Qualcomm will undoubtedly show off its latest and greatest advancements in its Snapdragon technology this week, but it has jumped the CES gun by releasing videos highlighting the camera capabilities of the Snapdragon 805.
There are three technologies to speak of helping to make the most of the quad-core 2.5GHz CPU; Chroma Flash, Touch to track and OptiZoom.
Chroma Flash allows the camera to take two images almost simultaneously before combining them. The aim is to reduce the glare from flash photography, producing a more natural looking image.
The technology seems familiar, as it is similar to the way that HDR photography works, capturing an image at different exposures.
Its time for 3D again... again!
Touch to track works as you might expect. First the user selects an object for the camera to focus on, and the Snapdragon 805 allows the camera to keep it in focus no matter where the object moves to.
It also doubles up in video recording mode, allowing you to set a line on screen for the object to cross. Once the object has crossed that line, video recording is engaged.
Finally, OptiZoom works using the 'Touch to track' technology. Selecting an object allows you to control the level of zoom, with the Snapdragon 805 zooming in and out as the object moves further away or closer to the lens.
We already knew that the 805 supports up to four cameras, including the ability to have stereoscopic 3D, so keep your eyes peeled here to find out what else Qualcomm has to offer at CES 2014.
Before I even begin: No, US, UK and AU readers, you cannot have this. Not yet, at least. (A bit more on that later.) This is the Lenovo Vibe Z, the Chinese ThinkPad maker's latest flagship Android phone, it's first LTE smartphone ever and probably one of the biggest teases of CES 2014.
Why? For one, just look at the thing. Housing a 5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 IPS touch screen, this hyper thin (0.31 inches) handset weighs just 5.12 ounces. For a phone that borders on phablet, it feels as if a 4-inch phone in weight. This is partly why Lenovo went with a polycarbonate plastic shell (in either a silver or "titanium" black textured finish) rather than metal, a Lenovo representative told me on the show floor.
And two: Check out what's inside. The Vibe Z runs on Android 4.3 Jelly Bean powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chip and 2GB of RAM. However, this handset comes with just 16GB of storage, which could pose a problem, given the 5MP camera up front and the 13MP shooter (complete with f1.8 aperture lens and dual LED flash) around back.
The ultimate selfie snapper?
What? I couldn't resist
Lenovo has made full use of the Vibe Z's two megapixel-rich cameras, with a suite of features that were put to good use in my own time with the device. For one, the 84-degree wide angle lens in front captures more in the frame than most lenses, making the all-important selfie even easier.
Features like photo filters, an array of scene modes and the tons of settings on offer are fun to play around with and should make for interesting shares. Speaking of which, the Vibe Z cameras' Beautify tool allowed me to give myself and a Lenovo representative "facelifts" and other subtle tweaks. Your friends on Facebook won't know the difference.
You know sqaure cameras mean business
Given the look, feel and layout of Lenovo's new smartphone camera software, it's clear that camera tech will be more important than ever in the ongoing mobile wars. With its rich (if sometimes gimmicky) feature set and richer cameras, the Vibe Z seems on the right track.
Look, ma', just one hand!
Cool cameras aside, upon picking up the Vibe Z, I immediately noticed two things. One, this is an incredibly light and thin phone for its 5.5-inch screen size. And two, this phone is just too big for my tiny, pasty hands. Luckily for the Vibe Z, Lenovo thought ahead.
It's the little things, like my hands
I struggled to reach the lock button atop the phone with one hand. Lenovo made it so the volume rocker unlocks the phone, too. I had trouble reaching my thumb across the other side of the screen. Lenovo added a Smart Dialer that shifts the number pad buttons in the direction you tilt the phone for easier one-handed dialing. (Also, Smart Call allows you the answer the phone by just holding it to your ear.)
The point is that Lenovo knows just how big it's flagship phone is, and it's working to make it easier to operate the Vibe Z more like the phone that it is and less like the tablet that it isn't. Other handset makers are trying, but I've seen nothing this clever.
