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Samsung Taiwan recently revealed a teaser video of what looked to be a metallic Samsung smartphone. Many speculated that this could be the next Samsung Galaxy S5, especially as the metallic looking back seemed to fit with all the rumours of a metal body Galaxy S5. However, it appears that this smartphone is actually the Samsung Galaxy J. Three clues point to this as the use of a capital J in all the phrases such as "Just simple" or "Just for you" all point to the Samsung Galaxy J. The other clue is that the teaser video was released by Samsung Taiwan, supposedly where the Galaxy J will be next unveiled.

While some rumour sites have said that the Apple iPad mini with Retina Display could be launching in Malaysia on 12 December 2013, Apple have already made the 2nd generation Apple iPad mini 2 or Apple iPad mini with Retina Display available for Malaysia from RM1279 on the Apple Store. The Apple iPad mini with Retina Display brings a number of major improvements to the table which include Apple's new 64-bit A7 chipset and processor, 1GB of RAM and the aforementioned Retina Display. Check out the full pricing for the iPad mini with Retina Display below but if you still want the 1st generation Apple iPad mini, it is available from RM949:

• 16GB WiFi – RM1279
• 32GB WiFi – RM1599
• 64GB WiFi – RM1929
• 128GB WiFi – RM2249
• 16GB WiFi + 4G Cellular – RM1699
• 32GB WiFi + 4G Cellular – RM2029
• 64GB WiFi + 4G Cellular – RM2349
• 128GB WiFi + 4G Cellular – RM2679

If you're still wondering whether to get the Apple iPad mini or the Apple iPad mini with Retina Display, check out our previous comparison article about it. 

After some minor bugs due to the Android 4.3 update, Samsung Galaxy SIII users can now continue their updates as Samsung have announced the updating process to resume. While this is all good news for Samsung Galaxy SIII users in Malaysia as well, the more interesting news is that after the update, you can finally use the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch with the Samsung Galaxy SIII. Do note, some functions which can only be found on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are not available for SIII users even with the update. In related news, Android 4.4 looks to be coming to Samsung users as early as March or April 2014, so stay tuned.

Looking to offer a year end deal for the midrange masses, Celcom are now offering the Alcatel Idol X, HTC Desire 500, IMobile IQ X and Sony Xperia C on Celcom postpaid plans from RM488. Available on the Celcom First plans with either an mBasic or mAdvance mobile Internet data plan, users can get the listed midrange smartphones on 12 month and 18 month contracts. For more details check out the table and links in this article.

Offering graphics designers and professionals a powerful yet ultimately mobile workstation solution, Dell have recently released their Precision M3800 notebook computer or mobile workstation. Ultra-thin and light at just 18mm thin and 1.88kg, the Precision M3800 is very sleek for a mobile workstation of this class. Targeting those who need a mobile computer with workstation-class performance, the Precision M3800 offers very impressive tech specs which include:

• 3.2GHz quad-core 4th generation Intel Core i7-4702HQ processor
• 16GB RAM
• NVIDIA Quadro K1100M graphics + 2GB memory
• 15.6-inch touchscreen display (3200 x 1800 pixel / 1920 x 1080 pixel resolutions, 5-point capacitive touchscreen, Corning Gorilla NBT Glass)
• 1.5TB HDD / SSHD / SSD storage
• 18mm thin / 1.88kg
• 10 hour battery
• Windows 8.1 Pro (64-bit) / Windows 7 Professional (64-bit)

Maxis has recently revealed the Malaysia pricing for the Apple iPad Air 4G Cellular version beginning from RM2049 for the 16GB version, RM2299 for the 32GB version and RM2649 for the 64GB version. While these are the retail prices, the Apple iPad Air Cellular version is available on Maxis SurfMore data plans from RM1449 on a 24 month contract. Check out the table and links in the article for more information.

Despite it's limited initial release in South Korea, the LG G Flex looks to finally make a global release to the rest of the world. The global release will begin from 8 December 2013 with pre-orders for Singapore. It will then go on to Hong Kong from 13 December 2013, with subsequent roll-outs to other countries like Malaysia afterwards. Asides from being the only other curved screen smartphone in the world at this moment, the LG G Flex offers tech specs and features that include a 2.26gHz Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB of RAM, 6-inch plastic substrate OLED display, 13MP rear camera, 3500 mAh battery and a 7.9mm thin body. Pricing for Singapore is expected to be at S$1088 (RM2798) but Singapore prices are usually higher by about RM200 or so, so we would likely see the LG G Flex priced around RM2499 or similar in Malaysia.

While Maxis, Celcom and other Telcos are currently offering higher-speed 4G LTE networks, YES 4G or YTL Communications has been rather quiet. This all changed when YES 4G announced that they would be coming out with their 4G LTE network in 2014. No specific Malaysia release dates were mentioned but the announcement is more or less official having come from Dato' Yeoh Seok Hong, Executive Director of YTL Communications. One interesting fact for the YES 4G LTE service is that rather than fall back onto 3G mobile connectivity, the YES 4G LTE will go to WiMAX should there be a problem connecting to the LTE network. No news on pricing but we should find out about this soon enough so stay tuned and we'll keep you posted.

The YotaPhone has been officially announced by Russian company Yota Devices. The smartphone features dual displays, one a 4.3-inch colour LCD display and the other a 4.3-inch e-ink display. Other tech specs and features include a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB storage, 13MP rear camera, LTE connectivity, 1800 mAh battery and Android 4.2.2. While the e-ink display does increase battery life, the Yota phone also includes a system that moves the heat inside the phone away from the e-ink display which is sensitive to heat. The phone is still quite thick though at 9.99mm and weighs a hefty 146g. It will be priced for €499 (RM2188) but is only available in Russia and selected European countries for now. No Malaysia release dates just yet but we should expect the YotaPhone to arrive globally (and hopefully Malaysia) sometime in 2014.

While being a major supplier of telecommunications equipment and products in the US, Huawei has typically been treated with mistrust by the US government. Allegations of cyberspying and legal blocks have prompted Ren Zhengfei, Huawei CEO to say that Huawei would exit the US market. US officials claim that Huewei could be working with the Chinese government to provide hardware based backdoors or hidden surveilance inside their telecommunication devices but this is a claim which Huawei has strongly denied. William Plummer, Huawei VP says that the investigations have not turned up any solid proof. For now, the Huawei exit looks to be mainly on their telecommunications equipment side of the business while Huawei mobile phones will likely continue to be sold in the US.