Yesterday the Korea Times published a leak, allegedly from a Samsung employee, which gave details of a phone with a 5.9inch screen that the company will launch later this year.

It doesn't say it specifically but the phone in question is almost certainly the next generation of the Samsung Galaxy Note.

The Note has become a huge cult hit since its launch nearly two years ago and has had an important impact on the development of screen size, encouraging both Samsung and other makers, to offer bigger screens on their premium phones.

Samsung also recently unveiled a tablet, the Note 8.0, which has an eight inch screen yet can make and receive phone calls.

The company is also under pressure from a host of makers, from Sony to Huawei, who have launched big screen (or Phablets) as they have come to be known phones.

So, Galaxy Note owners - what would you want from a Galaxy Note 3?

Screen size

So is a 5.9inch screen the optimum size for a phone? I think it probably is. Have you ever tried to pocket an Apple iPad mini? Its seven inch screen makes it just a little too large to fit in your jeans. If the Note 3 is skinny like its predecessors it should just about make the cut and fit in trouser pocket.

As well as passing the trousers test a 6inch-ish screen is about as big as it goes for day to day use. Male users can comfortably get their hands around a handset with a six inch screen - any larger and the device would become more unwieldy.

I wonder if Samsung could push the format to 6.5inches, but I guess that might be a little too far.

Ultimately a 6inch screen is yet another statement from the brand and will be a key differentiator if the next Apple handset only has a four inch screen

Handset reduction in size

I think this is very important. Samsung needs to push the screen out as far as it can so there is less wasted space. This would reduce the size of the device a little.

If it can be made thinner in any way this would be warmly greeted by Note fans too.

Eye Scrolling

This is the much hyped feature that will apparently be part of the spec of the Galaxy S IV. Basically it means that the phone will be intelligent enough to work out when you have finished reading a page and shift down to reveal the next part of the story. In theory that's no more constantly swiping pages on ebooks, or having to push the screen up to read new paragraphs on web pages.

This would be great on smaller screen but would help solidify the Note's status as a great way of reading ebooks and surfing the web as well as offering some differentiation between the Note and its Chinese rival Phablets.

More accessories

One of the saddest things about being a Galaxy Note owner is that you tend to get jealous of the range of accessories available for other handsets. There are a few cases, but Samsung really could do with creating some innovative new add-ons not just for its flagship Galaxy S IV phone but also for the Note.

Better camera, faster processor etc

This goes without saying but any of the incremental step ups that feature on the Samsung Galaxy S IV (see here) should be added to the next generation of the Note.

A few tricks borrowed from the BlackBerry Z10

Namely deep integration of Swiftkey to make the handset ideal for typing social media updates and even blog posts as well as short messages and email. The Galaxy Note 2 has an interesting split screen option. Maybe this could be developed on the 3, possibly even enabling the user to have three apps open simultaneously - email, the web and maybe Twitter/Facebook.

Bought yourself a shiny new iPad mini? You are going to need a case for it. Here then is a round up of iPad mini housing which is targeted more at blokes than it is women.

There's a selection of stuff - from classy woollen cases through to fashion ones and ultra toughies - if your iPad gets a knock or two.

Bought yourself an iPad mini? If so you'll need to get a case for it pronto and here then is our selection of some of the best cases available that are aimed more at women than men.

It is not only the 200 or so engineers that Tim Cook has got on the case who are imagining what an Apple iWatch might look like and function. There are plenty of mocks ups - some of which are pretty good - and now here comes an intriguing iWatch ad.

It is set in 2019 and predicts that iWatch will be controlled by a hologram type screen. The very smart ad shows a girl transferring images from her camera using a hologram screen that the iWatch has created, as well as its using it to guide her on her run and loads more.

It is well worth viewing.

The hottest trend in mobile phones at the moment is... screen size. It seems you can keep your fancy features like voice control and image editing, what people really want is a large screen to watch video, surf the web and play games.

The trend that was started by Samsung with its Galaxy Note phone has now been taken up by almost all the makers (with a few high profile exceptions).

If you want to know why you'd want big screen phone in the first place go here.

