The National Security Agency is looking at more than just our Google searches, emails and text messages.
The NSA also tracks the location data from hundreds of millions of mobile phones around the world, largley by tapping into the cables that connect mobile networks globally, according to the Washington Post.
In all the agency collects and stores five billion call records a day, the Post reported.
This latest leak comes from documents provided by leaker Edward Snowden as well as interviews with US intelligence officials. Clearly, the revelation has some disturbing implications.
Hide your kids, hide your phones, they're tracking everybody out here
The location data that the NSA is said to collect allows the agency to track people's movements and map out their relationships in ways never before seen.
Since phone users' location data is "metadata" that's collected "incidentally," it's not considered to be protected by the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution.
The amendment is meant to guard against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires warrants to be sanctioned by a judge and supported by probable clause.
What's more, officials reportedly claimed that the bulk of location tracking occurs outside the US.
US officials said that the location data collection programs the NSA uses are within the organization's legal rights, and that they're "intended strictly to develop intelligence about foreign targets."
A bigger boat
But the NSA is collecting so much location data that it's reportedly spent the last year and a half upgrading its systems to provide greater storage capacity (its database is rumored to be around 17 terabytes already).
The agency apparently needs to collect data on a planetary scale for its algorithms to be able to accurately track targets' relationships.
The report claimed the data is collected with the help of corporations around the world that are referred to in internal NSA documents by awesome codenames like "ARTIFICE" and "WOLFPOINT."
Did the Washington Post just leak the plot of the next Bond movie, or are things really this bad?
The National Security Agency is tracking more than just our Google searches, text messages and phone call metadata, according to a new report.
The NSA also tracks the location data from hundreds of millions of mobile phones around the world, according to the Washington Post.
In all the agency collects and stores five billion call records a day, the Post reported.
This latest leak comes from "top-secret documents and interviews with US intelligence officials" provided by leaker Edward Snowden, and it has disturbing implications.
Hide your kids, hide your phones, they're tracking everybody out here
The location data that the NSA is allegedly collecting every day allows it "to track the movements of individuals - and map their relationships - in ways that would have been previously unimaginable," the Post wrote.
Apparently phone users' location data is not considered to be protected by the Fourth Amendment because it's "metadata" that's collected "incidentally."
And officials reportedly claim that the bulk of location tracking occurs outside the US.
US officials said that the location data collection programs the NSA uses are within the organization's legal rights, and that they're "intended strictly to develop intelligence about foreign targets."
A bigger boat
But the NSA is collecting so much location data that it's reportedly spent the last year and a half upgrading its systems to provide greater storage capacity (its database is rumored to be around 17 terabytes already).
The Agency apparently needs to collect data on a planetary scale for its algorithms to be able to accurately track targets' relationships.
The report claimed the data is collected with the help of corporations around the world that are referred to in internal NSA documents by awesome codenames like "ARTIFICE" and "WOLFPOINT."
Did the Washington Post just leak the plot of the next Bond movie, or are things really this bad?
Just last week we brought news that mobile network O2 would be flogging PS4s with new mobile contracts and now those in Microsoft's corner can also take advantage of a console plus smartphone deal.
From Thursday, the bubbly network will be offering an Xbox One and Nokia Lumia 1020 contract bundle, which will net buyers 1GB of data, unlimited texts and a year of Xbox Live and a copy of FIFA 14 to boot.
For that veritable grotto of Microsoft-centric goods, folks will need to fork over £100 up front, plus £52 a month for the next two years. New and current customers can sign up as part of the O2 Refresh plan.
The deal is only available in O2 stores, 65 of them to be precise, rather than online, with the company saying it has limited stock to go around.
Limited stock
The Xbox offer follows O2's decision to hawk the Sony PS4 with the Sony Xperia Z1 phone on a similar deal, with a year of PlayStation Plus and a copy of Killzone: Shadowfall.
"With our new Xbox One and Nokia Lumia 1020 bundle customers will be getting one of the best consoles and one of the best camera phones in time for Christmas," said David Johnson, General Manager Devices for O2.
