Just a few hours after we marked our calendars for its launch on August 1, leak artists have celebrated the Moto X phone's impending 'coming out party' by slipping out an official-looking shot.

Just ten days from the official reveal, prolific Twitter leaker @EvLeaks (via The Unlockr) has gotten his or her mitts on another press render of a Motorola device, following recent Droid family leaks.

Although it's nice to see the phone in its official guise, rather than blurry-cam snapshots or videos, there isn't much new information to bring you beyond the photo.

The homescreen gives us a look at stock Android running on the device, but the transparent menu keys, as Engadget points out, suggests there'll be some minor UI modifications from the Motorola division.

Born in the USA

The 'designed by you' and build in the USA smartphone will be officially presented to the world on August 1, after the company requested RSVPs from the media for an event.

It is thought that smartphone fans will be presented with a host of customisation options, including build materials and personalised engraving.

The device is also expected to be the first to run Android 4.3 out of the box, which most observers expect to be the subject of Google's 'breakfast with Sundar Pichai' event on Wednesday.

• Official-looking press shots not enough for you? Check out this hands-on video from Canadian network Rogers.

This Moto train is moving fast.

Hours after word surfaced that the Moto X phone could launch on Aug. 26 at American carrier U.S. Cellular and a day after the company tweeted a pic of production getting underway in Texas, Motorola sent out invitations to a New York event on Aug. 1.

The invite - which could double as a clothing brand ad - simply says "Moto X," the date, the place and "RSVP here." The Motorola "M" floats above looking like the Bat signal.

The invitation features two handsets in the hands of two hip women, one in black and one in white, indicating that, like your style, you can customize the phone just the way you want.

That's it?

Black and white may seem a little on the limited side when it comes to creating a phone that matches the unique you, but from what we've heard many, many more options are due with the Moto X.

Motorola's branding for the phone has centered around a "designed by you" mantra, and so far it sounds as though a palette of colors and engravings will be possible. Users are said to be able to create a personalized default wall paper with a picture, while wood, metal, fabric and ceramic are all tipped as optional casing materials in addition to default plastic.

On the operational side of things, the invite shows a camera lens centered roundly on the back of the device, and the flash below. A jack is clearly visible on the top.

We've heard several times that the phone's sensors will be a thing to marvel, so tuned into your surroundings that the phone even knows when you're traveling in a car. The device is believed to house a 1.7GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM.

A version running Android 4.2.2 was reportedly in carrier testing, but if Google reveals Android 4.3 next week, perhaps we're in for the updated OS on the Moto X?

• Heard about the cheap iPhone? Well, we bet you didn't know it might come in two flavors.

Apple's and Samsung's bitter patent disputes have been widely covered for the past few years, with the biggest blow in the case coming in Apple's favor last summer.

In August 2012, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $1.05 billion (around £688M, AU$1.14B) million in damages, though that hefty price tag was dropped to a mere $450.5 million (£295M, AU$489M) earlier in 2013.

While it appeared Apple and Samsung were content to let the courts decide the fates of the various patents in question, there were some secret negotiations happening behind the scenes as well.

According to new documents released by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), the Cupertino and South Korean companies have been discussing potential settlements as far back as Apple's $1 billion court victory.

Close, but no cigar

In addition to the ITC documents, sources revealed to the Wall Street Journal the ongoing secret settlement discussions have been both hot and cold, though no agreement has been reached as of yet.

Based on the information available in the heavily censored ITC papers, Samsung at one point offered a broad patent cross-licensing deal to Apple, which would have ended all litigation between the two companies.

Obviously Apple didn't take the deal, but it's not very clear from the ITC's report just how seriously Apple took the offer to begin with.

Both companies spent a great deal of time talking terms between December 2012 and March 2013, with some face-to-face meetings happening in January, though by February it appears the talks had broken down.

The ITC paper mentions a March 22 proposal from Samsung to re-open talks, adding that some of its offers were still on the table, however Apple did not respond by the time the ITC ruled.

Despite the massive amount of redactions in the report, it's clear the ITC didn't believe Samsung's offers were unreasonable, though it would seem Apple disagreed with that assessment.

Love-hate relationship

The curious thing is both Apple and Samsung continue to work together in the manufacturing process, as the South Korean company still provides chips for iOS devices.

Apple has entered into an agreement with the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to craft new processors for 2014, which would all but cut Samsung out of the picture.

However, there are also reports Apple and Samsung have a deal for Sammy to create chips once again in 2015, so it's still unclear just how strong the partnership between these two smartphone giants really is at this point.

For what it's worth, a memorandum of understanding was supposedly drafted by the two companies in February, which the ITC saw as promising for a potential future deal.

"The fact that representatives for both parties were able to reach a memorandum of understanding indicates Samsung is negotiating in good faith and, to be colloquial, is playing in the same ballpark as Apple," the report read.

With all the redactions in the report, it's impossible to tell just why the possible settlement fell through, but if Apple and Samsung are still talking behind closed doors, there's always a chance the ongoing legal battles could finally come to an end.

Given how this past year has played out however, we won't be holding our breath waiting for Apple and Samsung to start getting along.

• Want to know more about iOS 7? Check out our round-up of all the pertinent details.

A selection of brightly coloured bodies won't be the only option presented to buyers of the fabled 'cheap iPhone' if and when Apple launches said device, according to reports on Friday.

Leaked documents, courtesy of Chinese social network Weibo, have sparked talk that Apple is working on two variants of the device with different specs, connectivity options and price points.

According to the reports the device codenamed iPhone Zagato will be the cheaper of the two and will pack a Samsung 'HP5' dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, FDD 4G LTE and Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity.

The second iteration, apparently codenamed Bertone, will be more expensive due to a 'HP6' processor and TDD 4G LTE, which is an alternative standard developed for the Chinese market.

Both handsets will pack the same 4-inch screen size as the iPhone 5, the documents state, but it seems unlikely the cheaper devices would get the Retina Display treatment.

Shady goings on

Fridays reports follow a number of leaks and rumours that have focusing the devices purported colour options.

Several 'leaked' photos have showcased cases in five shades, including yellow, pink, blue, green and white, while Apple is reportedly turning to polycarbonate plastic for the build materials.

It is expected in many quarters that the device will be mainly targeted towards emerging markets and go on sale before the end of the year.

• Want a little more budget iPhone news before you start your weekend? The best pics of the device to date were recently unearthed.