If you are sold on that extra screen real estate then here is a collection of the all the models that are available now or coming your way soon.

The smallest has a five inch screen - the biggest is a tablet-esque 8 inches

There's no denying that the Samsung Galaxy Note handsets - you can call them Phablets if you must - have been one of the biggest things in tech in the last two years. What started as a bit of an experiment by Samsung has turned the mobile phone industry upside down and accelerated the shift to large screen handsets primed for making the most of the web and video and image content.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 2, in particular, has been a huge hit with techheads loving its monster 5.5inch screen size, clever pen-based apps and super fast processor.,

And as ever the accessory industry has responded with a load of cases for the device. Interestingly some are standard phone style cases, designed to protect the back of the phone and its sides. There are however cases that more akin to the type of designs which are common on tablets which cover the screen too and are more like wallets than cases.

Here then is our pick of the bunch.

So, most of the serious stuff has finished now the Mobile World Congress. Sure the exhibition goes on for a few more days but all major announcements have been made.

So what has MWC 2013 taught us

1 That the line between phone and tablet is really starting to blur. Fancy a phone with a 7insh screen? Well you will be able to buy one soon

2 That 4.7inch screen is now the sweet spot on high-end mobile devices. Anything smaller just looks a bit dated.

3 That the basic phone might be about to make a come back. Don't want the web, but want a phone with a battery that rolls on for days and days - well Nokia and others may have heard your pleas.

Here then are profiles of the key phones from the exhibition.

Personally I have not had a great experience of smart watches, they seem fiddly to set up and tricky to use (though admittedly I haven't seen this one yet). In short as a concept they are just begging for a company like Apple, or Samsung, to create something that not only looks beautiful but works in an intuitive way too.

There's plenty about smartwatches and how Apple might approach them here. What we do know though is that Apple is experimenting with some innovative bendy glass and that appears to have been the inspiration behind this gorgeous mock up from Yanko Designs.

In addition to the bendy glass, its design is clearly inspired by the iPhone 5 and note that apple trademark single button.

There's more here along with the words of the designer Esben Oxholm.

For more on the iWatch and its rivals go here.

They're not all new, they're not all particularly exciting and we can't guarantee they'll replace the likes of Instagram, but if you're feeling a bit bored of your good mates Brannan, Amaro and Rise (Instagram filters for anyone who's not a huge app geek), then we recommend you try out some of these photo apps, whether you want to play around with filters, make your subjects move about or just make your mobile better at capturing images.

1. Eyeem

It's one of those many, many apps that's been dubbed "the next Instagram" at some point or another, but it is one of our favourite competitors and it's probably because the controls and interface are just so easy to use. You can see filters (there are 14 in total) live as you take a photo (just like Instagram) by swiping left to right and then can tweak frames by swiping up and down. This means you can pair different filters up with different borders.

It's not just about photos and locations with Eyeem either, you can add emotions and activities to your images as well, which we imagine some of you will love and others will despise.

It's also got a very strong community feel, just like Instagram, which makes us more inclined to share images and engage with others.

For iOS, Android and Windows devices. Check out www.eyeem.com for more info and downloads.

2. Pudding

Many tech blogs refer to it as "the Instagram of Asia" because in many ways it's very similar, take or upload a photo, add a cool filter to it (Pudding has 13) and engage with the rest of the narcissistic, image-loving community.

However, Pudding is about much more than just sharing your photos, as you can add emotions, activities and even the music you're listening to at the time as well. In this way, it's much more akin to Tumblr and other social networking apps than just a simple tool to tinker around with photos and show off your work.

For iOS and Android device. Check out www.pudding.to/ for more info and downloads.

3. Cinemagram

We became a little obsessed with Cinemagram last year and it's still one of our favourite apps for creating images with moving elements, you just need to make sure you're patient with a steady hand.

For iOS devices. Check out cinemagr.am for more info and downloads.

4. Camerabag 2

The original Camerabag app has always been popular and one of our simple editing favourites, but now the team has created a second version, which is similar to the first but with a few more filters, borders and basic tweaking options, like exposure, contrast and filter intensity.