The Galaxy S4 was a winner, but the world waits for the S5
A new Samsung phone has appeared online in spectral specs form, and it looks like it could definitely be the Galaxy S5.
The handset, model number SM-G900S, popped up in a benchmark test on GFXBench, though it appears it's since been taken down.
According to FoneArena when the listing was live it revealed a Samsung handset with a 2560 x 1440 display, a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, an Adreno 330 GPU, and Android 4.4: KitKat.
Nothing else is known about this mystery Samsung phone, but the site speculated that given the resolution it might have a 5.25-inch screen with pixel density at 560ppi, as rumors last month said.
Then again
Of course there's no guarantee at all that this Samsung device is the Galaxy S5.
Considering Samsung has a total of four or five new phones planned for early 2014 already, this could actually be any number of devices.
But even if it's not the Galaxy S5 that we're seeing, Samsung's unlikely to let its flagship Galaxy S series be beat, so the S5 will probably at least match these specs.
Its the YotaPhone, although we'd have preferred a Yoda Phone...
Dual screen phones aren't an entirely new concept. Samsung, for instance, has decided that it is going to create a dual screen flip phone.
The idea of a dual-screen tablet has also been floated, although this too relies upon the idea of a hinged device. The YotaPhone changes all that though, and now you can actually go out and buy one.
1. The YotaPhone: e-ink display
If you didn't know that the YotaPhone comes with a kindle-esque e-ink display then where have you been? Christmas shopping? Did you buy us anything nice? You know what we want right?
With access to information driving the modern smartphone revolution, smartwatches have appeared out of nowhere. Never has so much been available to many from their pockets and we all want to be connected to it.
The 4.3-inch 360x640 e-ink display does a lot more than just displaying text on screen, it is intended to be a hub of all your important information, whilst providing little drain on the battery. Whilst Yota state that it is ideal as an e-reader, there is a much larger appeal.
As the e-ink display is always on, a quick glance down gives access to Facebook and Twitter feeds via RSS, as well as showing the time and all your notifications without having to load up a power hungry LCD screen.
2. The YotaPhone: LCD display
The e-ink display is merely the secondary screen on the YotaPhone, with the Russian device coming with a more standard 4.3-inch HD screen on the front.
It's not a Full HD experience, a mere 720 x 1280 capacitive screen. This means that the YotaPhone comes with 342ppi, someway off the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4's whopping 441ppi.
As a mid-range device though, the YotaPhone does beat the Galaxy S4 Mini's 256ppi whilst matching the HTC One Mini.
3. The YotaPhone: CPU and storage
To keep everything running smoothly, the YotaPhone comes toting a dual-core 1.7GHz processor, backed up with 2GB of RAM.
This means that it comes out more powerful than both the Galaxy S4 Mini (with 0.5GB less RAM) and the HTC One Mini (smaller CPU and less RAM).
32GB of internal storage is also provided, although those looking for a microSD slot will have to look elsewhere.
4. YotaPhone: OS
YotaPhone comes packing a customised version of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, complete with a BlackBerry style gesture system to replace the use of hard and soft buttons.
This brings the advantage of keeping the display looking clean and uninterrupted and navigation is done with a series of gestures. These aren't performed on screen however, with a space under the screen reserved for your fingers.
Swiping right takes you home, and left takes you back, with a two fingered down swipe taking a screen shot and sending it to the rear screen so you can save battery power whilst viewing important information.
This OS also houses some specially developed apps to help in reading books, a multi-language dictionary and mapping app.
5. YotaPhone: Camera
The Russian device doesn't lack in the camera department, smashing its mid-range competitors and competing at the top table alongside the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2.
A 13MP sensor adorns the rear, sat just below the e-ink display. Yes, you read that right, the camera is at the bottom of the handset. This is backed up with a 1MP front facing sensor to take all those fabulous selfies that populate social media sites.
The YotaPhone camera also comes with an interesting feature with thanks to the e-ink display; it can tell your subjects to smile. It doesn't add a lot of functionality, but is a nice novelty feature.
6. YotaPhone: Connectivity
In order to be able to show off all the right data at the right time on its e-ink display, the YotaPhone has to be well connected. Thankfully, it comes with a large array of features to keep your hips joined to the mobile world.
