ultimately stealing the top Android spot from HTC and making HTC wince. But while iOS continues to have a big share, Nokia also wants to have a bigger say the market - hence the metallic look to the Lumia 925.

Let's see how the handsets compare head-to-head on the core specification.

Lumia 925 vs HTC One vs Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5: design and dimensions

Like the HTC One, the Lumia 925 goes heavy on the metal, though it still has a polycaronate back available in black and white. The HTC One looks a little like the white iPhone 5, but it remains a stunning design and is a really excellently crafted unibody device.

The HTC One feels very solid in the hand, with dimensions of 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm, with a weight of 143g compared to the Lumia 925's thinner, narrower and shorter 129 x 70.6 x 8.5 mm and lesser 139g weight.

The HTC One is our favourite handset around at the moment, narrowly pushing our the Samsung Galaxy S4. This is definitely true of the design, where the Galaxy is second-best. It's similar to the all-conquering Samsung Galaxy S3 from last year, with its Although thinner than the HTC One at 7.9mm, the Galaxy S4 comes in at 136.6 x 69.8 footprint. Indeed, despite the larger screen, the 130g S4 isn't much bigger than the S3.

The slate or white/grey metallic iPhone 5 is amazingly light. it's 20 per cent lighter than the iPhone 4S, as well as beating all the opposition at 112g. Compared to that, you definitely notice the extra heft of the HTC One especially.

Lumia 925 vs HTC One vs Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5: processor

A beautiful phone can end up as a beautiful paperweight if the processor isn't up to task. This used to happen a lot – but has not been as much of an issue in the last year or two since smartphones started becoming seriously powerful.

HTC is right up at the top of the specification tree with the HTC One offering a quad-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor. That's an excellent chip from the latest generation of ARM SoC silicon. Sadly the Lumia 925 doesn't quite live up to these heights with a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 MSM8960.

That's a quick chip, used in numerous handsets such as the Lumia 820 and 920 as well as some versions of the HTC One X. It's perfectly good enough for pretty much all uses.

Apple's iPhone 5 only gives us a dual-core 1.2 GHz Apple A6, but you won't find many who complain of slowdown simply because it runs on such a sold OS.

The S4 features the Exynos 5 Octa 5410 (GT-I9500) in many territories, but for countries like the UK and US where 4G is around, there's a quad-core 1.9 GHz Snapdragon 600 version (GT-I9505). This remains the best in class.

Lumia 925 vs HTC One vs Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5: screen

Screen resolutions tend to inspire real one-upmanship among phone companies. Apple's launch from the old style to retina really was groundbreaking and set the bar. It's hard to make something that replicates that first impression again – hence why even on the 4-inch, 640 x 1,136 iPhone 5, Apple itself even, hasn't managed to top its 326ppi pixel density.

HTC's made sure it can secure boasting rights here over the opposition. The 1,920 x 1080 4.7-inch HTC One screen also uses LCD technology, but opts for Super LCD3 as a display and as a result performs so much better. It helps that its peak brightness is much higher (although beware of this munching your battery), but it also packs such an improved contrast ratio as well - far more than we've come to expect from an LCD screen.

Pixel-density-wise, that's around 469ppi. The Samsung's 5-inch display weighs in with a 441ppi and again it's Full HD. The new 4.5-inch Lumia sits below both of these though sadly - not only does it not have a Full HD display (768 x 1,280 instead), it has a 332ppi pixel density.

Lumia 925 vs HTC One vs Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5: camera

The camera on all these phones is excellent - but there's a big difference between them all. The Samsung is way out in front with a 13MP sensor, while the Nokia Lumia 925 features an 8.7 megapixel shooter and the iPhone 5 an 8 megapixel version. But when it comes to the HTC One, you'll have to make do with a 4MP option.

The HTC One takes things in a different direction, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. The 4MP UltraPixel camera is probably one that most of you are familiar with, but here's a quick overview: a 4MP sensor can have bigger pixels, which let it more light for an overall brighter photo - excellent in lower lights where you don't want a flash.

The image quality of all the Android and iOS handsets is excellent (see their individual reviews for more analysis), but we're really interested to see how the Lumia stacks up. It features advanced lens technology for grabbing low-light images.

Nokia Smart Camera mode is also a new addition to the handset, letting you snap ten images at once and edit, animate and enhance pictures straight away with features such as Best Shot and Motion Focus. Nokia also announced that Smart Camera Mode will also be rolling out as an update to all Lumia Windows Phone 8 devices.