For iOS devices. Check out nevercenter.com/camerabag/mobile/ for more info and downloads.

5. Flickr

Flickr's photo app is one of the most comprehensive out there and looks great too, you can take photos, add some great looking apps to them and then share your creations with the slew of new people who signed up to Flickr when Instagram screwed up its terms and conditions.

Scrolling through other people's photos is an even nicer experience than Instagram, because not only are you swiping up and down through users, you can browse left and right too between everything they've shared.

It's a great option for those who love the community feel of Instagram or who already use their online Flickr account a lot already.

For iOS and Android devices. Check out flickr.com/mobile for more info and downloads.

6. Motiongraph

Sony has recently launched Motiongraph, an Android app that works in exactly the same way as Cinemagram really, just tap pieces of your image to make them move. It takes a bit of time to get the hang of it, but once you do you can create some really great, dynamic images.

For Android devices. Check out www.sonydna.com/sdna/e/products/motiongraph/index.html for more info and downloads.

7. Afterglow

A simple photo editing app, which allows you to add filters, borders and play around with light effects. A great one to have for pre-tweaking before you share your images elsewhere.

For iOS devices. Check out for afterglow-app.com/ more info and downloads.

8. Snapseed

Snapseed is a super comprehensive application, which allows you to add filters, frames and drama to your images. You can then make all kinds of tweaks, like cropping, straightening, adding tilt-shift effects and adjusting brightness.

It's a must-have option if you take your mobile photography seriously and want more from an app than just a few filters.

For iOS and Android devices. Check out www.snapseed.com/ for more info and downloads.

9. Nightcap

Nightcap isn't an all singing, all dancing option like many of the others, it's been specially created to make your night shots just a little bit better and promises that they won't be nearly as grainy or crappy as they'd normally be.

For iOS devices. Check out interealtime.com/ for more info and downloads.

10. Pureshot

Just like Nightcap, Pureshot isn't going to replace the likes of Instagram, but it will help you take better photos with your mobile camera. You can select different file sizes, tweak exposure, white balance and focus and use a special night mode too.

For iOS devices. Check out jag.gr/pureshot/ for more info and downloads.

We might be big fans of Apple's iPad range here at Shiny Shiny, but during a cool Amazon showcase last week we had some hands-on time with the new Kindle Fire HD tablet and needless to say we were pretty damn impressed with the online retailer's offering.

Tech Digest editor Gerald Lynch wrote up his top 10 free Kindle Fire HD apps and today we're here to bring you some of our favourite cases and accessories for a few of our favourite Kindles, all of which are bright and happy, just in time for spring (we hope).

Our collection of Samsung Galaxy S3 cases last year proved to be really popular, so we're back again with some simple favourites and bright tough options for your new handset.

Related: Top 10 new Samsung Galaxy S3 cases and accessories

There are lots of coffee machines on the market today and we've collected together some of our favourites, whether it's because they're all singing, all dancing and can do pretty much anything with a coffee bean, cheap and cheerful or bright and good-looking for your kitchen. We've also added in a couple of milk frothers too, for those who are fans of cappuccinos and forthy brews.

Twitter's new video sharing app Vine was only officially launched last week and we're already all creating short, silly clips of everything from our cooking exploits, ridiculous faces, morning commutes and lots of filthy porn too apparently.

As you'd expect from a brand new service there are those who aren't convinced and are being very vocal about it, labelling Vine a boring fad, but we're all about embracing new services, especially if they offer something a bit different and there are ways to avoid the naughty bits...

So here are five reasons why we love Twitter's new video app so far:

1. It's just so easy to use

If you really need it there's a quick walkthrough that shows you how to record your first Vine, but to be honest it's so simple and intuitive that we're confident you'll get it straight away. Just press the camera button and hold your finger down when you want to record something. You can do it all in one go or little chunks. You're then taken to a screen much like Instagram's, which allows you to add a caption, add a location or share with your social networks. Simple.

