LG Chem has announced that it now has curved batteries in mass production, which will fit in not only phones but also glasses and watches. The curved design makes them ideal for phones with the curved displays that LG and Samsung are currently working on.

But that's not all. The company has also developed a 'stepped battery', which it's already using to fill extra space in the LG G2. Essentially it adds a little hump, or 'step', to the battery which can fill empty space in the phone and give it a bit more capacity.

Twist and tie

Most exciting of all is its plans for a cable battery, which is exactly how it sounds, a battery in the form of a cable. It can be bent and even tied in a knot and it won't heat up during use. As intriguing as it sounds it's not here yet, as LG states that it will arrive in 'upcoming years'.

When it does arrive it could be a game changer, adaptable enough to fit in almost any device and perfect for flexible devices, such as smart watches, which could benefit from a battery that can bend during use.

Along with LG's curved displays it seems like the company really has a thing for products that bend, but if it means we can eke more life out of our smart devices then they can make a slinky battery for all we care.

• Want to get more out of your current phones battery? Check out these handy tips.

Meet the most expensive smartphone HTC has ever produced; the 18ct, £2,750 (around $4,400, AU$4,700), limited edition Gold HTC One.

If you've got a large wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket and fancy getting your mitts on one of these then you're out of luck as only five actually exist and one of those is already reserved for the winner of Best Newcomer at the MOBO Awards.

We've seen the iPhone 5S and Galaxy S4 turn up in gold hues recently, but HTC has taken things a step further with its gold plated One. We're sure the kids will agree this One is totes #swag. #YOLO.

More blips!

We've got our own limited edition offering here at TechRadar - our awesome (but sadly not gold-plated) blips.

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NTT DoCoMo, Japan's largest wireless carrier, dropped the Samsung Galaxy S4 this summer due to poor sales, but it's reportedly coming back as a souped-up variant fit for Japan.

Known as the Galaxy J, the phone features 3GB of RAM and a 2.3Ghz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, according to a leaked brochure obtained by Japanese-language site RBMen.

That's a significant bump over the 2GB of memory and 1.9 GHz Snapdragon 600 CPU found in the LTE edition of the Galaxy S4.

The color options of the feature-rich Galaxy J are said to be white, pink and blue, and it may include 1Seg TV tuner to boot.

That's closer to the specs of the Galaxy Note 3, but with a smaller S4-style screen. For those who still want the 5.7-inch display, the Note 3 is also said to be coming to Japan.

Sony Xperia, LG G2

The leaked NTT DoCoMo brochure also claims that a pair of Xperia Z1 variants are bound for Japan.

The Sony Xperia Z1 SO-01F is basically the Xperia Z1 in all of its 20.7 megapixel glory. The only difference we see is a storage increase from 16GB of internal space to 32GB.

The Sony Xperia Z1 f SO-02F slims the phone down to a 4.3-inch display. Same Snapdragon 800 2.2 Ghz quad-core CPU, 2GB of RAM, and waterproof and dustproof features all around.

It looks like NTT DoCoMo also intends to support the LG G2 with no variation highlighted between the Western and Japanese models in the brochure.

The predominant Japanese carrier is expected to officially announce its winter-spring smartphone models on Oct. 10, which pretty much means Oct. 9 everywhere else when we find out for sure.

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After the Galaxy S5 launches, it won't be long before a more rugged version of the next Samsung flagship hits the ground running.

That's the word coming from some anonymous ET News (via SlashGear) sources, claiming that as it did with the Galaxy S4, Samsung will release a Galaxy S5 Active variant.

The news comes as no real surprise as phone companies (Samsung especially) are increasingly releasing multiple iterations of their flagship handsets. You need only look at the HTC One, HTC One Mini and rumored HTC One Max to see this case in point.

The site noted the S5 is due to launch next year, though of course without official word from Samsung, we have to take the entirety of ET News' report with a few grains of salt.

Galaxy Note 3 Active too

Not to be left to the elements, ET News also tipped that the recently released Galaxy Note 3 will get the Active treatment too.

Like the Galaxy S4 Active, we're likely in for bulkier versions of these devices, plus physical buttons, when and if they launch.

This may be problematic for the already large and in charge Note 3, but if you want all the perks of a phablet without having to worry about it slipping out of your hand and into a puddle, the Note 3 Active could be right for you. Or it could just be a bulky monstrosity - we're not sure.

Check back for more on these new Active variants in the coming weeks and months. We'll keep you posted.

• Are an HTC One Mini and HTC One Max the right moves for HTC? This writer says no.

It's almost like LG heard about the Samsung Galaxy Round rumours this morning, with the company having just announced it's to start mass producing the its first flexible OLED panel for smartphones.

LG has been showing plenty of interest in the flexible space and its first flexible smartphone, the LG Flex or LG Z (as it's currently being referred to as) has also been working the rumour mill for a while.

Today LG has confirmed that the flexible smartphone screen is coming, claiming it to be a world first. The flexible OLED panel will use plastic substrates instead of glass and will be bendable and, LG claims, "unbreakable".

Life's bendy

"Our goal is to take an early lead in the flexible display market by introducing new products with enhanced performance and differentiated designs next year," said Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of LG Display, Dr Sang Deog Yeo.

LG's new OLED panel will be 0.44mm thin and LG says it will weigh just 7.2g "even with a 6-inch screen". Just like the 6-inch screen the LG Flex is rumoured to have, then.

LG also hinted that the technology will used in devices beyond its smartphones. That LG smartwatch would make sense right about now...

While LG is going big on the "world's first" business, Samsung is also believed to be in the running, and may even be announcing its first flexible handset this week.

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