You'll be able to wander around knowing where you are, streaming music and reading lots more interesting tech as 4G, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS and GLONASS are all supported.
Wi-Fi is also supported, to a/b/g/n standards, although there is no word on whether DLNA streaming is enabled.
7. YotaPhone: Design
Following nigh in every smartphone design before it, the YotaPhone comes with an all glass front, with a glass back to support that e-ink display.
This is all fitted into a chassis measuring 133.6 x 67 x 10mm, weighing 146g. This makes it considerably larger than the 107g S4 Mini and 122g One Mini.
There are no buttons to speak of on the front or back, with only a volume rocker on the side. The YotaPhone also curves in slightly at the back, giving the top a slight wedge look.
8. YotaPhone: Battery
An 1800mAh battery sits inside the YotaPhone, putting it on par with its mid-range brethren. They don't have a second screen to power though.
Yota claim that the YotaPhone comes with 7-10 times more battery life than its competitors, at least whilst in reading mode. This isn't too hard to imagine, as the original Kindle had a quoted battery life of a month.
Whether or not the battery will be sufficient to last a whole day we'll have to wait to see, but if we're spending less time looking at a power hungry LCD display, that can't be bad thing.
9. YotaPhone: Price
The YotaPhone will be available across Europe at around €499 (around £400). This makes it a little more expensive than both the HTC One Mini and Galaxy S4 Mini.
It also makes it around 3 time the price of the Moto G, the wallet friendly mid-range handset which sports a better processor, similar display and a lower res camera.
10. YotaPhone: Release Date
If you're currently living in, or holidaying to Russia or Germany this Christmas, you'll be able to get your hands on the YotaPhone. It will be available across 20 European and the Middle Eastern markets by the end of Q1 2014, including the UK.
As far as the likes of Australia and US are concerned, there's currently no timetable for an international release in these areas.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega needs to push itself into that line-up somewhere, and the name gives a little clue as to where it sits. We questioned the original phablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note, over its 5.3-inch screen size, and the Note 2 just pushed that further to 5.5 inches whilst remaining incredibly popular.
Mega by name...
At 6.3 inches, we are again left questioning just how far the Koreans can push smartphones before it borders on the ridiculous. First impressions of the Galaxy Mega do suggest that Samsung might well have found that border.
Hitting price tags of free on a two-year £33pm contract, or £490 (around $800/AU$880) SIM-free means that the Galaxy Mega looks to fight it out against the big boys, if you'll forgive the size pun. The five-star-rated HTC One, the Sony Xperia Z and Samsung Galaxy S4 all square off at these price points, so the Galaxy Mega has a fight on its hands.
Like other Galaxys, only bigger
The Galaxy Mega will also have to fight to gain custom from potential Galaxy Note 2 customers, as well as from the upcoming Xperia Z Ultra and Galaxy Note 3.
In order to stand any chances of winning this fight, the Galaxy Mega is going to need to bring something pretty special, other than just a massive screen. That screen is also going to need to be impressive, thankfully this is an area that Samsung is famed for.
The 6.3-inch 1280x720 'Super Clear LCD' does a very good job, although we can't say we wouldn't have preferred a Full HD Super AMOLED Plus screen, especially given the Mega's price tag.
Behind *that* screen, the rest of the specifications leave a little to be desired, if only because they aren't as impressive at the first look. If a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and 1.5GB RAM seem familiar, that is because they match the lower priced, smaller Galaxy S4 Mini.
Even the 1.9MP front and 8MP rear camera sensors, and 8GB internal storage are drawn from the S4 Mini. The Galaxy S4 Mini is also around £7pm cheaper on 2 year contracts, so it really does start to appear that you are paying for the size.
Fits well in the pocket
The Galaxy Mega does come with all the other features that you would expect from the modern mid to high end smartphone, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, 4G and Android 4.2 to keep things running. There is also the Infra-Red blaster that seems to be making appearances across a variety of smartphones.
