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New documents have revealed that a current General Motors vice president, Doug Parks, was aware of the ignition switch problems on the Chevrolet Cobalt as early as 2005. At the time, Parks, whom Bloomberg called a "confidante" of CEO Mary Barra and an integral part of GMs product development team, was the chief engineer on the Cobalt and Saturn Ion. Congressional investigators uncovered the documents, which include an email from Parks and meeting attendance lists for the ignition switch problems.

This new evidence sheds some doubt on GMs own internal investigation, which found that none of the companys current executives knew of the ignition switch problems on the Cobalt and Ion. This news is also curious, following GMs large-scale dismissal of employees found to be responsible for the problem, such as Ray DeGiorgio.

"As Ms. Barra has said repeatedly we have taken all of the personnel actions that we feel are appropriate at this time," GM spokesman Greg Martin told Bloomberg via email.

More troubling, though, is what this revelation could do to GMs legal proceedings. The discovery of Parks knowledge of the issue could cause potentially serious damage to GMs bankruptcy argument, in which it claims that "New GM" isnt responsible for the actions of "Old GM." According to Consumerist, lawyers could now argue that the lack of a recall, particularly when a former chief engineer and current vice president knew of the issue, could lend credence to arguments that the company was attempting to cover up the problem.

Go back to 2010 and youd be hard pushed to find a handset which sported a screen bigger than 4 inches.

Back then the big phones of the year were the 3.5-inch iPhone 4, 3.7-inch HTC Desire and the 4-inch Samsung Galaxy S.


Today were seeing handsets rocking screens in excess of 6-inches, while the bustling budget tablet market is churning out top quality devices in the 7-inch arena.

The line between phones and tablets is more blurred than its ever been and the considerable amount of crossover has resulted in the coining of the rather inelegant phrase "phablet" - love it or hate it, the phrase and the devices its attached to are here to stay.

In the beginning

Our first real taste of a phablet was back in 2011 when the Samsung Galaxy Note was launched to a muted response. People scoffed at its ridiculously large 5.3-inch display and 90s S-Pen stylus, but little did we know Samsung was onto something.

Alan Thomas from Carphone Warehouse explains: "The phablet was a slow burner. When the original Samsung Galaxy Note hit the shelves it wasnt instantly popular. The industry as a whole didnt know what to make of it.

"But, as Samsung marketed it and showed what it could do, why you use it, people found it offered something they wanted."

Samsungs Note series remains the most recognised of the phablet generation with the Korean firm adding the Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 3 in the following years, but it has now been joined by the likes of Sony, Nokia and HTC in the race for the best supersized smartphone.

Its still not clear what defines a phablet, and Thomas told us "its getting a bit debatable, but typically a phablet has a screen size larger than 5.3 inches and smaller than 7 inches. Tablets normally have screens of 7 inches and over and smartphone screens tend to be 5.2 inches or under.

"There is a little bit of overlap and its largely due to how the manufacturer chooses to market their devices."

Why oh why?

There wasnt much of a calling for our smartphones to dramatically increase in size before the Galaxy Note popped its head up, so what advantages do phablets actually provide?

Thomas notes: "people have really begun to use their smartphones a lot more for the internet, and the larger screens make it more practical.

"Smartphones are always in your pocket, turned on and its very easy to just look something up. With a tablet or a computer, odds are you need to get it out of a bag, and turn it on."

For those of you who like to be on the cutting edge of technology Thomas also highlights the phablet range as leading the current mobile revolution.

"New phablets have the best technology offered by the manufacturer. The best screen tech, resolution, processor. If customers want the latest and greatest, it has to be a phablet.

"We find that a lot of different types of people buy phablets. There are those that commute often and need something to entertain them on tubes and trains. There are those that work a lot and want an organiser or PDA like device. The extra features and screen size are well suited to this.

