A new Xenon flash that is compact enough to fit into some of smallest phones may provide a brighter future for their owners who just can't seem to properly light their dim-looking photos.

The slim-phone-friendly capacitor that's still able to store enough energy for a Xenon flash was developed by scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and being produced by Xenon Technologies.

"This project will yield a breakthrough solution for the digital imaging industry, which will be the world's smallest Xenon flash," said Xenon Technologies CEO Jack Tuen in a press release.

"Our customers and consumers at large constantly demand for a proper Xenon flash which can fit into increasingly smaller and beautiful form factor mobile devices. This is the answer which fulfils that need."

Examining the Xenon technology

With the goal of lighting the way to better-looking photos, this Xenon flash on a diet is made from polymers layered together and it contains a capacitor that is at least four times smaller than current electrolytic capacitors.

"The multi-layered polymer capacitor is also able to deliver the same electricity charge needed to power high-intensity Xenon flash light matching those found in digital cameras," said the school in a press release.

This advancement is thanks to the two and a half years of work of the inventor and associate professor Lee Pooi See and her team of researchers at NTU's School of Materials Science and Engineering.

"With XT's expertise in developing successful commercial products, we are confident that this collaboration will result in a disruptive innovation," she said in a statement.

"Not just in the area of flash technology, but also in the world of consumer electronics, as all computers and devices requires the use of capacitors in one way or another."

Slim Xenon flash timetable

With funding from Singapore's National Research Foundation Proof-of-Concept grant, the NTU-Xenon team expects to have a commercial prototype ready by September of this year.

But don't put away your Xenon-flash-boasting Nokia 808 PureView just yet.

Tuen told CNET that he was confident that mobile phone manufacturers will take to the new slim Xenon flash - but it won't be in a flash. Instead, look for the new technology in devices sometime in the end of 2014.

While we don't know sales figures just yet for the first BlackBerry 10 smartphone, one issue likely holding consumers at bay is the lack of major app support with the new operating system.

As respectable as the Z10 is as an addition to the smartphone market, the OS just can't hold a candle to the wide variety of native apps on both iOS and Android handsets.

Even with Facebook, Twitter, and FourSquare on board, the ecosystem doesn't currently have much to offer that its competitors don't do better.

To make matters even worse, it looks like BlackBerry 10 won't get a native Instagram app either, adding another reason for consumers to look elsewhere.

Android port possible

It's a bit curious that Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, wouldn't see the light of day on BB10 even though the social network was already on board.

However, sources close to Instagram told AllThingsD there were no plans in place for a native version of the app on BB10, and that they weren't sure it would ever happen.

That's not to say a version of Instagram won't be brought to the OS, as the company is apparently working on a port of the Android version of the app.

Facebook and Instagram have final say as to whether or not the port is strong enough to be put on BB10 smartphones, meaning there's a chance Instagram may not appear on the OS in any shape or form.

BlackBerry and Facebook are reportedly trying to work out the technical issues plaguing the current port of the Android version, however there doesn't appear to be a solution in sight.

BlackBerry is already lagging far behind competitors Apple and Google, and the lack of the consumer favorite app could mean bad tidings for the future of the app ecosystem.

TechRadar asked Facebook for comment, and will update this story if and when the company can offer any insight into the app conundrum.

Where once Apple reigned, Samsung now sits supreme.

The Korean company surpassed Apple in 2012 to grasp the largest portion of the "smart connected device" market that any single company held, according to marketing research firm IDC.

That market includes desktop and portable PCs, tablets, and smartphones.

In a report published on Thursday, the firm found that Samsung gained 20.8 percent of sales of those devices in 2012, up from 12.3 percent the year before. Apple, by contrast, went from 16.3 percent in 2011 to 18.2 percent in 2012.

Pieces of the pie

Though Apple and Samsung's shares of the "connected device" market both went up in 2012, Samsung's rose considerably more, nabbing it the top spot, according to IDC.

Lenovo came in third with 6.5 percent of the market, and HP and Dell followed with 4.8 percent and 3.2 percent respectively.

Finally, the other 46.4 percent of the market went to a mish-mash of other brands, which IDC lumped together into one category known as "other."

Samsung's unit shipments totaled 250 million in 2012, compared to 114 million in 2011. On Apple's side those numbers read 218.7 million and 151.5 million for 2012 and 2011, respectively.

iPhone, where are you now?

IDC's report came just days after another that claimed Apple gobbled up 19.9 percent of total consumer tech revenue in 2012, a figure slightly higher than IDC's estimate.

Apple launched the iPhone 5 last year, but according to IDC's numbers that couldn't save it from the dominance of Samsung's flagship Galaxy S3, released earlier in 2012.

That's despite record sales from Apple, even, whose devices are beginning to look less and less appealing in the face of strong competition.

All except the iPad and iPad mini, that is, which topped tablet sales in 2012, IDC reported.

It's just too bad that Apple and Samsung's overblown court battles can't be settled based on sales numbers.

IDC also reported that the total market for PCs, smartphones and tablets rose 29 percent in the last year.

Google has just announced the latest addition to its lineup of web-centric Chromebook laptops. Unlike prior variants that drew their main value from their low price tag, the new Chromebook Pixel hopes to entice another set of users who live in the cloud and are willing to spend ‘a little more’ for better specs. That includes a 12.85 inch 2560×1700 touch screen, Core i5 CPU, bigger SSD and 1TB of storage on Google Drive for three years.

Starting at $1,299 for the basic Wi-Fi version, however, the Chromebook Pixel is definitely not for everyone.

As the name suggests the high resolution screen is the highlight of this device. With a pixel density of 239 pixels per inch it manages to outclass the 220 PPI of Apple’s MacBook Pro with Retina display, and the use of a 3:2 aspect ratio is supposed improve viewing web content with 18% more vertical space than a 16:9 layout.

It's a thicker and boxier than the MacBook Pro but it shares some other design elements and similar attention to detail. From the invisible speakers that fire upwards through the keyboard, to the vents hidden in the hinge, a full-sized LED-backlit keyboard, and a large glass touchpad tuned with a laser for a grippy finish. Hands-on impressions popping up across the web all agree that if feels like a solid piece of kit.

Under the hood you’ll find a dual-core Intel Core i5 processor alongside 4GB of DDR3 RAM and 32GB of flash storage -- nothing to rival a similarly priced Windows laptop but then again you don’t need much more for Chrome OS. Other features include Bluetooth 3.0, an SD slot, two USB 2.0, one Mini DiasplayPort, and a trio of integrated mics that cancel out background noise when videoconferencing on the 720p webcam.

An LTE-equipped model with 64GB of storage is scheduled to arrive in early April for $1,449.

Google’s app suite including services like Gmail, Google Docs, YouTube, Google Maps, and Search are all a few clicks away, with another couple of thousand more available on the Google Web Store. The company also demoed a new Google+ app that should arrive in a few weeks, as well as new Quick Office integration so you can open and edit Word and Excel documents natively from Google Docs.

The Chromebook Pixel will be available on the Google Store and in select Best Buy locations nationwide.

We can’t fault Google for trying something different and bold with Chrome OS, but at that price it’ll be a hard sell when you can get more for less. Even with the high resolution display as a key selling point it’s hard to justify the investment when a higher-spec MacBook Pro with Retina display running a full fledged desktop OS costs $50 more. Sadly, there are still no high-resolution alternatives available from the Windows camp.