LG Electronics is working on what is thought to be the world’s slimmest smartphone, according to a leak on the mobile technology blog, Phandroid.

The “LG B,” as the new device is codenamed, will be slimmer and its screen brighter than that of the Apple iPhone 4 or Samsung Galaxy S, according to leaked photographs. It is expected to feature a 4-inch LCD display and Android operating system.

Availability and pricing details for the LG B are not yet available, but the device is likely to be formally unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2011.

Bell Mobility has begun selling the Novatel Wireless U547 device under the “Turbo Stick” brand name, potentially doubling customers’ mobile data bandwidth.

Customers in downtown Toronto who pay and extra $10/month for ‘HSPA+‘ service can theoretically access the internet at speeds of up to 42-Mbps when the Turbo Stick is plugged into their laptop or notebook computer. Users in outlying areas of Toronto can expect average speeds of 7 to 14-Mbps. The ultra-high-speed mobile broadband network will be launched in additional cities early next year.

Bell is selling the Turbo Stick for $49.95 on a three-year contract, or $199.95 with month-to-month billing. It weighs just 24 grams and comes equipped with a 32GB microSD card slot.

Canadian cell phone operator, Bell Mobility, has doubled the theoretical maximum download speed of its HSPA wireless network to 42Mbps.

The accelerated ’3G+’ network will be available to users of the Novatel Ovation MC547 device, which will be marketed as the ‘U547 Turbo Stick’ by Bell. This device, which acts as a wireless modem for laptop and notebook computers, will be available to Bell Mobility users in Toronto beginning next Tuesday (November 23).

“This just pushes the frontier forward a little bit,” commented Bell Mobility president, Wade Oosterman. “It’s great for Canada.”

Users will need to pay an extra $10 per month (on top of their normal mobile data bill) to access the 3G+ network.

Canada’s two leading cell phone carriers, Rogers Wireless and Bell Mobility, both announced this week that they are testing fourth-generation (4G) wireless technology.

Rogers is working with telecom equipment giant, Ericsson, which is testing 4G technology at an Ottawa research location. Bell, meanwhile, has completed the technical testing phase and is conducting real-life trials in Montreal and Hamilton.

Rogers and Bell are both using Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology for their 4G networks, which could theoretically alow for wireless data speeds of 150-Mbps.

Despite soldiering ahead, the Canadian carriers are still somewhat behind their American counterparts. MetroPCS already offers 4G service in parts of Las Vegas, Nevada and Dallas, Texas, while leading U.S. carrier, Verizon Wireless, expects to introduce its first commercial 4G networks by the end of this year.

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has approved a new Android-based HTC smartphone that will be able roam on both GSM and CDMA-based 3G networks.

The phone, currently designated as the HTC PD42100, will feature a 4-inch touchscreen display, sliding QWERTY keyboard, and 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity. Its dual 3G modems (for GSM and EV-DO Rev. A networks) will make it a versatile voice and data device, functional almost anywhere in the world.

Photographs released by the FCC indicate that Verizon Wireless will carry HTC’s new device in the U.S. market. Availability and pricing details have yet to be divulged.