"Ive seen a lot of female users who appear to use the Note as a diary – my friends mum has a Note and is constantly scribbling things into the notepad and calendar."

Carphone Warehouse currently offers four of the best phablets around, and if youre still unsure which one to plump for weve broken down each one for you to compare.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

The original phablet is now in its third iteration and the Galaxy Note 3 is definitely Samsungs best yet, boasting an excellent 5.7-inch full HD display, punchy 2.3GHz quad-core processor and 3GB of RAM.

Its an all-round powerhouse of a phone and will gobble up anything you throw at it, kitchen sink included.
"All the Note phones have had the S Pen and the Galaxy Note 3 is the newest. The S Pen is a new, more comfortable shape and allows for all manner of handwriting features on the Note 3," Thomas says.

"You can handwrite notes – like phone numbers or reminders – and the Note 3 can save them into the app perfectly. The Note 3 can also search your handwritten notes, so you dont have to type everything up in perfect Times New Roman."

Nokia Lumia 1520

If youre looking for a phone with a big screen and a top notch snapper then youll want to be checking out the most powerful, and largest, Nokia and Windows Phone handset to date.

The Nokia Lumia 1520 comes equipped with a great full HD 6-inch display, 2.2GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM and of course a Carl Zeiss optics rear camera clocked at 20MP.

Thomas notes that "at 20MP its one of the most powerful cameras on any smartphone. The Lumia 1520 also uses the Nokia Camera app – the same one as on the best camera phone, the Nokia Lumia 1020 – which gives you control over advanced features like shutter speed.

"This lets you take shots that just arent possible on other phones. It also comes with Microsoft Office built in, making it the most practical phablet around for getting some work done."

HTC One Max

With an incredibly sharp 5.9-inch full HD display and dual front-facing BoomSound speakers the HTC One Max is the phablet for any movie buffs and TV addicts out there.

As well as a quad-core processor, decent chunk of RAM and fancy Ultrapixel camera the One Max also has a party trick in the form of a fingerprint scanner on its rear - similar to Touch ID on the iPhone 5S.

"The fingerprint scanner makes all the things saved on your One Max safe and secure. Its also pretty practical as it can remember up to three fingerprints, and you can program the One Max to start up different apps depending on the finger you used on the scanner," Thomas explains.

"The BoomSound speakers are unbelievably loud. We thought the HTC One was a noisy little box, but this is arguably the loudest phone going. Boom Sound indeed!"

Sony Xperia Z Ultra

Want to be the talk of the town with the biggest smartphone around? Then step this way and say hello to the 6.4-inch Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

With such a large full HD display the Xperia Z Ultra can genuinely function as both your smartphone and your tablet, allowing you to purchase just one device instead of having to splash the cash on two.

Thomas is a fan of Sonys phablet too: "the Xperia Z Ultra is probably the most impressive phablet to look at as its so thin and Sony still managed to make it waterproof, so if you happen to submerge it for half an hour in 1.5m of water itll keep going like nothings happened.

"We also discovered that the Z Ultra has the sharpest screen of all the phablets, even though its the largest. This is because of the X-Reality feature. It up scales low-res content and sharpens HD quality visuals. It really works and is easy to notice the difference, making it the best for movie watching."

The phablet future

While phablets might be ploughing a supersized furrow through the mobile market at the moment can these larger than life handsets remain popular or are they just a passing fad?

"Phablets are here because we all want to use our phones for more visual content. This is unlikely to change.

Well want bigger and bigger screens, just like we want more screen space on the monitors for our computers and larger TVs for out front rooms," Thomas predicts.

"Phablets will still be here next year for sure, but specs might drop in comparison to the flagship devices to bring phablet prices down a bit."

It might not all be about the static size of the screen on future phablets, with flexible technology waiting in wings, as Thomas explains: "were expecting screen technology to take over and curved screen phones are already here with the LG G Flex.