This is all packaged into a frame that measures 167.6 x 88 x 8mm, and weighs in at 199g. The Galaxy Mega unsurprisingly then, sits a little awkwardly in one hand, although the narrow depth and lighter weight make it a lot easier than we first expected. The Galaxy Mega even sits rather comfortably in the pocket, providing you're not wearing anything that fits a little tight.
Design wise, the Mega sits well within the existing Galaxy range, with the thinner bezel and curved edges giving it a clean look, and Samsung's standard button lay out giving an air of familiarity. The false chrome plastic wrapping also helps to make the Galaxy Mega feel more premium, although the plastic chassis suffers from the familiar problem of feeling a little cheaper than all metal devices like the HTC One.
Hidden behind the removable (and fairly flimsy feeling) back cover sits a 3200mAh battery to keep the Galaxy Mega running. The microSIM and microSD slots are also located behind the cover, and we didn't have the same trouble putting them in that we did with the Galaxy S4 Mini.
The microSD slot is somewhat necessary on the Samsung Galaxy Mega, with only around 5GB of the 8GB storage free. For a smartphone that has clearly been designed around media consumption, this is a bit of a surprise.
Micro SD cards fit near the battery
Camera wise, we've already mentioned that the Galaxy Mega comes with a 1.9MP sensor on the front, providing clear imagery for those selfies and Skype calls, and an 8MP rear sensor for all your other snaps.
The 8MP sensor might seem a little small, although Samsung has a habit of making every megapixel count, with the identical sensor on the Galaxy S4 Mini providing some more than decent shots. Thankfully, there is also a flash, albeit a single LED.
The menu and return soft-keys sit either side of the physical home button, with the volume rocker sat on the left edge, with the power/lock button sat directly opposite on the left. Both sets of buttons were easy enough to hit one handed, a plus for a device of this size.
Headphone port and IR blaster
The top edge houses the 3.5mm headphone port and IR blaster, with the micro-USB port (that doubles up as an 11pin MHL port) at the base.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Mega doesn't feel as large as it could, but the 6.3-inch screen is always going to be divisive. With the price range pushing the Galaxy Mega up against the flagships, we can see it struggling a little, and with the Galaxy Note 3, HTC One Max and Sony Xperia Z Ultra for company the phablet market is getting a little congested.
The strange yet strangely compelling YotaPhone will actually go on sale in some countries in December.
Although the UK, US and Australia are not first in line for the dual-screen phone, the device is rolling out to more countries in early 2014 and we're confident that the UK, at least, will be among them.
For now, if you want to try the device, which comes with a screen on the back as well as a screen on the front, you'll have to pick one up in Russia, Austria, France, Spain or Germany.
Weird
The Android-running YotaPhone comes with a standard 4.3-inch 720p LCD screen on the front and another 4.3-inch e-ink screen on the back - the idea being that it's perfect for ebook reading.
The other major benefit of an e-ink screen is that it can display images and information even if the phone runs out of battery - we can think of a few times having a saved map that we could still see when our phones died could have saved our bacon.
The YotaPhone also prides itself on its touchy-feely emotional approach - kooky messages like "Smile for the camera" come up on the second screen when you're taking a picture, for example. It's not clear if these can be disabled or not.
And this is just the beginning, the company's head honchos say: "This is YotaPhone 1.0. Expect other big and new things to follow."
If the first YotaPhone takes your fancy, pricing has been announced as €499 across Europe - likely to be around £420 in the UK, and $680 and AU$750 if it makes it round the world.
In the same case, Judge Richard Arnold may have given the game away regarding the upcoming HTC M8, or HTC One Two as it is also known.
Court documents show that 'Nokia has adduced evidence which suggests that the launch date is in the first quarter of 2014, and possibly as early as February 2014".
This in itself holds little weight as we already knew it was on its way, but it seems that the HTC One Two will break cover in time to appear at MWC 2014.
Its all about the timing
The timing of the launch seems crucial for the Taiwanese firm, as it looks to be the deciding factor in keeping the HTC One on sale in the UK.
"I accept that there is a period between now and February or March 2014 when HTC is vulnerable" said Judge Arnold.
With the Samsung Galaxy S5 possibly launching around the same time, the HTC One Two may have to launch sooner rather than later.