2. You can become a stop motion pro (kinda)

We've seen some pretty clever vines so far (we're calling the videos vines, that's OK, right?), but the ones that are particularly making us laugh are those that use basic stop motion animation in order to make things that don't move MOVE ON THEIR OWN. Admittedly these are the kinds of silly tactics that have made some people roll their eyes at the new app, but we just can't get enough of inanimate objects dancing around at the moment. Ask us in a week and we'll probably have a little cry about it.

3. Seamless Twitter integration (obviously)

Vine has been created by the team at Twitter, so as you'd expect there's seamless integration, which makes it really easy to upload to the micro-blogging platform, you can see vines within your stream and to embed a vine elsewhere you can easily just take the same steps you would have in the past to embed a tweet.

4. There's a sense of community already

Vine has been made by Twitter, but there are already plenty of people using Vine on its own and not necessarily sharing their creations with their Twitter followers every single time. Although we're encouraged to share our vines elsewhere (and many of us already do), just like Instagram we think we'll see circles of those that like to share their vines and make connections independently from any other service.

5. It's ideal for recipes or anything that shows a process speeded up

We don't doubt that there are thousands of weird and wonderful ways you can use Vine, but it particularly lends itself to following a process, like cooking something spectacular or getting to work on a morning. This means it'll be interesting for brands to tell stories, for people to record events, make tutorials and all kinds of other things...

And a few things we don't like...

1. All of the porn

We're not implying we're against porn here (or for it, stop putting pressure on us, OKAY?), but people uploading dodgy, adult content may well threaten the app for everyone.

According to reports this morning, a quick search for the #porn tag reveals all kinds of things you don't want to see over your breakfast. Vine itself is censorship-free and the idea is that the community will help to self regulate and flag up inappropriate content, but if people keep uploading dodgy stuff then Apple could wade in and deem it too x-rated for your poor, little eyes.

2. No ability to make things private (yet)

We get it, Vine and Twitter and social media generally is all about sharing and making your content public and accessible. But for various reasons that's an issue for some people, whether they're super secretive and a bit weird or have problems with stalkers. Although many people wouldn't use a private, locked option like you can activate on Twitter, the fact that option doesn't exist yet on the new app will definitely stop some people vining their way through the next few months.

3. Ads and ads and ads and ads

There aren't many yet, at all, but just like spam comments and weird ads have started to infiltrate Instagram a lot over the past few months, we imagine there'll make their way onto Vine pretty quickly. This is all the more reason to go looking for cool new content, but be aware that a new platform is really what you make of it, so follow great people and you'll have the best experience.

4. Babies, kittens and everything else we hate about the internet

All of the people that drive you insane with their incessant updates about cats and babies and food on other social networks will probably start using Vine at some point or another. So get ready for 64,348 vines of little Matilda crawling and crying. And crawling then crying. And crawling again.

5. It COULD all get a bit dull

The things that are getting us excited about Vine now, like cooking clips, stop motion thingies and silly voices could well start to grate on us a few months down the line. And when we say months, we mean hours.

If you haven't tried out Vine yet, then get it from iTunes for free.

There are plenty of cheap and cheerful cases available to keep your Apple tablet warm, safe and cosy, but if you're looking for something a little more high-end then check out our collection of designer and luxury cases. They don't necessarily protect your gadgets more than a regular accessory and you may need to pop out and find a money tree to afford them, but wow do they look damn good.

More iPad mini cases

Ones for blokes

Ones for women

The new iPhone 5 was released last September and we wrote up a list of our favourite cases and accessories, but now we're well into 2013 we've decided to take a fresh look at the ways you can wrap up your new smartphone in style.

Related: Top 15 new iPhone 5 cases and accessories

A pink, fluffy phone case with a diamante heart on it won't impress us at all come the 14th of February, but throw some of these cool gadgets and tech accessories our way and we'll be all yours. Well for 24 hours at least.

Don't like the look of our list this year? Check our best ideas from 2012 here: 10 Quirky Valentine's Day gifts for geeky girls

Back in 2011 we collected together our favourite video editing apps for the iPhone and were surprised by how few really good quality offerings were available from the iTunes app store. Fast forward nearly two years and we still have some firm favourites from the past gallery as well as some great new apps too.