Lumia 925 vs HTC One vs Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5: storage

Storage continues to annoy us, as HTC has obeyed Google's demand for there to be no expandable storage slot. Apple isn't a fan either as they want everything done through the cloud. And Nokia just hasn't bothered. So thank goodness for Samsung, who has retained a microSD slot up to 64 GB.

Internal storage just doesn't go as far as it used to, so it's great to see Samsung sticking to its guns. The iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4 are available in 16,32 and 64GB versions while the HTC One is available in 32 or 64GB variants and the Lumia 925 in 16 and 32GB.

The S4 and HTC One win the RAM race with 2GB, while the other handsets feature 1GB.

Lumia 925 vs HTC One vs Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5: early verdict

Vodafone launched a surprise attack on the Lumia 925's predecessor while one stage at a Nokia launch.

Patrick Chomet, Director of Terminals for Vodafone, was talking about how much he liked the new phone when he dropped the surprising bombshell that previous phones weren't acceptable:

"The [Lumia] 925 is one that's close to me personally, and one that Jo [Harlow, Nokia's Executive VP] and I have discussed at length.

"I loved the Lumia 920, but I always said that it is heavy [for the European market] and you can do better.

"So Jo came back in September and showed early designs of the 925 and I said, this is really great…an all-purpose phone that fits both male and female audiences."

Shooting from the hip

While it's not usually news for a network executive to pass a comment on a manufacturer's device, it doesn't sound as though the comment was cleared by Nokia beforehand.

Even so, the launch of the Lumia 925 shows that the company is committed to moving away from the powerful-yet-bulky designs of yore.

With a new metallic design and slimmer dimensions, the Lumia 925 certainly manages that. And it's had the desired effect on Vodafone, which has taken an exclusive on a Nokia device (at the more palatable 32GB internal capacity) where it hasn't really been interesting in the Lumia range to this degree before.

And don't worry Patrick – you were just saying what we've all been thinking for the past six months.

Nokia's new flagship Lumia 925 will hit the UK in June but where oh where will you be able to get it when it does?

The good news is that it looks set to be pretty ubiquitous come June.

Vodafone has confirmed that it will offer the Lumia 925, managing also to nab an exclusive on the 32GB black version of the handset.

It joins Vodafone's range of "4G-ready" phones - handsets that will be able to make the leap to 4G once Vodafone manages to get its next-gen network up and running.

• Opinion: The Nokia Lumia 925 is just a fancy 920 - and that's awesome

Three has also made its intentions clear: the Nokia Lumia 925 will come to its 'ultrafast' network which will turn into a 4G network at some point later this year.

O2 is the only network to furnish us with a concrete date so far. It says that the Nokia Lumia 925 release date will be June 13, at which point it will be selling the device.

Pre-orders will open on May 30, and O2 has also managed to wangle itself an exclusive: if you want the white version of the Lumia 925, you'll have to join the oxygen-friendly network.

Money talks

We're waiting on word from the 4G-loving EE network. None of the networks have let slip much in the way of pricing yet, but we'll keep you posted.

Nokia has already said that the handset alone will set you back around €469 (that's around £400, give or take a bit of tax) so we'd expect deals to start around the £30 per month mark.

For your money, you'll get that sleekly designed handset replete with 4.5-inch screen, 8.7MP camera with Smart Camera mode for burst shooting, and a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor.

To find out what we made of the handset, check out our hands-on Nokia Lumia 925 review now.

We're currently snapping the Nokia Lumia 925, so check back soon for images of the Finnish brand's new hero device.

The Nokia Lumia 925 is an odd device – on the one hand, a bold design, on the other, debatable specs for a flagship phone.

Known as the 'Catwalk' phone for a long time, this is the phone that some fans have been clamouring for: a Nokia Lumia that brings an aluminium design with the same innovative features.

However, it's not all good news for the metal fans, as it's still got a polycarbonate back as Nokia hasn't worked out how to rock an all-aluminium chassis in the same way HTC managed with the One.

That's not to say the design of this 4G-enabled phone isn't impressive, as with the rounded aluminium edges you'd be hard pressed to notice that the back was made of plastic, albeit a premium version of that material – plus it will come in black, white and silver.

(By the way, well done Nokia for not giving the colours 'magical' names. If it's white, call it that).

The front of the phone will also still wow a few, as it's using the same ClearBlack technology, coupled with an HD OLED screen, on a 4.5-inch display. Underneath the hood there's a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset powering things along, as well as 1GB of RAM and an 8.7MP camera bolted on the back.

Some eagle-eyed readers will notice something about those specs: they're identical to the Nokia Lumia 920, launched in September 2012. In the ensuing period HTC and Samsung have both launched 2GB, quad-core powered devices with much larger HD screens.

