It’s not a headline you get to write often but, LG has reportedly confirmed it will release its first flexible smartphone later this year.

So, bendable phones could be but a few months away; the Korea Times is reporting that an LG Display spokesman said the flexible displays, to be made for “major clients”, could be the next innovation in display-making technology – they are billed to be bendable but unbreakable.

The displays would be mass produced in the last quarter of this year, with LG Electronics planning a flexible smartphone this year, the Korea Times said.

A statement to the paper from the company said it had completed the development of its first flexible displays.

“We will mass produce displays from the fourth quarter of this year.”

The question on everybody’s mind is, of course, just how bendy these phones can get (fold up into your wallet styles?) and also, whether LG will beat Samsung in producing its own bendable phone.

Huawei have today unveiled what it says is the world’s thinnest smartphone for €449.

At its launch event today, the Chinese manufacturer unveiled its new flagship, the Ascend P6, amidst a pretty nifty light show at the Roundhouse. The launch got off to a slightly rocky start when Huawei consumer business CEO Richard Yu was introduced as ‘Wu’, but recovered to launch the ultra-thin P6.

The device is the thinnest in the world at 6.18mm, Huawei said, and features an almost full metal body, weighing just 120g.

Huawei doesn’t appear to have skimped on guts at first glance, with a 2000mAh battery, quad core 1.5GHz processor with 2GB RAM. The screen is 4.7 inches. However the device won’t ship with LTE capability, but would be upgraded to support LTE in October to November this year.

The device will see the newest version of Huawei’s user interface overlaid ontop of Google’s Android, the Emotion UI. This revamp will see more than 300 enhancements since it first launched in July last year, the company said.

New features include a folder-style app on the home screen called Me Widget, a short cut to other-device sharing which Huawei says has almost no delay, an online theme library with over 1000 themes and three custom themes for the P6.

The P6 introduced focussed on three innovations, Yu said, two of which were the UI and design.

The third was the camera, which was 8MP for the rear facing camera featuring an aperture of F2.0 and 5MP for the front facing camera.

Huawei global go-to market director Clement Wong introduced new camera tech called the IMAGESmart Engine with auto-scene recognition and a weird ‘beauty level’ editing option for photoshopping photos.

Comparison photos between the Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5 did look pretty good at first sight, although with a hint of overblown colour.

The device will come in black, pink and white shipping in 19 countries by the end of July, with more than 100 soon, Huawei said.

Stay tuned for What Mobile’s First Look.

Two ex-HTC executives say they’ve launched a new mobile phone manufacturer called Kazam.

Former HTC UK head of sales Michael Coombes and head of marketing James Atkins, who exited HTC earlier this year, have launched a new mobile phone manufacturer Kazam – a company spokesperson said it could not tell What Mobile where the phones would be manufactured or what price range would be targeted, if any.

Amongst a lot of PR speak including the word ‘dynamic’, a statement from Coombes, chief executive of the new manufacturer, said the company would have a focus on European markets with the aim of providing quality smartphones which were accessible to all.

Atkins, now chief marketing officer, said there was an opportunity for a new mobile brand to disrupt the status quo.

A range of smartphones would be available later this year, the company said.

Research has found growth in the Australia and New Zealand tablet market has sky rocketed thanks to Android and Windows tablets.

The ANZ tablet market saw 147% growth in the first quarter of this year with a total of 1.14 million units shipped.

This growth was helped along by a leap in demand for smaller, cheaper Android and Windows tablets, research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) said.

Android tablets in the ANZ market had a market share of 36 per cent in the first quarter of this year, compared with 26 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year and up from 18 per cent in the first quarter of 2012.

iPads were still king at 56 per cent market share, but this was a drop from 69 per cent in the previous quarter and a considerable dip from the first quarter of 2012 which saw 80 per cent market share.

Windows tablets, including Windows 7,8 and RT, saw 8 per cent market share in the first quarter of this year, compared with 6 per cent last quarter and 1 per cent in the first quarter of 2012.

