| Windows Phone Facebook users can now ditch people they don't like Oct 5th 2013, 13:59, by Chris Smith 
Windows Phone users have awoken to a new Facebook update, which allows them to clean house of all of those annoying sort-of-friends, from the comfort of their smartphone. The Facebook 5.1 update adds the ability to unfriend contacts from the application as well as 'unlike' content they have previously liked directly from the app. Users can also benefit from inline @tagging of friends within posts. Another useful addition is multiple photo uploads directly from the app, as well as the ability to attach photos to messages, a feature that has been available to iOS and Android users for some time. Performance boostThe app also promises navigation and performance improvements. Facebook 5.1 for Windows Phone, which now offers support for 19 languages, is available to download from the Windows Store now.        |  | Google, Samsung, LG, Intel and more reportedly weighing up BlackBerry bids Oct 5th 2013, 12:37, by Chris Smith 
Tech giants Google, Samsung, Intel and Samsung are reportedly in talks with BlackBerry over a potential buyout of some, or all of the struggling smartphone giant. Reuters brings word that the firms, which are also said to include Cisco and SAP, have responded to a plea from BlackBerry for interest from potential late bidders for the firm. According to the report, BlackBerry has requested "preliminary expressions of interest" from all of the companies and has asked that they reply in the next week if they fancy a piece of the action. As yet, it is completely unclear as to whether any of the company's would stake a claim for BlackBerry's hardware, software or patent properties. Deal in placeBlackBerry itself is still shopping around for the best deal, despite agreeing in principal to sell the ailing firm to a consortium led by Fairfax Financial for $4.7 billion (about £2.93bn, AU$4.98b) As part of that agreement, the Warterloo-based firm was permitted to seek a better deal, while Fairfax performed its due diligence. Should nothing materialise from other potential bidders and the Fairfax consortium is satisfied with the outcome of its research then a deal should be completed by early November. One thing that may interest the likes of Google and Samsung is BlackBerry's strong patent arsenal, but the value of which is likely to halve within the next 18 months, Reuters reports. It's secure messaging, and email services could also provide a boost to the aforementioned companies.        | | Blip: T-Mobile hosting third Un-carrier event Oct. 9, this time with Shakira Oct 4th 2013, 23:34, by Michelle Fitzsimmons 
T-Mobile has been disrupting the U.S. wireless carrier scene for several months now, and it's ready to reveal the phase three of its Un-carrier transformation next week. The carrier ... sorry un-carrier announced today that it's hosting a special Un-carrier 3.0 event next Wednesday, Oct. 9. The "Un-carrier revolution continues" in New York's Bryant Park, and the ticketed affair will feature none other than Shakira. Phase one did away with annual contracts, plus the iPhone, while phase two featured Next, T-Mobile's early upgrade program, and CEO John Legere on stage with some toy dolls. Yeah, it was weird. More blips!Whenever, wherever you are, blips are good reads.        | | Hot-rod red Lumia 1520 revs its engines in Twitter photo leak Oct 4th 2013, 21:36, by Michael Rougeau 
The Nokia Lumia 1520 appeared today in yet another leaked photo, this time in a bright hot-rod red. Well-known Twitter leakster @evleaks came through again on this one after publishing a leaked press shot of the yellow Lumia 1520 in early September. Like that photo, today's leak came with a brief but factoid-focused caption: "Nokia Lumia 1520, in red, 2013," evleaks tweeted. The suggestion for a 2013 Lumia 1520 release date matches what the source previously claimed, as well as our expectations of an Oct. 22 Lumia 1520 launch. 
