A recent research report from Strategy Analytics shows that the smartphone applications processor market grew by 58% year-on-year in Q3 2012, reaching $3.8 billion.

Qualcomm was estimated to have a 42% revenue share of the smartphone applications processor market in Q3 2012, followed by Samsung with 27%.

Ofcom, the UK government and the major networks have all agreed a timetable for 4G to be launched across the UK.

We're talking about those plans in this week's podcast - and taking a look at all the other top mobile industry stories as well, from US mergers and leaky tablets to free WiFi and forthcoming quarterly results.

Sony Corporation has suspended sales of its Xperia tablet computer because some of the devices aren’t as waterproof as initially thought. The Android-powered Xperia Tablet S was described as being ‘splash-proof’ when it was announced in August.

A manufacturing flaw is believed to have caused gaps between the screen and the casing, which has affected the waterproofing.

Apple has been named as the UK’s coolest brand, according to the 2012 CoolBrands survey. The annual survey combines votes from an independent ‘expert council’ with the opinions of around 3,000 members of the public.

Approximately 1,250 brands were shortlisted for the survey, which considers factors including style, innovation, originality, authenticity, desirability and uniqueness.

Sony Mobile has announced a number of new products at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin. There are three new Android-powered Xperia smartphones, a new splash-proof Android tablet and a hybrid slate/laptop VAIO PC running Windows 8.

The company also noted that its Android tablets would be branded as ‘Xperia’ in the future.