Better access to tablets

Customers had better access to a wide range of tablets, from low to high-end, running on different operating systems, then they did last year, IDC ANZ Infrastructure Research Group associate market analyst Suzanne Tai said.

“In 2012, an user would usually choose between an Apple iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab but now, a year later, brands like ASUS, Acer, and Microsoft would also appear on the user’s radar.”

Samsung’s promotions and channel strategies had helped Android grow its foothold in the market, and Windows tablets were gaining traction with new models and use in commercial sectors, particularly education, Tai said.

IDC said the ANZ tablet market was expected to grow 46 per cent in 2013 compared with last year, thanks to new tablets on offer, increasing uptake of tablets and increasing demand as prices dropped, as well as the decline in PC use.

In addition, IDC expected to see Windows and Android tablets steal market share from iOS tablets this year.

For those in the Southern Hemisphere, expect to see more price competition, particularly as the likes of HP and ASUS introduced cheap Android tablets to compete with the whitebox market.

“And let’s not forget the entry of Microsoft Surface Pro into the ANZ market in May 2013. This is bound to spark fierce battles among tablet vendors.”

Everything Everywhere has said work upgrading its network may have caused the signal issues customers have been reporting.

What Mobile reported last week that the operator had several complaints on its Facebook page regarding 3G signal outages, with the company tweeting it was aware of problems affecting customers in Devon and Cornwall.  On its Facebook page, Everything Everywhere (EE) recommended customers in Devon and Plymouth to switch devices off and on, and change their network mode from 3G to GSM only.

However there have been complaints since of issues with signal from some customers.

EE said it had been carrying out upgrade work on its network in London and the UK, installing new 2G and 3G equipment and integrating Orange and T-Mobile networks into EE’s single network and preparing for its “double-speed” 4G.

“Some of this work may have caused isolated disruption to services as we continue to enhance the overall performance of the network. We’re sorry for short term inconvenience caused as we continue to make EE the best network in the UK.”

O2 has confirmed it will provide WiFi service to Canary Wharf, in a deal with the Canary Wharf Group.

The operator said the service would be available by the end of this summer and was expected to see 1.2 million customers every week.

The move follows the recent news that O2′s four year deal with BT Openzone would not be renewed, removing customers’ access to around 4200 hotspots shared by the two companies.

O2 said at the time that the company would “continue to extend the reach and scale of O2 WiFi through exciting partnerships”.

The WiFi service would be free and available to everyone in public areas including the four shopping malls and 20 acres of outdoor parks and plazas, which would benefit the business community at Canary Wharf, comprised of 100,000 workers, O2 said.

O2 WiFi managing director Gavin Franks said the deal built on deployment across central London.

“We understand that access to free public wifi is becoming a right rather than a privilege and nowhere is the demand greater than in Canary Wharf where big business deals are being struck every day, often away from the office and on the move.”

Canary Wharf Group chairman and chief executive Sir George Iacobescu said the installation of WiFi at Canary Wharf was a logical next step for such a technologically advanced build site.

At long last Microsoft has decided to shower iOS users with all sorts of Office-y goodness, but if you’re using an iPad then you might be out of luck as this app is only designed for the iPhone.

Microsoft has decided not to give away the mobile experience of Office for free, leaving that exclusivity to Windows Phone, instead to use the new iOS app you’ll need to have an Office 365 plan. If you have more than one iPhone, then Microsoft has you covered, with the promise that existing and new Office 365 users will be able to use the app on up to five iPhones — and these won’t count against your five device usage on the Home Premium and Small Business Premium subscriptions.

Starting from June 14 in the US, mobile-optimised versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint will all be available, with a whole load of markets (136 to be exact) set to launch next week.

If you have an iPad, then all is not lost as you will be able to expand the iPhone app, but that’s not the best experience. Office’s Marketing Manager, Chris Schneider, has said that those using iPad should use Office Web Apps, which can be used in the Safari web browser.

You can download the app now from the Apple App Store.

The Nokia Lumia EOS we have already seen may not be the only version that will be announced by Nokia in July, with yet another leak from the Finnish phone giant, this time showing an aluminium shell.

