Way back in October 2012, I told you about the ReadyCase, an Indiegogo project for an iPhone case with seven handy built-in tools. Because I was in the market for a new case for my 4S, I decided to fund it, even though it meant waiting until production began in February. I ended up waiting …

Samsung’s first Tizen phone could sport a 720p high definition screen. The SM-Z9005 is set to be the first smart phone to be powered by Tizen software to cut ties with Android. Dutch site TechTastic spotted the basic specs for the Tizen phone in a user agent profile, the document that lists specs for individual devices. Inside the Tizen phone …

The long-rumoured plastic iPhone is getting back to black — showing a glossy noir casing in freshly leaked snaps. The images of the slick black casing surfaced on Chinese website Weibo, Phone Arena reports, and suggest that the much-anticipated plastic iPhone will be coming in a standard dark hue, alongside a slew of more colourful options. Parts of the new …

Sarah Tew/CNET The Moto X and new Droid smartphones are always listening and waiting for your next command. Motorola’s latest devices have a feature known as Touchless Control, which enables the device to perform hands-free commands at a second’s notice, even if it is in sleep mode. The phones can also be programed to automatically read text messages aloud when …

Golden phone, texture like sun: Samsung has launched another Android flip phone, the Samsung Galaxy Golden, with not one but two touchscreens. That’s two 3.7-inch AMOLED screens, displaying Android 4.2. Inside is a 1.7GHz dual-core processor and an 8-megapixel camera with another 1.9 megapixel on the front. It’s only in South Korea though, so no reliving your Matrix fantasies here in …

AT&T subscribers in 50 more cities are due to get a bite of 4G LTE before the debut of 2014. The carrier announced Wednesday plans to roll out LTE to at least 50 more markets this year, reaching a total of more than 400 cities and almost 270 million people covered by its higher-speed network. AT&T’s LTE network currently encompasses …

Samsung must believe that good things come in pairs. Just a week after introducing the quad-core Samsung Hennessy flip phone for China, the electronics giant has announced a second dual-screen Android smartphone experience in the Samsung Galaxy Golden (translation). Related stories: Samsung finally unveils Hennessy flip phone in China Dual-screen smartphones gone wrong Android rumor roundup The Galaxy Golden runs …

Motorola has put an end to its long fight over “Xoom” branding, according to a new report. Motorola has inked a deal with payment company Xoom Corp. that will see the handset and tablet maker put an end to its use of the “Xoom” name, American Lawyer reported on Tuesday, citing people who had knowledge of the deal. The agreement …

Tiny mobile phones made to look just like posh car key fobs could be banned in the UK after concerns that they’re too easy to smuggle into prisons. The government is mulling a ban on the micro-mobiles, the BBC reports, and is discussing the problem with the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the National Trading Standards Board. You can bag …

Smartphone keyboard fans could soon find what they’re looking for if rumors of the LG Enact (VS890) QWERTY slider for Verizon pan out. Alleged photos and rough details reportedly obtained by tipster @evleaks, point to a 4-inch display, 5-megapixel rear camera, and a five-row QWERTY keyboard. Related stories Android rumor roundup LG Display lays claim to world’s first Quad HD …

LG 55EM9700 and Samsung KN55S9 (right) Editors’ note: This post was updated August 21, 2013, with new information. As of today, you can buy an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) TV from LG and Samsung. On the horizon are models from Sony and Panasonic. The long-awaited release of these next-generation televisions is finally starting to happen. So what’s the big deal? …

Optus has joined Vodafone in changing the way it charges for global roaming. (Credit: Optus) The telco has reduced its global roaming zones from five to just two. Zone One includes New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, Europe, the UK, the US, Canada and Asia. Zone Two, according to Optus, will contain Latin America, Africa and the Middle East. Both prepaid …

The hotly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy Gear is about to wrap itself around the world’s wrists, and more details have come to light ahead of the smart watch’s expected unveiling in a couple of weeks. GigaOM reckons the Gear will definitely be announced on 4 September in both Berlin and New York. And it’s set to sport a 2.5-inch screen, the whole …

The appeal of Samsung devices to moms and business travelers could let the South Korean company take a bite out of Apple’s popularity, according to a study released Tuesday. Research firm Flurry Analytics analyzed the users and use patterns of 45,340 Android devices in May, looking at not only how people spend time on their phones, but who those consumers …

Verizon is ramping up network coverage for its subscribers who ride the New York City subways. The carrier announced on Tuesday that it will start installing the necessary network gear over the next several weeks with the goal of providing wireless access in 36 NYC subway stations later this year. Once the service is up and running, Verizon subscribers will …