Christmas is approaching and no doubt there's a gadget lover in your life that you'll be buying gifts for.
So to give you some shopping inspiration, and help you avoid the busy high street, we've put together the ultimate gift guide with links to buy everything online.
We've got gifts for music and movie fans, gamers, Mac and PC users, gadgets for the kitchen and much more.
So scroll on down through our Christmas gift ideas for 2013 - you may well even find yourself buying a few gifts for yourself while you're at it.
Want something special for the photographer in your life? See our cameras gift guide.
Gifts for movie fans
Husky Union Jack Mini Fridge - £140
A fine selection of refreshments is a must for any movie night - preferably in a mini fridge such as this one from Husky, enabling you to just sit back and relax, happy in the knowledge that all your nourishment needs are only an arm stretch away.
If you prefer your big-screen kicks at your desk, you don't need that big a screen. This Philips 27-inch monitor is big enough to make 3D movies look stunning just a few feet from your face. It even creates an ambient glow behind the screen as the mood of the movie changes.
The grown-up Roku is a tiny but brilliant media-streaming box, offering on-demand entertainment from Sky, Netflix, the BBC and more over the internet. Just plug it into your TV, and you'll have access to hundreds of high-quality movies instantly.
This vintage-style popcorn maker turns out authentic popcorn, just like a real cinema, ensuring a constant stream of snacks to keep your energy levels up for marathon movie sessions.
Not content with old-school DVD movies? Then Sony's BDP-S790 player offers HD Blu-ray. Need more depth? It's also 3D capable. Not enough? You'll be pleased to know it has Digital Cinema 4K built-in, which enables you to watch movies at four times the quality of Full HD. Amazing!
Movies at the cinema are shown in super-widescreen, but most home displays aren't the right size, so you don't get the full experience. This Windows 8 laptop has a 21:9 ratio display so you get the entire picture - and you can take it everywhere.
What's a movie without incredible surround sound? Not a proper one, if you ask us. But fear not - Q Acoustics' set of speakers bring the sort of realistic sound that might make your neighbours a little envious.
Nothing beats the experience of having a massive screen to watch movies on, but unless you want to lose half your lounge to a big black box, a projector is the way forward. BenQ's W703D projector is not only Full HD, but it also offers 3D viewing so you really can have the cinema at home.
This quiet machine throws images up to 300 inches across, with deep blacks and lush colours. Its Iris 3 technology judges optimum aperture openings, creating a dynamic image with a 100,000:1 contrast range. 3D performance falls a little short of expectations, but two pairs of specs are thrown in to distract you. For 2D, the SXRD light engine and Reality Creation processor keep things crisp. This is our choice for big movies.
This projector's blacks could be deeper, but there's nuance in the shadows and no shortage of detail, even at the maximum 300-inch image size. Indeed, at 2,400 lumens the Epson is so bright you won't need black-out blinds, making it ideal for daytime film marathons.
It's also quiet, particularly in Eco mode, although when you engage 3D it gets noticeably louder. It does, however, deliver clean, immersive active shutter 3D. Glasses cost extra.
Packing a killer contrast punch, with image sizes up to 200 inches across, this is a heavyweight in every way. It has unbeatable native contrast - 50,000:1 - with no need for the dynamic iris systems employed by Sony and others.
Blacks are velvety and colour fidelity is superb. The DLA-X35 is 3D-ready, but there are issues with crosstalk. However, for 2D HD projection, it's hard to fault.
It may lack the brightness of rival LCD and DLP projectors, but the Acer K750 will never need a replacement bulb because it uses a revolutionary LED laser light source instead.
Picture quality is good, but you need to be in a very dark room if you want to see images that live up to the 100,000:1 quoted contrast. It's not 3D-ready, but it can handle the third dimension with help from a DLP Link processor.
Despite being the cheapest projector here, this 1080p DLP number from BenQ serves up superb images. Output is 2,000 lumens and it musters a 235-inch image from 19 feet.
Images have impressive clarity, motion resolution is good, and while it may not offer the darkest blacks, the W1070 is still capable of a snappy 10,000:1 dynamic range. It's also 3D capable, although no glasses are supplied in the box.
