SAMSUNG

Most of the Asian markets rose Thursday as investors remained hopeful that the European Central Bank would announce stimulus measures soon to help boost the euro zone economic growth.

For more than a year, most Apple fans and followers of the brand have called the company's sixth-generation smartphone "the iPhone 5." But after releasing the new iPad in March - not the iPad 3, or the iPad HD - it looks like Apple will once again release a new iOS device without a distinguishing name or number. A newly-released photo shows a woman holding the iPhone 5 packaging box, but the label very clearly reads, "The new iPhone."

Nokia and Microsoft held a joint press conference on Sept. 5 in New York to officially unveil new Windows Phone 8 devices. Nokia announced its flagship smartphone known as the Lumia 920, which has received some noticeable upgrades in the specs department.

On the heels of a positive first quarter, the Western European mobile phone market failed to maintain a positive trend, due to a weaker economic environment and the new product launches expected in the third quarter, said a new report by market research firm IDC. The total shipments of devices dropped 1.9 percent year on year to 42.1 million units.