Here's the dealPrevious reports hinted at a Sept. 26 reveal for the Lumia 1520, but the device was reportedly delayed until Oct. 22. That delay may have been caused by Microsoft's purchase of Nokia's device business. The Lumia 1520 is thought to be the largest Windows Phone handset yet, with a display that could come in at a full six inches. The Windows Phone phablet has been spotted in previous image leaks, some of which compared it to other, smaller devices to show off the Lumia 1520's considerable bulk. There's not been much word in terms of the phone's other specs, though it's not expected to carry a 41-megapixel camera like the Lumia 1020. Instead it could have a still-powerful 20-megapixel camera. A quad-core Qualcomm processor is also rumored. Expect to learn more about the Lumia 1520 this month - that is barring any further delays, of course.        | | Samsung denies cheating Galaxy Note 3 benchmark tests Oct 4th 2013, 18:43, by Matt Swider 
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 packs a speedy 2.3GHz quad-core processor, but the company is now defending its mega-sized phablet's CPU that has picked up the moniker "phabricated." Samsung stands accused of boosting the CPU performance of its newly launched smartphone as soon as it detects popular benchmark testing apps. That's not the case at all, according to Samsung. "The Galaxy Note 3 maximizes its CPU/GPU frequencies when running features that demand substantial performance," the company told CNET UK. "This was not an attempt to exaggerate particular benchmarking results. We remain committed to providing our customers with the best possible user experience." The non-denial denialSamsung's response doesn't exactly explain why tests have shown the Galaxy Note 3 to be running on all four cores whenever it detects a well-known benchmarking app like Geekbench. Benchmarking scores were inflated up to 20%, and in one case 50%, making the Note 3 quad-core processor seem exceptionally faster than the LG G2's identical Snapdragon 800 CPU. When Ars Technica rigged together a renamed Geekbench tool, Stealthbench, the Galaxy Note 3 proved to show a more "natural" score. Not the first, the last, my everythingThis isn't the first time Samsung has had to defend itself against boosting the benchmark scores of its devices. The company denied it was rigging the Galaxy S4 results after it reportedly cooked the scores for its Exynos processor. The funny thing is, the Note 3, as with the Galaxy S4, is plenty powerful and feature-packed enough to stand against its rivals. We asked Samsung for further clarification on this and will update the story when we hear back. Update: We have also asked Qualcomm for comment on the situation and will provide an update when the chip maker has something to share.        | | Mystery Samsung device tipped as long-awaited flexi-screen smartphone Oct 4th 2013, 18:01, by Chris Smith 
There's been a few whispers lately that Samsung's long-in-development flexible screen technology is ready for action and may arrive soon in the form of a Galaxy Note 3 variant. Well, you can turn that anticipation up a notch now that a mystery device with called the SM-G910 has seemingly made an appearance in benchmarking tests. The as-yet-unannounced device bears a slight similarity to the Note 3's model number (SM-N900), but also lists a couple of the same specs, the Snapdragon 800 processor and Adreno 330 graphics chip. Previous speculation has suggested that the flexible version of the Note 3 would pack a slightly smaller 5.5-inch display and arrive within the month of October. Wait over?Samsung's journey towards a curvy, unbreakable 'Youm' display has been going on for a few years now and was last demonstrated at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. Many observers unsuccessfully predicted the tech would find its way into the flagship Samsung Galaxy S4 or the recently-announced Galaxy Note 3. Earlier this week it was rumoured that an LG Z1 handset would attempt to beat Samsung to market with a flexible smartphone. Has the time finally come for flexible displays to shape the future of smartphones?        | | Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 release date is revealed Oct 4th 2013, 12:43, by Patrick Goss 
Samsung has officially announced the Galaxy Ace 3 release date for the UK, with the phone available from 5 October. The Android Jellybean 4.2 phone falls in the lower mid-range market and can boast 4G connectivity - which is a boon in these superfast days. You can count on Samsung's Android sheen plus features from the larger Galaxy S flagship phones - which includes features like the S Translator, S Travel, S Voice, Easy Mode and Smart Stay. ShenanigansGiven that this is likely to be an attractive proposition for the younger market, the camera is an, ahem, focus, and the Ace 3 brings a 5MP snapper for capturing all those high jinx and/or shenanigans. Screenwise, the Ace 3 packs a 4 inch display but you might want to consider if the 8GB of storage is enough for your needs (especially given that not all of that will be available to you) as you'll probably be looking at investing in an SD card to boost your capacity. The Galaxy Ace will be landing first at EE stores and then dealing itself into the likes of Tesco and Carphone Warehouse. - Want something a little bigger (and costlier) without losing the number 3? How about checking out the Samsung Galaxy Note 3
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