It looks like ZTE is gearing up to launch a successor to its extremely thin 5-inch Grand S handset.

A new phone labeled the Grand SII was recently cleared by the Telecom Equipment Certification Center, the Chinese equivalent of the FCC.

According to the network license the Grand S successor will come with an even larger 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 screen. Despite the small bump in screen size, it will remain relatively thin at 154 x 77 x 7.9mm.

It will also be rocking Qualcomm's Snapdragon 600 chipset with 2GB of RAM. Overall it seems to be mostly a flat upgrade on hardware except the rear camera has been lowered from a 13MP to 8MP rear snapper. The phone is likely to also have a MicroSD slot as well.

Coming stateside?

The version of the phone listed in the network license comes with a radio working on the TD-SCDMA band, making it ready for China Mobile's network.

However there are also rumors that a Snapdragon 800 model for WCDMA networks is also in the works. If this is true, we could see the phone at CES in Las Vegas or Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

We'll let you know if the word on the Internet street is legit as soon as we hear something new on this.

• In other rumor-y news, Apple might be working on a 12.9 inch 2K and 4K iPads.

Via Into Mobile

The days of Brit-based Android owners casting an envious eye at the iTunes Store may be coming to an end after Google agreed a deal to bring content from leading US cable network HBO to the Play store.

The deal brings hit big-budget shows like Boardwalk Empire, True Blood, Game of Thrones, Girls and Veep to the Play Store, with more on the way next year, according to the network.

As yet, those are the only five shows available for Google Play users. There's no Eastbound & Down and no access to classic archive shows like The Sopranos, The Wire and Band of Brothers.

Episodes are available on the web or on mobile devices for £2.49 in HD or £1.89 in standard definition, while season costs vary. Game of Thrones S3, for example, is £18.49.

More please...

The roll-out comes only a couple of months after Play Store patrons in the US received access to HBO's line-up for the first time.

That library was also limited at first, but a vast array of HBO content has since been added across the pond. It now includes the likes of The Newsroom, Sex and the City, Rome and Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The UK should be up to speed soon, according to Colin Smith, director of international digital distribution for HBO, who says this is just the beginning.

He said: "This is an exciting time for HBO in the digital space and we can't wait to work with Google over the coming weeks and months to deliver all of our series and films to their platform, including a host of new and returning HBO shows throughout 2014."

Lets hope Google ties up the loose ends faster than you can say "Die, King Joffrey! Die!"

• 'Piracy is a compliment' says HBO as GoT tops illegal download charts

The Sky+ app for iOS and Android got a little more useful on Tuesday with users now able to remotely instruct their living room set-top box to download On Demand content.

The feature, rolled out on both platforms today, means users will be able to download the content during the day and then dive in to their favourite shows as soon as they get home.

In order to obtain the new functionality, users must have the latest version of the software on the connected Sky+ box, with the company rolling out the updates as we speak.

The app update also brings the ability for Sky customers to browse the Showcase on demand sections regardless of whether the set-top box is synced with the handset.

Queueing up the content

While the act of downloading is a minor inconvenience, the new feature will be handy, for example, when scanning the on-demand offerings on the way home and queueing up content for the evening.

Luke Bradley-Jones, Sky's Brand Director of TV Products said: "The Sky+ app is incredibly popular with our customers; with over 2 million using the app every month and in October alone over 2.4 million shows were set to record using the Sky+ app.

"We know the way our customers are watching TV is changing and On Demand has become much more popular. Over 3.4m homes with a Sky+HD box connected to broadband are now downloading around millions of On Demand shows and movies every week."

• Did you know you can access PAYG Sky Atlantic content through the company's Now TV platform?

Like many of its competitors, Apple has been chasing the wireless charging train for a while - and it looks like it just made a significant step closer to jumping on board.

A patent for wireless charging was among a bunch of properties just won by Apple, as reported by Patently Apple.

The technology described in the patent uses a near-field magnetic resonance that charges any devices within a certain distance without the need for any cables.

Going the distance

The accompanying diagram shows an iMac, iPod, keyboard and Magic Mouse all being charged wirelessly in a "virtual charging arena".

Another patent in the pile was for the design of the new cylindrical Mac Pro, which is expected to launch later this month.

There's never a guarantee that patents such as Apple's wireless charging one will become a reality, but with the likes of Google and LG already delivering their own cable-free solutions, Apple is unlikely to be too far behind.

