We’ve known for a while now that mobile games were having a serious impact on the traditional handheld industry. This was evident when Nintendo was forced to slash the price of the 3DS to make up for lower than expected sales and even more so just a couple of days ago when Sony revealed they would be reducing the price of the PS Vita by as much as 33 percent in Japan.

Now thanks to research firms IDC and App Annie, we have some solid data to back up what the game makers are already well aware of. During the fourth quarter of 2012, consumers spent more money on mobile games from Apple’s App Store and Google Play than they did on dedicated handheld systems from Nintendo and Sony.

Furthermore, spending on portable systems was extremely seasonal as 60 percent of games purchased took place in December, likely in the form of Christmas gifts. Money spent on mobile games was distributed more evenly across the quarter, we are told.

In the mobile sector, data shows that consumers are more likely to spend money on a game than they are any other type of app. Games accounted for roughly a third of all app downloads during the last three months of 2012 but in terms of revenue, 60 percent of all app spending in the App Store and 80 percent in Google Play came from games.

It still may be premature to proclaim portable console gaming is dead but if things continue along this path, Nintendo and Sony could be in serious trouble.

If you feel like no one is listening to you, don't worry. Thanks to Qualcomm, your smartphone may soon soon bend an ear.

The chip maker announced Wednesday a new low-powered, always-on listening feature called voice activation for its new chip. It's to be included in the upcoming Snapdragon 800 processor, due out in the middle of 2013.

The feature will allow smartphones to constantly listen to surroundings without sucking up too much power, ready to respond to custom voice cues.

Little brother is listening

Since the feature is always on, users won't have to press any buttons to voice command their devices.

Either the manufacturer or owners can create custom phrases for the device to listen for like, "Hey, Snapdragon." Then users will be able to talk to their smartphone, even if the device is in sleep or airplane mode.

But the new Snapdragon won't listen to strangers, and will only take orders from the device owner.

Quick Charge

Another Snapdragon 800 feature Qualcomm divulged is Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0. The technology allows for devices to be charged up to 75 percent faster than devices without the feature.

Responsible for the speedy recharge is a combination of a special wall charger and either a standalone integrated circuit solution or the built-in power management system in the Snapdragon 800.

The company said the wall charger will fit into existing energy outlets but will be able to provide up to 60 watts of power.

However, the Quick Charge 2.0 wall charger isn't expected to be released before 2014, though the new Snapdragon processor will already be compatible with it at launch.

Enter the Snapdragon

The Snapdragon 800 was previewed at CES 2013, with some impressive features.

With a new CPU configuration and SMP architecture, it will have some heavy-duty processing power while being very energy efficient.

The chip will also allow devices to record and play UltraHD video, take up to 55MP pictures, add multi-channel HD audio and allow for even higher resolution displays (up to 2560 x 2048).

And the new Snapdragon isn't just going into phones, the chip can also be installed in Smart TVs, tablets and digital media adapters. A talk-ready TV might just make those hunts for the remote a thing of the past.

Numbers game

Qualcomm, perhaps trying to get some new products out in the sweep of news coming from of Sony's PS4 show, announced the arrival of two more chips: the Snapdragon 200 and 400.

The 200 is for entry level phones, with a Quad ARM Cortex-A5 CPU with up to 1.4GHz per core and supports HD video playback, up to 8MP pictures and highly accurate GPS.

The Snapdragon 400 is meant for high volume smartphones and tablets. It has a few CPU options with either a Dual Krait processor running up to 1.7GHz per core or a Quad ARM Cortex-A7 with up to 1.4GHz per core.

It also features an Adreno 305 GPU for high-end 3D gaming, support for better wireless connections around the world, and has faster and more energy efficient RAM.

The Snapdragon 200 and 400 are expected out sometime this year, and the Snapdragon 800 is due to come out sometime in the middle of 2013. After that, you might want to watch what you say around your smartphone.

Canonical has launched a new version of its Ubuntu operating system designed with smartphones and tablets in mind. Available as a developer preview ahead of a full release sometime early next year, the software is available to download right now and is compatible with a handful of different Nexus products: the Nexus 4 ("mako"), Nexus 7 ("grouper"), Nexus 10 ("manta") and GSM variants of the Galaxy Nexus (“maguro").

Besides limited device compatibility there is not much you can do with the software at this point. Canonical says that the shell and basic apps like browser, contacts, gallery, camera, and notes will work and users should be able to connect their device to the Android Developer Bridge tool. Wi-Fi support is also present, while Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 4 users can connect to GSM networks to make phone calls and send SMS messages.

The new operating system claims to offer real multitasking with a Windows 8-esque side view option that lets you have two apps open and on-screen at the same time. It also supports multiple accounts with full encryption for personal data, built-in voice searching, and a number of gestures to navigate the OS.

Ubuntu for phones and tablets will run the full desktop operating system, meaning developers can create a single app for both the desktop and smartphone, while this also allows a device to become a full PC when docked with a monitor, mouse, and keyboard. Canonical says the main purpose of this early release is to lure in developers and get them to contribute to the project.

Those interested can head on over to the Ubuntu wiki for full instructions on how to install the Touch Developer Preview. If you want to try Ubuntu without wiping Android from your device dual booting is also an option.

Motorola's flagship Android handset, the Razr HD is now on sale in the UK, following its arrival across the pond last year.

The Razr HD comes with a 4.7-inch, Super AMOLED HD 1280 x 720p display, is 4G LTE ready for UK networks and arrives on these shores loaded with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

It's also packed with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage (expandable through microSD) and an 8-megapixel camera with LED flash.

The phone's other major selling point is its whopping 2530 mAh battery that promises a full 24-hours of usage, even with 4G connectivity sapping the juice.

Super-thin, super-fast

A Kevlar-backed body also gives the latest Moto UK release a rather premium feel, while it still measures up at 8.4mm thin.

When it reached our US-based team, they bestowed a four-star review upon the device, touting its stylish body, big, bright screen and great battery life.

The handset fell short of a higher score due to the "mediocre camera" and the dual-core processor which "chugged at times."

So far, a host of independent UK retailers have started to sell the device (Amazon, Expansys, Clove and the other usual suspects) for around £400, but it doesn't look like any of the networks have picked it up yet.

Perhaps that'll change as the likes of Vodafone, Three and O2 look to equip themselves with 4G ready devices in preparation for the impending super-fast network roll-out.