Samsung is introducing three new accessibility-oriented accessories for the Galaxy Core Advance made specifically to help the disabled or visually impaired.

The first, and perhaps most impressive, of the three is an Ultrasonic Cover that uses sound waves to detect people and objects ahead of the user.

It's nowhere near a bat(man)'s echolocation, but it can send out obstruction-sensing sound waves up to two-meters away.

After detecting an object, the cover will inform visually impaired users if they're getting close through vibration and spoken alerts.

Smartphone, tell me a story

Another accessory Samsung announced for its low cost smartphone was the Optical Scan Stand. It's essentially a scanner set on a stand that reads any printed materials passing in front of its sensor.

Once the user taps the Optical Scan application on the Core Advance, the device will automatically recognize and read the text out loud.

Samsung's last little helper is called the Voice Label, which allows the user to identify objects with their phone and make notes or tag voice labels to them.

Voice labeling works with all NFC-enabled electronics and it's meant to help the visually impaired with distinguishing their devices and recording a short explanation on how to use them.

The new Galaxy Core Advance accessories are already available and Samsung noted it has plans to expand the accessibility to its other Galaxy devices in the future.

• Samsung's new flagship smartphone is here; see our hands on with the Galaxy S5

Samsung is introducing three new accessibility-oriented accessories for the Galaxy Core Advance made specifically to help the disabled or visually impaired.

The first, and perhaps most impressive, of the three accessories is an Ultrasonic Cover that uses sound waves to detect people and objects ahead of the users. It's nowhere near a bat(man)'s echolocation but it can send out obstruction sensing sound waves up two-meters away.

After detecting an object, the cover will inform visually impaired users if they're getting close though vibration and spoken alerts.

Smartphone, tell me a story

Another accessory Samsung announced for its low cost smartphone was the Optical Scan Stand. The accessory is essentially a scanner set on a stand that reads any printed materials passing in front of its sensor.

Once the user taps on the Optical Scan application on Galaxy Core Advance the device will automatically recognize and read the text out loud.

Samsung's last little helper another accessory is called the Voice Label, which allows the user to identify objects with their phone and make notes or tag voice labels to them. Voice labeling works with all NFC-enabled electronics and it's meant to help the visually impaired with distinguish their devices and recording a short explanation on how to use them.

The new Galaxy Core Advance accessories are already available and Samsung noted it has plans to expand the accessibility of its other Galaxy devices in the future.

• Samsung's new flagship smartphone is here; see our hands on with the Galaxy S5

The UK's leading 4G network, EE, looks set to make LTE connectivity more affordable than ever with the launch of an own-branded handset with next-gen mobile data speeds.

Judging by a leaked snap obtained by Engadget, the company has skinned up Android with its own design aesthetic and also added applications like EE Film and My EE to the homescreen.

Photo aside, little else is known about the handset over than it features Cat 4 LTE technology and as thus would be able to take full advantage of the full 4G speeds, now offered across a large part of the UK.

Theoretically speaking, that would enable any owner of the as-yet-unannounced handset to reach 60Mbps on the firm's double-speed deals.

Lowering costs

EE wouldn't be the first UK mobile network to roll out own-branded handsets. However it would own that distinction in the 4G sector.

Orange (now part of EE) launched the San Diego phone in 2012 as the first handset to run the Intel Medfield processor.

Vodafone has also launched a bunch of dirt cheap handsets in the past, including 2011's Smart 2 phone, and is also planning to introduce an own-branded 4G phone at some point this year.

Would you buy an own-branded EE phone in order to get a better monthly tariff and more monthly data? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

• Did you know EE is now letting you take your 4G speeds on holiday?

Last we heard about the BlackBerry device codenamed 'Kopi' reports claimed it and its 'Cafe' stablemate had been cancelled by new CEO John Chen amid plans to re-evaluate future handset launches

Now, a few months on from those prophecies of doom, the qwerty-packing device has reappeared on the radar thanks to new leaked pics unearthed from Chinese social Weibo by the N4BB side.

Thought to the an entry-level device, sitting between the BlackBerry Q5 and the Q10 devices, although with a slighter squarer form factor, the K-Series 'Kopi' phone was thought to be arriving this month.