"This has a 6-inch screen which curves round and while the display is extra large for videos etc, the curve keeps the phone size down and makes it better for making calls as it curves round your head.

"Once we move onto bendable and even foldable screens in two to three years well have phones with screens that can be expanded to the size of a tablet, but shrunk down when you dont need a screen that big.

"It might even completely spell the end of the tablet as these super phablets become ever more practical with screens that can change from 5 inches to 10 inches or more."

Asus Zenfone is a range of Android mobile phones, with names that relate to their screen sizes – meet the Zenfone 4, Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 6.

Zenfone 4

Zenfone 5

Zenfone 6

Apple is looking increasingly more likely to employ sapphire crystal screen technology on the rumoured iPhone 6, and that appears to be rubbing the current leader in mobile glass up the wrong way.


Tony Tripeny, executive at Corning (maker of the popular Gorilla Glass which adorns many smartphones), wasted no time highlighting sapphires disadvantages during a Morgan Stanley Technology conference.

Tripeny raised several points surrounding the negative aspect of sapphire technology, "its about 10 times more expensive [than Gorilla Glass]. Its about 1.6 times heavier. Its environmentally unfriendly."

There are also concerns about sapphires opacity, which could potentially make the screen harder to view and Tripeny noted "it transmits less light which... means either dimmer devices or shorter battery life."

Not so tough

Coring reckons that its Gorilla Glass offering can also withstand more pressure than the sapphire equivalent - "about 2.5 times more pressure" in fact, although we cant put this claim to the test at the moment.

Apple will be aware of the issues surrounding sapphire glass as its already used it to cover the TouchID sensor on the iPhone 5S and protect the lens on the iPhone 5, 5C and 5S.

The iPhone 6 is expected to arrive later this year so well have to wait and see if sapphire is the screen of choice for the Cupertino firm and whether itll push the price of the handset up.

The HTC One 2 has edged closer to the realms of reality, with the HTC One follow-on clearing its Wi-Fi certification ahead of an upcoming official unveiling.

LG has showcased yet more of its MWC 2014-bound handsets with a trio of third-generation LG L-Series devices formally unveiled.


LG’s lower and mid-range handset line, the new LG L-Series smartphones will sit beneath the existing LG G2 flagship and the LG G Pro 2 phablet and compact LG G2 Mini that have already been confirmed for MWC 2014 unveilings.

Issuing an image of the new LG L Series III Android line, the Korean manufacturer has revealed that the trio of new devices will be known as the LG L40, LG L70 and the LG L90. All three phones will come pre-installed with Google’s latest Android 4.4 KitKat OS.

With the LG L90 lining up as the highest spec of the new trio, the upcoming handset will see a 4.7-inch display run a slightly disappointing 960 x 540 pixel resolution.

With a 1.2GHz quad-core processor running the show, the LG L90’s specs sheet is rounded off by 1GB of RAM, 8GB of internal storage and an 8-megapixel rear-mounted camera. A 2540mAh Lithium-polymer battery keeps the handset running.

Dropping in screen size and specs, the LG L70 is set to be a 4.5-inch, 800 x 400p smartphone offering, with a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU. Running 1GB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage, the phone will boast its own 5-megapixel camera alongside a 2100mAh battery.

At the lower end of the spectrum, the LG L40 is set to be a true entry-level offering, with a 3.5-inch display running a 480 x 320 pixel resolution. Running a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, the L40 adds 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage to the mix alongside a 3-megapixel camera and a 1700mAh battery.

We will be on hand at MWC 2014 later this month to bring you all the latest on the full range of new LG handset.

LG has unveiled the world’s slimmest Full HD LCD panel for smartphones, conveniently launched just ahead of its Optimus G2 event next month.


Measuring just 2.2mm thick with a 2.3mm bezel, the 5.2-inch Full 1080 x 1920p HD panel is world’s slimmest and should allow smartphones to be considerably thinner.

