It’s got a metallic case, it’s slimmed down drastically and it has the great camera as before. Say hello to Nokia’s new Lumia 925, which was unveiled hours ago as the follow-up to the flagship Lumia 920. …

If there’s still any doubt that the two big phone makers – Apple and Samsung – are the ones making most of the money, the latest figures now show that they together gobbled up 52 per cent of global smartphone sales in the last three months of 2012, up from 46.4 per cent three months before.

Research firm Gartner also said earlier today that more than 207 .7 million smartphones were sold in Q4 2012, up 38.3 per cent from 12 months ago. This, unfortunately, did not lift the overall mobile phone market.

Including sales of so-called “feature phones”, there were fewer phones sold in the entire 2012, compared to a year ago. The 1.75 billion phones sold represented a 1.7 per cent fall from 2011, the first decline in three years. …

I’ve already had two previous encounters with the Windows Phone 8X by HTC, including a comprehensive hands-on test before it was even launched, so I thought there’s hardly any more I can squeeze out of the phone.

Unexpectedly, HTC’s flagship Windows Phone did turn out to have some more surprises in store after some extended use, though not all of them pleasant. …

The Lumia 800 and 900 were important devices for the Windows Phone platform, but both are overshadowed in significance by the biggest slab of Microsoft-flavoured polycarbonate to come out of Nokia: the Lumia 920.

Nokia has a lot riding on the Lumia 920, and initial reception to the phone seems to be good. This flagship smartphone is a comeback phone like no other, but can it be Nokia’s saviour?

(Note: this is mostly a review of the Lumia 920′s hardware. For the Goondu take on Microsoft’s latest mobile operating system, click here.) …

At first glance, you may not notice anything different about Windows Phone 8 compared to its previous version. Well, except for its obviously different Start screen, which now sports tiles of three different sizes.

But Windows Phone 8 is as much a departure from Windows Phone 7 as Windows Phone 7 was from Windows Mobile 6.5 in one important a way: it’s a completely new version of Microsoft’s mobile operating system that is not backwards compatible with its previous version.

This means that apps written especially for Windows Phone 8 will not work in Windows Phone 7, which of course has left many current users unhappy. Still, in the grand scheme of things, I suppose Windows Phone 7′s user base is pretty insignificant compared to the hulking market share of Android and iOS.

Windows Phone 8 puts a focus on refining its distinctive style and features, and has reached a stage of maturity which may just give it a fighting chance this time round. …

Things have moved very fast since all three cellphone operators in Singapore decided or ramp up their coverage with faster 4G or LTE (Long Term Evolution) services two months ago.

The good news is that there are now several options for 4G phones. Today, many of the latest top-end models can link up to the new network, should you choose to sign up to a 4G service.

Here are five phones, out in the shops or coming in the next few weeks, that you should check out. …

When I was loaned a review unit to test out last week, I wasn’t too sure of the Asus VivoTab RT.

Here was a stripped down version of Windows 8 and a tablet that had few of the apps that users have been used to on an iPad or Android tablet.

Yet, after a few days with the Windows RT tablet, I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised at the build quality and value it offers.

…

A majority of Singapore employees are using tablet computers to access business applications, a new survey has found.

According to the survey commissioned by Avanade, a global IT service provider that specialises in Microsoft’s technologies, 68 per cent of respondents in Singapore reported that the majority of their employees use tablets for enterprise apps such as customer relationship management, project management and data analysis.

That figure is much higher than the global average of 33 per cent, underscoring the rapid take-up of mobile technologies among companies in Singapore to improve productivity and stay competitive. …

Two of the sharpest-looking Windows Phone devices, from Taiwan’s HTC, will go on sale in Singapore in the coming weeks, at prices aimed at attracting users who are still undecided on an Android or Apple phone.

The HTC Windows Phone 8X, one of the best from the new Windows Phone 8 lineup, will cost S$828 when it ships this month, while a cheaper model with a smaller screen, the Windows Phone 8S, will go for S$418 in December. …

Windows Phone 8 is finally official. Microsoft’s new mobile OS is packed with so many new features and other refinements that Windows Phone 7 is beginning to seem like a worldwide beta test before the real product arrives.

Before we get our full reviews in, here’s a whirlwind tour of the new Windows Phone 8’s line-up. …