• Speaking of which, what do we think of the iPad mini 2?

Three customers are chomping at the bit to get their mitts on 4G network coverage, and some users are already benefiting from a staggered rollout.

The data-friendly network has revealed on its Twitter account that select users in three cities are already enjoying some free 4G action.

One tweet reads "4G launch is under way but it's only available to a few thousand customers in certain areas before spreading early next year," while another says "the roll-out has started with a few thousand customers in 3 cities including Birmingham. This will be ramped up early 2014."

Official announcement tomorrow?

Update: We will see Three go official with its 4G launch soon, as a TechRadar source has revealed that the network is prepping a 4G announcement for tomorrow.

The source warned though that it would only be flicking the switch in London, and it will initially be very limited, so there's no guarantee everyone in the capital will be able to take advantage.

We have contacted Three for more information and we'll update this article when we hear back.

HTC is truly feeling the burn of the patent war right now, as a judge has ruled that the HTC One Mini infringes some Nokia-owned patents and has banned the device from being sold in the UK.

HTC will not be allowed to sell the Mini any more starting from December 6, and has agreed to cease imports of the device to the UK for the time being.

The HTC One flagship is also at risk of seeing a ban, though the judge acknowledged that this would cause "considerable" damage and has given HTC time to appeal.

Bye bye baby

Nokia had already won an injunction that meant HTC had to alter its microphone inside the One, but this is a significant step further.

We've contacted HTC and have been told that it will have more information to share with us in the coming hours, so stay tuned. We'll update as soon as we hear more.

Get a last good look at all this HTC One Mini you can't have, Brits

Samsung loves to milk a product for all it's worth, just look at all the Samsung Galaxy S4 spin-offs like the Galaxy S4 Mini, Galaxy S4 Active and Galaxy S4 Zoom for proof of that.

With the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 being the latest big thing from the Korean company it's seemed like it would only be a matter of time before that too would get in on the spin-off action. In fact back in July there were even rumours of there being four different versions of the handset.

So it's no surprise to hear that at least one of those versions is a reality, as the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Lite is apparently in the works.

An insider for SamMobile confirmed that not only does the handset exist, but that it will be officially announced at MWC 2014, before hitting the street in February or March.

Same size, lower specs?

Unfortunately there's no word on specs yet, but according to SamMobile it will be available in black or white and is likely to have either a 5.49 or 5.7-inch display.

Given the name it will presumably be cheaper and less powerful than the Galaxy Note 3 and assuming it's the budget version of the Note 3 that we heard about in July it's likely to have an LCD screen and an 8MP camera.

Not the most exciting of handsets then, especially since by March it may have the Samsung Galaxy S5 for company, but if the price is right it could certainly sell - although word of the Galaxy Grand 2 and Galaxy Grand 2 Lite may just confuse the market even more. Perhaps the Korean firm just needs to hold fire a bit.

• Samsung isn't the only company getting in on the phablet action. Take a look at the Sony Xperia Z Ultra for an alternative.

Having your mobile stolen can be a distressing experience and it's all the worse if the thief then racks up a massive bill that you're left to pay.

But the days of unexpected phone bills could soon be in the past, as EE, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone have made an agreement with the government to cap the amount that customers would have to pay for phone calls made when their handset is stolen.

O2 is the obvious absentee from the list of networks, but the bubbly carrier has told TechRadar that it's waiting for more detailed plans before signing up.

There's no confirmation yet on what that cap will actually be, but early suggestions are that it will be around £50 - much like the current liability cap on stolen debit and credit cards.

Break the contract

This is expected to come into place in spring 2014 and alongside it the same four firms plus BT, Talk Talk and Sky have also agreed to warn customers about mid-contract price hikes and give them the option of breaking the contract without penalty if they'd rather not pay the extra.

Culture Secretary Maria Miller announced the plans, stating that: "Families can be left struggling if carefully planned budgets are blown away by unexpected bills from a stolen mobile or a mid-contract price rise.

"This agreement with the telecoms companies will deliver real benefits to consumers and help ensure people are not hit with shock bills."

Looking further ahead, EE, Three, Virgin Media and Vodafone have also pledged to help the government eliminate roaming charges in the EU by 2016, paving the way to a more affordable mobile future.

• This isn't the only project EE's been working up. The network's also been making real strides with 4G.