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Afraid to drop your phone down a flight of steps? Worried that something inside your bag is going to crack your cell’s screen? Soon, these concerns could be a thing of the past.

Scientists are hard at work on a mobile phone that’s flexible, literally able to bend and twist to avoid calamity. Samsung, Nokia, Sharp, and LG are just some of the company with phones in the works.

According to the BBC (which also has images), the technology — e-ink — is already available in things like the first Amazon Kindle. But then, the surrounding casing had to be stiff. Companies have also been unable to find a way to mass produce these bendable items.

Products made with the new flexible material will be replacing glass and other hard materials with plastic. Samsung is treating the issue with special urgency, pushing to make items available in 2013. However, The Wall Street Journal wasn’t able to determine whether these are items that will be sold to the masses or just commercially. But, according to the paper, “Samsung hopes it will be first to bring the product to the market.”

Would you buy one?

The checkout line at the Times Square Toys R Us, which opened last night at 8pm. Image: AP Photo/John Minchillo

The Black Friday madness has already begun, kicking off the holiday shopping season. Hot gifts this year definitely include consumer electronics, with gadgets like tablets, smartphones, and laptops appearing on many wish lists.

Over the past several weeks, technology companies have battled to break through the noise with news of their new tech launches. Let’s take a look at the good and bad from Apple, Microsoft, Samsung, Nokia, and Google, which might even inspire a few presents for under the tree.

(Black Web 2.0) — Stephen Elop, the new CEO of Nokia, has appointed Jerri DeVard as the company’s chief marketing officer.  DeVard will help Elop accomplish his primary goal as head of the Finnish company:  reverse Nokia’s diminishing market share in the telecommunication industry.  DeVard will be tasked with burnishing the diminished brand of the once dominant mobile phone manufacturer.  Her task will not be easy since Nokia faces competition from the likes of Apple, RIM, and various companies that run the Android operating system.  However, DeVard’s education and experience provide her with several tools to help her find success.

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(Wall Street Journal) –The planned MeeGo operating system will be a key asset as Nokia Corp. strives to boost its position in the premium mobile device market, new mobile-solutions chief Anssi Vanjoki said in an interview Thursday. Coming versions of the Symbian platform will also help Nokia compete against rivals like iPhone-maker Apple Inc., while MeeGo, which it developed with chip giant Intel Corp., will be the base for a wide array of new computer-like devices as the market for handheld gadgets diversifies, Mr. Vanjoki said.

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(TG Daily) — Nokia and Yahoo, two powerhouse companies that have been blindsighted by emerging technologies around them, are apparently working on something big. All Things Digital has reported that Yahoo will be holding a press conference on Monday to announce a new way of “providing global consumers with rich online and mobile experiences, and bringing forward a new era in keeping consumers connected.” The event will supposedly reveal details of “Project Nike,” a long-awaited joint project from Yahoo and Nokia. According to media reports, Nokia will announce that future handsets will incorpoate a brand new mobile Yahoo infrastructure.

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