Designed to fit into the skinniest of jeans
Early verdict
Like I said, the Lenovo Vibe Z is one of biggest teases of CES 2014, namely because there are no signs of the thing hitting US, UK or AU soil anytime soon. Lenovo will launch the phone this February in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the Philippines for $549 (about £334, AU$611).
It's a real shame, too, because this phone could potentially bring the heat whatever the Samsung Galaxy S5 turns out to be this year. A Lenovo representative tells us that the company is working on entering these markets, but obstacles like carrier partnerships and regulatory approvals are holding things back. Well, hurry up already, carriers and regulatory bodies – you're keeping us from a potentially awesome phone.
Nvidia has taken to the stage at CES 2014 to unveil its Tegra K1 mobile processor, a "super chip" with graphics capabilities that Nvidia compares to next-gen consoles.
The successor to the 72-core Tegra 4, the Tegra K1 has a 192-core Nvidia Keplar GPU and takes the place of the rumored Tegra 5.
Offered in two variants, the first will use a 32-bit quad-core ARM Cortex A15 processor, while the second variant will use Nvidia's custom 64-bit dual-core "Denver" ARM CPU.
The 32-bit variant will be available in the first half of the year and the 62-bit version will be released in the second half of 2014.
Setting standards
While Nvidia has said that the K1's graphics are comparable to the Xbox One and PS4, it said in its release that the K1 is 1.5 times more efficient than Qualcomm's S800 and Apple's A7 processors as well.
It also has support for PC and console-class gaming engine Unreal Engine 4, and support for OpenGL 4.4 and DirectX 11.
Nvidia will be making a push into new markets with the Tegra K1 too, outlining how its new mobile processor will be used for advanced driver assistance (ADAS).
Want more from this years CES? Head on over to our round up of what else you should be expecting out of CES 2014.
No more Snapchat for you m'laddo (except on mobile data) (credit: Eton)
It must get a little lonely at the boys-only, £35,000-a-year Eton College, so you can't blame the young squires for seeking a little female comfort through the occasional Snapchat message.
However the headmaster at the exclusive private school, which David Cameron and half of his inner circle attended, has insisted illicit exchanges of photos will not be taking place on its Wi-Fi network.
"Boys can still use it via the 3G phone network, but we hope that blocking it on our network will, at least, make them think twice," Tony Little told the Telegraph.
The One range hasn't clicked with consumers despite rave reviews
HTC may have churned out some top handsets in the 2013, but the critical success of the HTC One range isn't translating into the big sales the company became accustomed to during the first Android boom.
The company just posted its financial results for the last three years of 2013 and although HTC narrowly avoided a second consecutive quarterly loss, the figures do not make particularly pleasant reading.
The company eked out a $10m (around £6.1m, AU$11.1m) net profit for the quarter, on revenue of $1.4 billion (about £850m, AU$1.15bn), Reuters reports, falling below the modest expectations.
However, the firm only managed to stay in positive numbers but only due to sale of its remaining shares in Beats Audio, which netted the company a one-off payment of $85m (around £51m, AU$95m).
Fall from grace
The company's fall from grace has been marked by a sharp decline in sales as Samsung continues to dominate the Android handset market.
Recent numbers suggest HTC now owns just a 2.2 per cent share of the smartphone market, down from 10.3 per cent two years ago and handset sales have now fallen in 9 successive quarters.
The company has made various efforts to bring about change with the replacement of top executives and an expensive new advertising campaign starring Robert Downey Jnr, but it's made little difference.
The launch of the highly-rated HTC One Max brought hope ahead of the Christmas sales period, but it appears the larger handset hasn't grabbed punters either.
The Taiwanese company, now valued at just $4 billion, will now pin its hopes on the eagerly-anticipated sequel device the so-called HTC One-Two, which may arrive as soon as MWC next month.