Not only thinner, the panel is also lighter than other screen and will provide a larger surface area upon which to view content on smartphones.

“Today’s introduction of the world’s slimmest Full HD LCD panel represents an exciting advancement for the high-end smartphone segment, and is possible due to our world-class expertise in IPS and touch technologies”, said Dr. Byeong-Koo Kim, the VP and Head of LG Display’s IT and Mobile Development Group. “LG Display will continue its commitment to developing products that maximise consumer value as well as opening new doors for the mobile and tablet PC industry.”

The super-slim panel includes the latest touch technology from LG Display, named Advanced One-Glass-Solution (OGS). By inserting Dual Flexible Printed Circuits between the panel and the “touch film” increases the responsiveness of the screen.

LG Optimus G2 Rumours

LG has conveniently launched this super-slim panel technology just ahead of its August 7 launch for the LG Optimus G2.

The clearest LG Optimus G2 images emerged earlier this week, supporting the original reports that the smartphone was too thin for buttons. In fact, the smartphone’s volume rocker is supposedly located on the rear of the device below the 13-megapixel rear camera.

The South Korean electronics manufacturer could include this latest panel technology in its upcoming flagship, due to replace the LG Optimus G.

Lastest rumours have suggested that the smartphone will pack a 5.2-inch display, which could be this super-slim panel.

Other tipped specs include a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU with 2GB of RAM powered by a 2700mAh battery.

The Sony Xperia G mid-range smartphone has been leaked online ahead of a potential MWC launch.


According to a tweet from prolific tech tipster @vizileaks, the Sony Xperia G will be the mid-range device to launch at MWC alongside the high-end Sony Xperia Z2.

The Xperia G has been spotted before in leaked benchmarks with specs very similar to the Motorola Moto G.

From the leaked photograph, the Sony Xperia G looks to offer a screen size of around 4.6- or 4.8-inches. It is seen with what looks to be the 5-inch Sony Xperia Z1, which makes us believe it has such a screen size.

However, Sony may well have reduced the bezel size of the Xperia G and kitted it out with a 5-inch display.

Of course, the phone on top could be the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact too, meaning that the display may be as small as 4.3-inches or lower, but we sincerely doubt it.

The previously leaked benchmarks suggest the Xperia G will have a 1.4GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and run Android 4.4 KitKat out of the box.

It is also tipped to feature a 720p HD resolution display, rather than full 1080p HD to keep it in-line with its mid-range price tag.

That’s all we know about the Sony Xperia G for now, but it may well be part of Sony’s MWC 2014 line-up.

MWC starts on February 23 in Barcelona. TrustedReviews will be on hand to bring you all the latest news as it happens.

The Sony Xperia Honami will reportedly sport a 5-inch display of 1080p resolution. The smartphone is going to be powered by a 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and feature 2 GB of RAM. The 20 megapixel Exmor RS main camera will feature Sony G-lens and BIONZ image processor, but its sensor will measure 1/2.3" rather than the previously rumored 1/1.6".


The impressive snapper will be joined by a 2 megapixel front facing snapper. The smartphone will have 16 GB of expandable storage to save all those shots and will draw its juice from a 3,000mAh battery.

Sony Xperia Honami is said to be IP57 certified, which it is completely dust-protected and it will withstand a meter of water for 30 minutes. The Xperia Honami reportedly measures 144 x 73.9 x 8.3mm and will come with a great set of connectivity options along with latest version of the Android OS - 4.2. The upcoming flagship smartphone from Sony is expected to compete against the likes of other camera-phones such as Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and, more importantly, the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Sony is set to unveil its Honami smartphone at its press event on September 4 at the IFA expo in Berlin.

Just as it does every year, Twitter has unveiled the top tweets of 2013, highlighting the years trends on the bite-sized social network.


Twitter began the "Year on Twitter" trend in 2010, and since then its format has gotten snazzier and snazzier.

