Is the Galaxy S III is too massive for small European hands? Samsung Mobile Communications head JK Shin confirms the release of a 4-inch version of the smartphone, citing increase in demand for 4-inch devices from the European market.

Thus Samsung will launch the miniature Galaxy S III in Germany on October 11 2012.

"There's a lot of demand for a 4-inch device in Europe. Some call it an entry-level device, but we call it 'mini,'" JK Shin says.

The regular Galaxy S III display is 4.8-inch-- not too unusual (or large) in an Android landscape where the average size for a high-end device is around 4.5-inch.

Bigger mobile devices are something of a surprise market success... so much so even Apple boosted the display size (up to 4-inch, mind) in the iPhone 5. Mind, no confirmation exists on whether Apple will actually shrink the iPad in size as yet.

Go Samsung Galaxy S III Mini 4-inch Announcement (INews 24)

As the world waits for the launch of the Surface tablet, rumours emerge on Microsoft's future hardware ambitions-- the launch of a Surface-branded Windows Phone 8 smartphone.

The first round of speculation comes from the China Times, with a report claiming a Surface smartphone will be available from H1 2013. More rumours come via BGR, with a "trusted source" saying Microsoft plans to take on the high-end offerings Apple, Samsung... and its own vendor partners.

Does Microsoft want to anger the smartphone vendors, just like it did with tablet makers such as Acer? What about Nokia, who put its entire fortune behind Windows Phone?

The Verge also throws more fuel to the speculation fire, with "multiple insiders" saying Microsoft might consider a Surface phone as a "Plan B" of sorts (where "Plan A" is hardware partners bringing Windows Phone 8 to the market).

Readers with longer memories might remember the earlier smartphone attempt from Microsoft-- the Kin, a Windows Phone 7 smartphone aimed at younger customers. The Kin story had an ignoble conclusion, ending as a $240 million write-off in Microsoft's Q4 2010 earnings report.

Apple reports it sold more than 5 million iPhone 5's during the opening weekend.

5,000,000 phones in two days. And Wall Street's crying that this is a very disappointing number.

It's below the stock market's estimate of 6 million to 10 million and stock analysts now worry growth may be slowing at Apple.

Here's the chart that Wall Street says condemns the Apple 5 sales:

Opening weekend sales grew 70% between the 3GS and the iPhone 4, and then an astounding 135% between the 4 and the 4s.

iPhone 5 sales,  so far, grew only 25%. That could reflect "massive deceleration."

But, c'mon on. it's 5 million smartphones. The plummeting red line  is meant to catch your eye but the blue bar is up, up, up. Sure, there are a couple more countries in there, but that, too, is a positive. Getting the iPhone faster into more markets makes Apple stronger. 

What if there is less percent of immediate switch-over to the latest Apple model? As long as the customers are not switching over to another brand, Apple still retains its market share and its power to control the market. That may upset the money changers in the smartphone temple, but it means the religion is still strong.

Go more on iPhone "Disappointment"

Apple reveals the iPhone 5-- taller (4" Retina display), thinner (18%), lighter (20%), faster (2X with a new A6 chip that's 22% smaller), and longer-lasting in battery power (finally!).

Tim Cook presented Apple's typically bullish outlook, showing off an impressive new Apple Store in Barcelona (complete with blue shirt-clad Geniuses and huge lines) and bragging about global domination in the tablet market.

The bigger display confirms earlier rumours... Apple is clearly aware of the success rivals (Samsung, HTC etc) have had with larger smartphones. That means you get a fifth row of icons on the home screen. Third-party apps (if not updated to the new screen size) will still work, but will appear with black borders on each side.

The total display resolution stays at 326 pixels per inch and we now have a 16:9 aspect ratio. According to Apple, widescreen movies will look better with 44% more color saturation than the iPhone 4S.