We can't claim that they're miles ahead in smartphone terms though; while the specs don't compare at all, Nokia's well-integrated use of Windows Phone 8 means its phones generally rocket along in day to day use, and battery powered is conserved as a result.

That said, there's no denying that the screen quality is a step down when viewed side by side with the likes of the One or Galaxy S4. It's not a bad screen at all, as it's bright and clear with decent colour reproduction, but the sharpness difference is noticeable when doing things like internet browsing.

Let's talk about what the Nokia Lumia 925 is really about though: an upgraded camera with all new functionality. If you use Nokia's Smart Camera technology as the default setting it allows you to take 10 photos at once and then allows you to do a number of cool things with said snaps.

Nokia calls this an 'evolution' of the camera technology on its phones, and it's true as you no longer have to faff about with separate 'lenses' to enable functionality.

It's a similar system as the one used by HTC in the One, where capturing a 3.6 second Zoe when taking your picture allows you to create action shots, change faces in case someone blinks, remove background objects and more.

In our quick test the Lumia 925, with its 10 photos to choose from, performed a little better at things like working out which object to remove, and was a lot better than the same functionality in the Galaxy S4, on top of being easier to manipulate images you take.

There is a caveat to all this awesome technology: the 925 is a little slow on processing. And when we say a little, we're being kind. If you're taking photos for your own pleasure and have time to mess about with them to get the perfect result, then the annoying time watching the little dots at the top of the screen (which pop up when the phone is working through a task) isn't an issue.

But Nokia's selling this phone as having great shots you can share with friends -and nobody wants to be the person saying they can take a really cool picture then waiting 15 seconds to even start editing.

The other bold claim made by Nokia is the 'best lowlight images without using a flash' - again, taking on HTC with the One's Ultrapixel power. We couldn't test the two side by side, but there's no doubt that this is going to be a closely fought war, with Nokia stating it will be putting marketing budget behind proving its own Lumia camera sensor can eclipse the One.

It reckons it can do this on a sensor that's already been used on the 920 by adding in a sixth lens to the camera unit, helping to improve things like optical image stabilisation and general photo quality.

However it's one of the only things that's different between the two phones beyond the design, with everything else nearly identical or actually worse on the Nokia Lumia 925.

They both pack a 2000mAh battery, a 4.5-inch screen (although the addition of OLED technology over LCD is a welcome one) the same processor and RAM. However, the Lumia 925 has half the internal memory, down to only 16GB - with no expansion in sight, this is going to be a real problem for a lot of users.

Wireless charging is also not included with this phone, something Nokia tells us is a bid to keep the weight of its new flagship phone right down. You can add that functionality back in through a protective case, but it still smacks of Nokia confusing its strategy given it's poured so much effort into talking up the technology.

The diet that the Finnish brand has subjected its newest handset to is impressive though, as it's now down to 139g over the 185g whopping weight of the predecessor.

It still feels weighty compared the 130g of the plastic Samsung Galaxy S4 (despite the closeness in weight), but we like heft and metal together, so we don't think this is necessarily a bad thing - plus the battery doesn't rattle around in the case any more, which we see as a win.

We haven't touched on the combination of Nokia and Windows Phone 8 yet – and with that you get a high level of extras out of the box. Mix Radio, HERE and clever features like Cinemagraph are all very much added value, and are key differentiators for Nokia.

Early verdict

The Nokia Lumia 925 is a tricky beast to rate. Nokia tells us that this a phone designed for the more technologically minded, the person that wants the latest and greatest handset from the brand.

However it seems that person would be disappointed by the Lumia 925, with its average specs and minimal upgrade from the 920 - at least when it comes to the internals.

But there's no doubting that it's going to be a market-leading cameraphone, and with things like the dedicated camera button (sounds obvious, but makes a huge difference) the 925 is definitely going to be a front runner for anyone that wants one of the most powerful portable cameras around.

Given a lot of the functionality will be coming to the older phones though it's hard to guess whether the design update will be enough - but when you hold it in your hand and come to enjoy the combination of polycarbonate and plastic, we reckon it will be enough to sway a number of users.

Price is going to play a massive part here, and that could be where the Nokia Lumia 925 loses out to the competition. It will likely cost the same as the leading smartphones on and off contract, and if someone holds the HTC One and Nokia Lumia 925 together, they're going to be hard-pressed to pick the latter unless they're enamoured by Windows Phone's Live Tiles.

We're obviously going to reserve judgement here until we get the Nokia Lumia 925 in for review - word is this will be around the start of June, so it's not too long to wait now.