This years categories are less vague than 2012s, with top 2013 tweets divided into news, entertainment, sports and "showcase," a publishing partner-picked selection of the best tweets of the year.

But the best category is undoubtedly the one that simply reads "#2013," as it highlights the major events of the last year month-by-month - in tweet form, of course.

Tweet tweet

Twitters 2013 year in review features hundreds of tweets covering everything from Jon Stewarts jabs at Microsoft to humble brags from Nascar super stars.

The sports section is divided by sport, and the news section by category. Politics and big science stories are all covered, as well as "human interest" tweets like a marriage proposal and a lost dog returned home.

The entertainment category is divided into music, TV, movies, and pop culture. No video games or tech? Even with the launch of the Xbox One and PS4?

At least theres plenty of Breaking Bad love in there.

Golden tweets

Its fun to go through the #2013 category and check out the years events month by month. What was your favorite thing that happened this year? Chances are its in there, from #SFBatkid to the NHL Stanley Cup.

The Golden Tweets section features the most re-tweeted messages of the year, and its full of heavy hitters as well, including celebrity deaths like Cory Monteith and Paul Walker.

The tweets in this section garnered hundreds of thousands of re-tweets each.

"This years most-retweeted Tweets showed the world coming together to share in loss, love, and celebration," Twitter wrote in the review.

Theres plenty to explore in Twitter 2013 showcase, but dont lose too much time combing through the past - the years not over yet, and youve probably got work to do still.

The timing of tweets is the major clue as to whether they are authentic or not, new research suggests.

Scientists determined the difference between human tweeters and automated Twitter accounts based solely on the timing of tweets.


The researchers, from Imperial College London, found that they could easily tell if humans were responsible for tweets, without even looking at their content, based on when the user’s tweet was posted.

Their technique also enabled them to distinguish between individuals and those accounts managed by groups of people.

Surprisingly, they found that there was not an obvious pattern for automated Twitter accounts, which were more random than humans in terms of the timing of tweets.

The technology behind the research could provide a new way to verify the authenticity of Twitter account users.

The study, published in the journal PloS One, is also providing fresh insights into how our brains operate when using social media tools.

Study author Doctor Aldo Faisal, said: We found that it does not matter whether you are a model in Sao Paulo or a student in Beijing; it seems that we all share something very similar in our tweeting pattern that dictates the timing of when we send out messages.

Why is this important to know? Well, it suggests that there is something fundamentally similar in the wiring of our brains that comes into play when we use twitter to communicate.

Since its creation in 2006, Twitter has accrued more than 200 million active users worldwide, producing 400 million tweets per day. 

The researchers analysed 160,000 tweets from around the world using computer programmes that they developed to spot complex behavioural patterns in Twitter users.

By analysing the timing interval between tweets the team were able to determine that personal accounts holders tweeted more evenly throughout the week and, on each day, more tweets were recorded during typical waking hours of 7am to midnight.

Managed accounts, run by people in corporations, were more active during the five working days and during working hours between 8am and 8pm.

However, tweets from automated accounts were less easy to predict using their method because they were random in terms of when they were sent out.

Dr Faisal added: I am a Twitter user and this project was born out of my curiosity in wanting to know who I’m actually tweeting with.

Sure, there are methods for verifying account holders, but are they fail-safe methods? Are we really speaking to a Member of Parliament on Twitter or a PR representative or a machine? We have now developed a method that can help us determine who it is we are actually tweeting with.

Specs for the Nokia Lumia 1820 and Nokia Lumia 1525 have leaked online ahead of an official MWC unveiling.

A number of top iOS apps and games have seen their prices slashed to zero, coinciding with the App Stores fifth birthday.


While Apple hasnt made any official announcement yet, its clear that some special celebrations are in store to mark the iOS App Store hitting five this week.

To kick things off, some apps and games have already been made free to download. These are some premium offerings, too.

