Right after the previous supposedly leaked images of the HTC M8 (which is widely believed to be the next version of the HTC One) were called fakes by Marc Moons, Director of HTC Benelux, a couple of new HTC M8 images have popped up. These new pictures are from Russia and offer a number of tech specs as well. These HTC M8 tech specs include a Snapdragon 800 processor, 5-inch screen with full HD 1080p resolution, 2GB RAM, dual-sensor 5MP Ultrapixel rear camera and Android 4.4.2. Check out the pictures for yourself, but these new pics could just as likely be some more creatively photoshopped fakes and get a debunking tomorrow, so take them with a good pinch of salt first.

Anodized (champagne) gold colour smartphones are not new, especially as there are versions for the Apple iPhone 5S and HTC One, but it appears that LG are also looking to do something similar as well. This time around a gold coloured version of the LG G2 will soon be available in Taiwan. Thankfully, the prices are still the same at 14900TWD (RM1628) for the standard 16GB version. Tech specs and features for the gold version remain the same though. No Malaysia release dates on when we'd get a gold LG G2 here in Malaysia but stay tuned and we'll keep you updated. In all likelihood, we'll probably see it with local sellers first before it comes officially from LG.

Most of us are thinking that we could see the next Samsung Galaxy S5 in February 2014 when the Mobile World Congress or MWC is expected to happen. However, news reports from an official insider in Samsung has said that the Samsung Galaxy S5 would be unveiled at New York in March. The report seems even more credible as the Samsung Galaxy S4 was also introduced last March in New York as well, but do take this rumour with a pinch of salt. No Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet but we wouldn't be surprised if HTC is planning to camp outside with the HTC One+ like they did with the HTC One.

At a time when most flagship smartphones pack cameras larger than 8MP, the 4MP UltraPixel camera on the HTC One seems like something that shouldn't be there. Granted, it may have started the trend for specialized low-light condition cameras on smartphones but overall, it didn't deliver as well as the 8MP, 13MP, 20MP or even 41MP cameraphones out there. Unfortunately, it seems like the next version of the HTC One, which may be called the HTC One+ or HTC One 2 will likely keep the same 4MP UltraPixel camera. Other tech specs and features are rumoured to get upgraded including a Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB / 3GB RAM and a 5-inch full HD display. Other rumours say that there will be 2 cameras, with one being the 4MP UltraPixel camera for low-light and another higher megapixel camera for normal conditions. No exact news on Malaysia release dates or pricing but rumours indicate that it could be coming at the MWC Expo on 24 February 2014. As always take this rumour with a grain of salt at least until HTC makes an official announcement. Stay tuned and we'll keep you updated of this.

With 2014 already here, we look back at the year 2013 for all the awesome mobile phones to have come out in 2013 for Malaysia. There were quite a lot of them, so we picked based on innovation, performance, design and potential successfully delivered. In no specific order we list out the following mobile phones that rocked our world currently available with local Malaysia support as follows:

• HTC One - The First Good-looking Android Phone
• Sony Xperia Z - The First Stylish Water-proof smartphone
• Samsung Galaxy S4 series - A performance smartphone for every user
• Nokia Lumia 1020 - The Ultimate Cameraphone
• LG G2 - Best all-rounder performance with functional rear controls
• Sony Xperia Z1 - The most feature-filled smartphone
• Nokia Asha 500 series - Bringing hybrid smartphone capabilities to the masses
• Apple iPhone 5S - The world's first 64-bit smartphone with well-done fingerprint scanner
• Nokia Lumia 1520 - The Videographers phablet
• Samsung Galaxy Note 3 - The Ultimate Phablet with 3GB RAM
• Motorola Moto X - Always on and always listening
• Vivo Xplay 3S - World's first 2K display smartphone
• BlackBerry Z10 - World's first BlackBerry smartphone with no QWERTY keyboard

We've seen quite a few Samsung Galaxy S5 concept renders, including one with a curved screen, but there are of course many designers in the world with variously different opinions. One of the latest to surface is a concept render for the Samsung Galaxy S5 that not only features a metal unibody design but looks like a combination of a Samsung Galaxy S4 with a HTC One. This concept render comes courtesy of Hasan Kaymak who has created other concept renders before. In addition to the smartphone render, he has also added on how he'd see TouchWiz 5 looking like, which to us looks like it's borrowing the flat look from iOS 7. While it does look nice, we find it rather unlikely that Samsung would go in that direction, but do enjoy the pictures in the article.

While Maxis has already started their Festive Sale with the HTC One, Huawei Ascend Y511, Samsung Galaxy Ace 3and Samsung Galaxy Y Neo, the list doesn't yet have a tablet or phablet which Maxis are changing with the addition of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 LTE version and Asus Fonepad HD 7. The Tab 3 8.0 is going from RM699 while the Fonepad HD 7 is going from RM399. As with the previous Festive Sale offer, the plans are fairly affordable but you have to sign up for a 24-month postpaid contract so check out the table and links in the article for more details.

As teased earlier, U Mobile has finally launched 4G LTE on their networks. Offering up to 75Mbps speeds the service currently covers Bandar Sunway, Berjaya Times Square, Puchong and Taman Molek, Johor Bahru. While the coverage areas are still rather limited, U Mobile have done good on their claim of 4G for all by opening it up to Prepaid, Postpaid and Broadband users. This means you don't need to get a new 4G LTE SIM card to get on U Mobile's 4G LTE network. As long as you have an LTE capable device and a U Mobile SIM all you need to do is send 'LTE ON' to 28118. Check out more deals and links in this article.

With Christmas gift giving just around the corner, Maxis are currently offering a number of affordable smartphones from as low as RM0 with their Festive Sale. This includes the HTC One, Huawei Ascend Y511, Samsung Galaxy Ace 3 and Samsung Galaxy Y Neo provided you sign up for a 24-month contract with either the TalkMore28 or TalkMore48 plans packaged with a mobile internet plan. Both plans are also quite affordable and should make for a good value present come Christmas time except for perhaps the HTC One, the only premium smartphone in the bunch but the price is quite good considering the still rather high price it retails for. Check out the table or links in this article for more information:

DiGi recently announced it's DiGizens Thank You Sale for the end of 2013 as a big thank you for all their customers. While we've already covered the free smartphone deals which include the Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung Galaxy Note II, HTC One, Sony Xperia C and Sony Xperia Z, DiGi are also offering a number of other free deals on top of this as well. This includes an extra 1GB of free Internet when customers purchase RM25 worth of Internet quota top-ups and 300 minutes worth of free calls for customers signing up for the DG Smart Plan 88. The first 2000 customers who sign up for any DG Smart Plan also get free 1000 Bonuslink points  along with free unlimited Skype calls to 63 countries for 30 days. A zero contract deal is also available for an Android Start tablet which comes free with a DiGi Tablet plan which also includes a free modem. In related news, DiGi will also offer 'Internet Weekends'  at their MyAndroid Hubs (the first MyAndroid Hub is located at the Sunway Pyramid DiGi store) which offers users a free demo on various Android products. For more information regarding the DiGizens Thank You sale check out the DiGi site.