Nvidia has been hard at work with fellow chip manufacturer ARM to make our future smartphones faster and even more efficient. Today the company revealed its Nvidia Tegra 4i processor - a quad-core chip clocked at 2.3 GHz.

The processor, which was previously known by its codename "Project Gray", features 60 custom Nvidia GPU cores alongside the quad-core CPU and a fifth battery saver core designed to keep the next generation of smartphones running even more efficiently

The new 4i CPU core is based on ARM's own R4 Cortex-A9 CPU and is according to Nvidia, the most efficient and highest performance CPU core on the market.

Where the Tegra 4i is likely to show some serious muscle is in the realm of gaming and image production, unsurprising given Nvidia's illustrious track record in this field.

Along with those custom 60 GPU cores, the 4i features something called Nvidia Chimera Computational Photography Architecture. This technology lets handsets support always-on high dynamic range (HDR) images and videos for a more discernable contrast in the display. So, when reviewing photos or playing games, the visuals will be a lot clearer than current offerings.

Of course, taking that into account is likely to annihilate battery life, but Nvidia is confident that the fifth core will kick in for low-intensity tasks and help preserve the juice.

We'll have to wait for a device to actually arrive with the Tegra 4i on board to test out these claims - but certainly on paper the new processor appears to give the current crop of smartphone specs a substantial overhaul.

Unfortunately, there was no mention of any new devices that scheduled to appear with the Tegra 4i on board - but as soon as we know more, we'll let you know.

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The first phone out of the blocks at Mobile World Congress is the world's fastest, according to Chinese manufacturer Huawei which revealed the Ascend P2 handset at the show.

The phone is the first to launch with the category 4 class of LTE, letting it push past the 100Mbps limit reached by the likes of the category 3 iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3, and hit browsing speeds of up to 150Mbps.

It uses a 1.5GHz quad-core processor and boasts a 4.7-inch IPS HD Gorilla Glass screen with Andrid 4.1 overskinned with Huawei's own Emotion UI.

There's NFC built-in and the Chinese company has built in power-saving software that can, it says, reduce power consumption by 30 per cent and drop charge time by 25 per cent.
The chassis is 8.4mm thin and features a rear-facing 13MP camera, with a front-facing 1.3MP snapper also available for video calls and Snapchat sessions.

“Ascend P2 is theperfect combination of elegance and power, and further proof that there’s no need to compromise when desiring a perfect smartphone. It is evidence of the outstanding smartphone experiences and great technology that we are committed to bringing to consumers globally,” said Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group.

The phone itself is going to be with us in the second quarter of 2013 and will be heading to France first, where it will be available on Orange. Neither a UK release date or a price point has yet been confirmed, but we'll update as soon as we know more. In the meantime, check out our T3 MWC hub for all the latest mobile news from the show.

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If your hobbies include the likes of fell running, tomb raiding or Tough Mudder then the average smartphone just isn't going to cut it.

Fear not. Caterpillar, the company most known for diggers, tractors and the occasional workboot has been at MWC this week showing off its latest Android smartphone, the B15.

The new phone is clad in silver anodised aliminium and shock absorbent rubber, letting it withstand drops of up to 1.8m on concrete and submersible in 1m of water for up to 30 minutes. It's also dust resistant and will operate in temperature from -20ºC to +50ºC.

“The Cat B15 is one of the most exciting launches in the rugged mobile device sector, a handset that will with stand seriously tough conditions, whilst remaining distinctively designed, ” said Dave Floyd, the director of technology at Bullitt Mobile Ltd which acts as a global licensee for Cat phones.

“We strongly believe that Cat Phones will drive the popularity and growth of the underserved global rugged device market, and our ambition is to be the number one global rugged device handset by 2015.”
Of course, all that toughness on the outside shrouds a warm and fuzzy interior that boasts a dual-core 1GHz Cortex A9 processor running Android Jelly Bean.

The 4-inch WVGA screen is made from Gorilla Glass and features wet finger tracking - but packs in a mere 800 x 480 pixels. So don't expect 1080p video breaks on your downhill mountain biking excursions.
The B15 uses 512MB RAM and features 4GB of native storage, although this can be boosted with the addition of a microSD card.