On the games front, the likes of Tiny Wings (both the iPhone and iPad versions), Infinity Blade II, Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP, Wheres My Water? and Badland can all be picked up for nothing.

The Unreal Engine-powered Infinity Blade II in particular is a bit of a steal, as it usually costs £4.99. Badland formerly cost £2.49.

When it comes to apps, there are some even more generous offers. Traktor DJ, an acclaimed pro music mixing app, normally costs £13.99, but is now free.

Day One, a polished journal app; Over, which lets you overlay your photos with professional-looking text; and Barefoot World Atlas, an interactive 3D globe for kids, have also gone free.

None of these apps or games have any blurb to explain the price drop, but wed bet anything that Apple will announce something later this week - possibly on Wednesday, which will mark five years to the day since the iOS App Store first came online.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumours have once again suggested the smartphone turn tablet hybrid will land packing 3GB of RAM, a move that would be a first for the industry.


The latest Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumours, which have come out of the company’s native Korean, has claimed the third-generation ‘phablet’ device could be even more powerful than its market leading flagship sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Far from the first time the currently unconfirmed handset has been tipped to run 3GB of RAM, the latest reports back up similar claims earlier this year which suggested the device would host 3GB of RAM alongside the same 1.6GHz eight-core processor handed to the S4 in certain markets.

As well as being a bit of a powerhouse, the less than official sources have suggested that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will line up at just 8mm thick, a rumour which points to a dramatic redesign over the 9.4mm Samsung Galaxy Note 2. Recent reports claimed the Note 3 will feature an all new metal design, stepping away from the cheap feeling plastic handsets Samsung has become associated with.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Rumours

A device set to rival the recently unveiled Sony Xperia Z Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is believed to be heading to market with a 5.99-inch display in tow. A full 1-inch larger than the already sizeable S4, it has been claimed that this touchscreen offering will be a Super AMOLED option with a 1080p Full HD resolution.

With a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date expected to follow an IFA unveiling, leaks earlier this week claimed the phone would be formally unveiled on September 4, press day of the Berlin based tech show.

Taking more than a few pointers from the S4, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 rumour mill has pointed to the Huawei Ascend Mate challenger running the same 13-megapixel rear-mounted camera as its more mainstream sibling.

Ahead of a widely expected MWC 2014 unveiling, the heavily rumoured Nokia X Android phone has been caught on camera yet again.


Tipped to mark Nokia’s first foray into the Android smartphone scene – shortly before the company is taken over by Microsoft – the Nokia X has been the subject of multiple leaks and rumours in recent weeks, with another promotional image of the handset now making a premature appearance.

Once again surfacing courtesy of the serial, Twitter-based tipster @evleaks, the latest Nokia X picture has showcased the green bodied entry-level handset from a number of angles.

With a slightly squat, boxy design, the Nokia X handset looks set to feature a form factor markedly similar to the existing Nokia Asha 503, a budget handset for emerging markets.

Although the latest Nokia X picture leak has failed to offer any new, concrete details on the phone, recent rumours have suggested the handset will be a true entry-level offering, with a compact 4-inch display paired with a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 512MB of RAM.

With the handset’s display mooted to support a basic 800 x 480p resolution, further Nokia X specs tipped to feature include a 5-megapixel rear-mounted camera, 4GB of internal memory and the now massive outdated Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS.

The Nokia X is widely expected to be unveiled as the Finnish manufacturer’s first Android-powered handset during next Monday’s February 24 MWC 2014 press conference. The phone is believed to be heading for launch in a range of colours including red and green.

Claimed Google Nexus 10 2014 pictures have leaked, with images of the next-generation Android tablet making a premature appearance online.

Following the recent launch of the LG G Flex, the Korean manufactuer has suggested that bendable handsets are here to stay, claiming that flexible phones are “the future of the industry.”

Apple is said to be working on plans to launch its own mobile payment system, a move that would allow users to purchase goods and services using their Apple ID accounts.