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Samsung has just announced their ISOCELL CMOS image sensor technology which they say beats back side illumination (BSI) sensors in other cameraphones. According to Samsung, BSI has limitations in that the cross-talk interference is higher the closer pixels are to each other, which happens with larger megapixel camera sensors. Through Samsung's ISOCELL, each pixel is isolated, allowing it to catch more light from the sensor resulting in better exposed, blur-free photos shot in low-light conditions.

Now this is by no means a new rumour, as rumours about a metal body Samsung smartphone have been around since before the Samsung Galaxy S4. What is new, is that the source seems to be coming from mostly South Korean Media who suggest that Samsung may finally be making this move with a premium Project F series of smartphones. These F series smartphones would have metal chassis, feature the latest 64-bit Samsung Exynos chipsets and have the latest Samsung technology such as the ISOCELL mobile camera technology. Tech specs for the smartphones include 4.5-inch to 5.5-inch screen sizes that may see flexible displays and 16MP cameras with optical image stabilization. So far, no other features or information such as Malaysia release dates or pricing are available but rumours indicate that we could see the Samsung Project F smartphones make an appearance in March 2014 which coincides with CES 2014.

Finally, Maxis has come out with it's Samsung Galaxy Note 3 offerings and no surprise here but they also have a FREE Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch thrown in. Prices of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 start from RM1199 and as usual, you have to sign up for a 24 month contract but with Maxis you can choose between a SurfMore75 or TalkMore78+1GB or TalkMore78+3GB postpaid plan bundle. Check out the table and links in the article for the full details.

Some leaked images of a QWERTY equipped BlackBerry device have recently appeared. The device may be going by the codename Kopi and is said to be positioned below the BlackBerry Q5. It is also expected to come without 4G LTE. From all appearances, it looks a lot like the BlackBerry Curve and has a removeable battery with expandable microSD slot. It may also be running BlackBerry 10.2. With the BlackBerry Q5 retailing at RM1299 and this BlackBerry Kopi not having any LTE, a below RM1000 pricing could be the only way it would make a dent in the current market. Hopefully, BlackBerry makes the right pricing choice, but we wouldn't hold our breath on it. Unfortunately, no Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet but stay tuned and we'll keep you updated. Check out the pics in the article.

While Celcom has already come out with it's Samsung Galaxy Note 3 bundles, those were for 24-month contracts. Looking to add a few more options for their bundles, Celcom have recently added on 12 and 18 month contracts starting from RM1888 and RM1748 respectively. Users still sign up using the Celcom First Prime, Celcom First Premier and Celcom First Elite plans but add on 1GB or 3GB of mobile internet. Other advantages of the lower contract period include a lower advance payment. Check out the details and links in the article.

U Mobile has announced it's Samsung Galaxy Note 3 package deals from as low as RM999, which is a massive reduction from the retail price of RM2399. Users interested in the deal have to sign up for a U Mobile Ultimate Device plan under a 24 month contract with loyal customers being offered the highest tier of Ultimate Device 158 and the aforementioned lowest price of RM999. All of the Ultimate Device postpaid plans will require an upfront payment which will be credited back over the 24 period. For more details check out the table and other links in this article.

Diversifying what you can do with your Microsoft Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2 tablet is Microsoft's new touch covers, one of which is the new Surface Remix Project which has resulted in the Surface Music Kit cover. Compatible with the Microsoft Surface 2, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro tablets, the customized touch cover features a set of sliders and buttons similar to those on a DJ's mixing table. When attached to the aforementioned tablets, the accompanying mixing app installs automatically, allowing you to mix a song complete with vocals, drums, bass and keyboards as well as other templates. The custom cover is pressure sensitive so you can have a more intuitive experience controlling beats, instruments and vocals. The app syncs beats per minute automatically and also provides mixing recommendations while also exporting resulting mixes into MP3, WAV or WMA formats. DJ and Linkin Park member Joe Hahn has also been invited to act as the Surface Remix project product ambassador while the #RemixProject competition has a free Surface 2 + Surface Music Kit combo for creative Vine video submissions on remixing your life. Microsoft eventually hopes to see other Touch Cover possibilities come from this with many interesting creations already in development which you can see from the videos in this article.

We've been hearing rumours about the Intel Haswell refresh of Microsoft's Surface tablet range for months, so it comes as no surprise when Microsoft officially announced the new Surface Pro 2 tablet. While the new version packs in a better 4th generation Intel Core i5 processor it also adds in tech specs and features which include 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options, 4GB to 8GB of RAM and a 10.6-inch full HD ClearType HD display. The new Intel Haswell chips increase battery life by up to 75% and the Surface Pro 2 adds on new cover options such as the Power Cover which includes a 30wh battery to help extend battery life even further.

In line with the Intel Haswell revamp of the Microsoft Surface Pro tablets, the Surface RT line of tablets gets a revamp as well in the form of the new Microsoft Surface 2 tablet. Featuring Windows 8.1 RT and running on a new NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, the Surface 2 is thinner, lighter and faster. Other tech specs include a microSD card slot, a USB 3.0 port, 32GB and 64GB storage along with a 10 hour battery. The new Touch Cover 2 keyboard is also very much updated including backlit keys, 1092 sensors and is 1mm thinner than the original Touch Cover. Other features include a free pre-installed Microsoft Office 2013 RT suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, One Note and Outlook RT along with 200GB of free SkyDrive cloud storage for up to 2 years and one year's worth of International Skype calls. Pricing in Malaysia hasn't been determined yet but we estimate the Surface 2 to be at $449 (RM1437) for the 32GB version and $549 (RM1757) for the 64GB version. For more information check out the Surface 2 site.

Tesco PLC has just announced a new tablet under the Tesco name called the Hudl. The 7-inch Android tablet has some reasonable tech specs including a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 16GB of storage and Android 4.2 but what is the most shocking feature is probably it's price which is just GBP119 (RM612). While the only version of the Hudl currently available just has WiFi it is priced low enough to cause some serious competition for other better known tablet brands like Acer and Asus. However, Tesco have not indicated what their plans are for the tablet just yet. The move underscores what many in the industry are seeing, more and more previously unknown brands jumping onto the tablet bandwagon thanks to more OEM tablet makers (mostly from China). So far, the Hudl is expected in the UK from 30 September 2013 but we have no news on Malaysia pricing or Malaysia release dates just yet. Hopefully, other supermarket brands in Malaysia catch on soon too.