Showing up on Chinese microblogging website, Weibo, the aluminium shell with a large camera whole — quite possibly where the huge sensor for the EOS will go. There are also cut outs for an LED flash, sim slot and USB port.

We haven’t got any more information on this mystery aluminium device, and it could just be a prototype, but what we do know is that our eyes are firmly set on Nokia’s event on July 11.

The Galaxy S4 may feel flimsy and cheap, but Samsung wasn’t happy with that image, so instead of a war of words it decided to prove that the Galaxy S4 is just as tough as the rest of them.

Samsung put the device through several stress tests including covering it in dust, dropping it in different ways, taking it for a swim, punching it, sending an electrical pulse through the controls and even putting it in the oven.

Unsurprisingly, given it was a video by Samsung themselves, the device survived each and every test. Although if you’re still worried about breaking your S4, then at least Samsung has given you a little peace of mind when it comes to the device’s durability.

HTC’s press event may not be until June 19, but that hasn’t stopped avid leakers from letting the cat out the bag a little early. The highly anticipated HTC One Mini has already been exposed, but now it is time for the spotlight to shine on the HTC Butterfly S.

The Butterfly S was the last big secret HTC had before the press event, with the other main focus being the Desire 600, which was officially announced last month. Now however, these images show that the new device will feature HTC’s favourite things, including BoomSound and Sense 5.

The leaker, VR-Zone, claims that the phone will feature a 5-inch 1080p panel — something that had already been rumoured, as well as front-facing stereo speakers.

It is not yet known if the device will feature HTC’s new UltraPixel camera, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough.

Apple could be considering an expansion of its iPhone line, with bigger, more colourful and cheaper models all on the table according to Reuters.

Rumours of a smaller iPhone have circled the internet for several years, but people haven’t really considered a super sized model as being in-line with Apple’s game plan, although according to sources speaking to Reuters, 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch iPhablets could be on their way.

A budget iPhone doesn’t come as a surprise to many, with speculation of a cheaper iPhone for the masses having come and gone time and time again. The last time this rumour surfaced though, Apple’s senior vice president of marketing, Phil Schiller, categorically denied that a cheaper iPhone was in the works — affirming that it will “never be the future of Apple’s products.”

With a rumoured price of $99, it does seem like a stretch that Apple could be planning a budget iPhone — especially considering how profitable the premium device is. However Reuters sources claim that the cheaper iPhone will come with a plastic casing rather than the infamous metallic and glass of the iPhone 5.

Something else that we have heard of before is more colour options for the iPhone, with CNET reporting in May that Apple is looking to add pink, green, blue and even gold — with Reuters now adding that there will 5-6 colours to choose from.

We’re taking these reports with a large dose of salt, and we advice you to do the same, after all we’ve been here before and been let down time and time again. However, if these reports are true, then Apple could be start production on the next iPhones as soon as next month, with mass production ramping up in August in order to launch in September.

Looks like Three isn’t the only network to be experiencing network issues recently, with some Everything Everywhere customers reporting signal issues.

The company’s Facebook page has several complaints about signal issues, with some posts claiming the problems have been occurring intermittently for two days.

Everything Everywhere (EE) tweeted that it was aware of the “problems affecting customers in Devon and Cornwall” and was working towards a fix as soon as possible.

On its Facebook page, the operator said it was advising customers in Devon and particularly Plymouth to switch their phones off and on, and to switch their network mode from 3G to  GSM only; so sounds like the issue could be with 3G; voice calls appeared to fine, a source said.

Tweets to customers advised turning handsets off for 30 seconds and then on again.

The company said in a statement that it was aware of an issue affecting 3G service for Orange and T-Mobile customers in Plymouth, Exeter and Torquay areas and was working to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.

“We apologise for the inconvenience caused to our customers.”

Three recently reported issues with mobile data across its network, with some customers reporting issues making or receiving calls.  The operator aimed to have services back up and running by the afternoon of June 4, although some Three customers in London reported data issues in the late afternoon.