So we've all been waiting eagerly - well, kind of - to find out what Facebook's big new announcement will be this evening and, like many predicted, the social network has added a new smart search engine called Graph Search.

Yep it sounds a bit like some mathematics term we probably should all remember from Secondary School, but in actual fact it's a way of sifting through the data about photos, people and connections that live on facebook.com.

The new search feature will appear as a big search bar at the top of each page you visit. You'll be able to start new searches and will then be served up data under that title, so the Facebook team use the example of "people who like things I like". You'll then have a page with that title at the top and a list of people who into the same stuff as you.

Once Graph Search is up and running, you'll be able to use it to find data about four distinct things, people, photos, places and interests. Over on the Facebook Newsroom the team outline the kinds of searches you'll make to find each type:

People: "friends who live in my city," "people from my hometown who like hiking," "friends of friends who have been to Yosemite National Park," "software engineers who live in San Francisco and like skiing," "people who like things I like," "people who like tennis and live nearby"

Photos: "photos I like," "photos of my family," "photos of my friends before 1999," "photos of my friends taken in New York," "photos of the Eiffel Tower"

Places: "restaurants in San Francisco," "cities visited by my family," "Indian restaurants liked by my friends from India," "tourist attractions in Italy visited by my friends," "restaurants in New York liked by chefs," "countries my friends have visited"

Interests: "music my friends like," "movies liked by people who like movies I like," "languages my friends speak," "strategy games played by friends of my friends," "movies liked by people who are film directors," "books read by CEOs"

It's not the big web search competitor some were speculating about earlier today and the team are keen to point out the differences:

"Graph Search and web search are very different. Web search is designed to take a set of keywords (for example: "hip hop") and provide the best possible results that match those keywords. With Graph Search you combine phrases (for example: "my friends in New York who like Jay-Z") to get that set of people, places, photos or other content that's been shared on Facebook. We believe they have very different uses."

Facebook users just love to constantly use the site then whine about how it's not private or secure enough and it's clear the team have already prepared for that kind of criticism by pointing out that Graph Search has been built "with privacy in mind" and no matter what you search for the privacy and settings of each separate piece of content will be respected.

There have been mixed reactions to the news so far, with many wondering why a network that's dedicated to connecting you with people you know is suddenly so concerned with helping you find new people. Some of the searches certainly do seem a bit like a creepy dating tool and social media is sleazy enough without an added way for scumbags to find us. However, when it comes to helping you find out more about your friends then it seems like a good idea. We think.

Obviously social media land is already speculating about what the news means for businesses, as searches that are concerned with pages were mentioned at the event, like "sushi restaurants that my friends have been to in Los Angeles", which could open up places, events and brands to an even wider audience.

Read the official Graph Search post over on the Facebook Newsroom. You can sign up to the beta version of Graph Search here: facebook.com/about/graphsearch.

Even after Instagram changed its terms of service - then changed everything back again - last year and everyone became really annoying and melodramatic and said they'd be leaving the app for good, it's still super popular and going from strength to strength, whether you're a posing nobody, a brand, an organisation or a celebrity.

The great thing about celebrities being on Instagram is that we feel like we're REALLY getting a sneak peek into their fancy, showbiz, car crash lives, which is much more appealing than reading unsubstantiated gossip. Well, sometimes.

There are a LOT of cool celebrities using Instagram right now, but here's our pick of the top 10 "teen idols". We're not entirely sure what that means, but they're young, young people are obsessed with them and as irritating as many of us find them, their Instagram snaps are sometimes pretty fascinating for all the wrong reasons. Oh and feel free to add your favourites in the comments:

Related: 10 Best celebrities to follow on Instagram

As we've explored so far, the annual CES tech show held in Vegas isn't always about the latest state-of-the-art laptops or huge TVs that'll make your eyes water, sometimes it's the smaller, more niche products that really wow the crowds.

This year technology, quirky devices and accessories aimed primarily at children have played a bigger part in the show then ever and we've collected together just 12 of our favourites from the floor.