Cat has confirmed the B15 will be available from next month, and will arrive with a £299 price tag.

Taiwanese company Polytron has unveiled a transparent smartphone prototype this week and suggests they could be in the shops by the end of 2013.


Flexible displays are all well and good, but what about a phone that's completely see-through? That's what Taiwanese company Polytron has done, unveiling a prototype this week.
The handset - which doesn't have a name yet - is developed from glass and only the visible elements are the board, memory card and camera.

Polytron has been working on glass-based technology for a while and has developed "Polyvision Privacy Glass" whereby liquid crystal molecules randomly orientated inside the glass line up when an electric charge is applied. So, while the glass is opaque when the power is off, fire it up and the sheet becomes see-through. This would have uses in a smartphone to cover up non-transparent parts like the SIM card.

The smartphone features a touchscreen interface in the center giving (at the moment) very basic functionality as there's no OS. Despite this, Polytron is planning to market the technology by the end of the year.
How far away this technology is from mainstream uses is impossible to say, but you can have a glance at a hands-on video of the transparent prototype over on the Mobile Geeks website.

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The latest rumour to hit the interweb concerning Samsung's next flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy S4, says the handset could be unveiled on March 15.

According to Sammobile, Android fans should be putting March 15 in their calendar for the official annoucement - but also keep the second week of April free as thats when the phone is likely to go on sale.

Unfortunately, all we have to go on is the word of a "trusted insider" and nothing official has materialised regarding Sammy's next Galaxy handset. However, the South Korean company is notably absent from Mobile World Congress this year.

For the full round-up of all the gossip over what could be the biggest Android smartphone of 2013, check out our Samsung Galaxy S4: release date, specs, price, news and rumours story.

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BlackBerry 10 is pretty darn fancy, but without the support of external app developers, the platform is as good as dead. Thankfully, it seems Instagram is one app that will be available

The digital ink on our BlackBerry 10 launch event coverage has barely had time to dry, but smartphone fans are already seeking out which of the key third-party apps will be made available on the new BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry Q10 handsets.
One of those apps is Facebook-owned Instagram, which has been a phenomenon on the iPhone and Android handsets. Thankfully, for prospective BB10 converts, it appears that the filter-friendly photo-sharing app will be making an official appearance.
CrackBerry reports that Instagram will "definitely" become available for BB10 handsets, but was not drawn on a potential release date.

"While no formal announcement was made this week about Instagram coming to BlackBerry, we did get word that BlackBerry is engaged in the process with Instagram right now and that Instagram will definitely be coming to BlackBerry 10. No date yet, but it will be there. Let's hope sooner than later of course," wrote CrackBerry's Kevin Michaluk.
Some Instagram users would say the presence of the app on BB10 is as important as Facebook or Twitter. Announcements concerning high profile third-party app launches for BlackBerry 10 were thin on the ground during this week's launch event, so one feels more have to be forthcoming.
Check out our guide to the best BB10 apps to download first for a look at those that will be available from the off. And head to our Video hub for hands-ons with the BlackBerry Q10 and BlackBerry Z10



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Chinese manufacturer ZTE has revealed its latest Android handset, the ZTE Blade 3, which will go on sale in the UK today for the modest price of £79.99 - which includes £10 PAYG top-up.
The new handset sticks closely to ZTE's usual fare of mid-level specs at a budget price. The Blade 3 runs on a 1GHz Qualcomm processor with 512MB RAM and a 4-inch 800 x 480 screen. ZTE has included a 5MP rear-facing camera, 4GB (+ microSD) storage and decided to use Ice Cream Sandwich for the Blade 3's OS rather than the newer Jelly Bean.

If you don't fancy the upfront cost, then the Blade 3 is also available for free on a £13 a month contract with Virgin Media.
“We paid close attention to user feedback when designing the Blade 3. It is the first smartphone in its price range with a 4-inch touch screen and Android 4.0 and is very well suited for the UK market,” said Kalam Meah, account director at ZTE UK.
The Blade 3 has some tough competition from the likes of the Sony Xperia Tipo and Samsung Galaxy Y - but at less than £100 and with some admittedly impressive specs, it could be a contender for the budget smartphone title.

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