Not a lot was known about the handset, prior to BlackBerry's rumoured redaction, but a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 processor had also been tipped.

Kopi lives?

Whether BlackBerry still has plans to launch this device, as it continues an apparent transition away from devices and into services, and in what markets remains to be seen.

According to the N4BB report, the device is 'still making it's way to BlackBerry partners,' so perhaps the firm is testing the waters ahead of a potential release later this year.

• BlackBerry CEO John Chen: 'BB10 is difficult to learn'

There's been talk of bringing in a universal phone charger across Europe for years now, but the project just took a leap forward as Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted in favour of the scheme this week.

That doesn't mean it's a done deal, but it's another step in the right direction for those sick of needing a million different wires and connectors for the household's various portable devices.

If Europe's council of ministers approve the legislation, it will force all phone manufacturers to use the same charger - most likely micro USB - for all smartphones by 2017.

Apple flavour

Many phone makers are already down with the micro USB connector, but Apple, which signed on to the scheme some years ago, is still rocking its own Lightning connector.

It hasn't made any kind of response to this week's news yet but it has said in the past that it will not change its actual smartphones - rather it will provide an adapter in order to comply with the ruling in Europe.

• Why are phone batteries still so crap?

In the run up to the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch several rumours suggested the Korean firm would release two variants of the flagship smartphone, one of which would be a premium metal-clad offering. Sadly however, that appears to be false.

Korean site KBench is reporting that Samsung CEO J.K. Shin has told the media that it won't be producing a premium model of the Galaxy S5 - a handset which was referred to as the "Galaxy F Series" in various rumours.

Design is still an area of contention for Samsung's high-end smartphones as it prefers to use plastic over more premium materials such as glass and metal.

This gives the likes of the iPhone 5S, Sony Xperia Z2 and potentially the upcoming all new HTC One an advantage as they can garner interest from consumers with their sleek looks.

Take Note

Shin did hint that the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 would be arriving in the second half of 2014 - hardly a surprise as the Korean firm has kept a tight annual schedule on its phablet reboots.

Will the Galaxy Note 4 sport an all-metal body? Well Shin didn't provide any more details, and we'd think it's unlikely - but not totally out of the question.

• Check out our hands on Samsung Galaxy S5 review

Now that Sony and Samsung have set the smartphone pace for 2014, all eyes are on Apple.

But we're not ones for waiting around so we've put together a concept video of the iPhone 6 based on rumours and our own wishlist for what the handset will look like. Something like this, please Apple. Please?

When it comes to the design, some fans will cry, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" But the fact remains that the iPhone has stuck to a very similar look throughout its existence, with arguably the only notable evolution being the one between the 3GS and iPhone 4.

Regardless of whether you love or loathe the iPhone's looks, Apple needs to stay fresh if it hopes to stay ahead of the game. With the Cupertino firm remaining understandably hush-hush on its next iPhone outing, we're really hoping for a swish new handset a little like this:

Update: You can now buy the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy S4 Mini in black over at Phones 4 U. It's not Midnight Black or Vortex Noir, just plain old Black. That is some sensible colour-naming which we applaud.

Original story continues...

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is likely to be unsheathed in less than three weeks, but that hasn't deterred the Korean company's efforts to squeeze a little more life out of its popular Galaxy S4 range.

With the S4's inevitable passing as Samsung's flagship handset nigh, it's perhaps apt that the firm has outed a new version of the device (and it's Galaxy S4 Mini counterpart) in a fetching black tone.

Available in the US, UK and other markets this month, the Black Edition devices feature the "leather-like" (meaning faux leather) rear casing, black bezel and exclusive themed wallpapers and ringtones.

For those whose inner darkness cannot be expressed simply through handset colour tones alone, the power adaptor, microUSB, cables and headphones also adopt the same gloomy shade.

Abyss of blackness, but no KitKat

Beyond that abyss of blackness there are no other differences to report. The specs all remain the same, while both devices will ship with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean rather than the newer KitKat OS.

Official pricing and availability has yet to be confirmed, but it seems like it surely will be before Samsung reveals the long-awaited Galaxy S5, almost certainly at the Unpacked event at MWC 2014 on February 24.

• The Phone Show: Is Samsung preparing us for a disappointing Galaxy S5?