We could be just a few months away from the first Windows Phones with packing LTE. New rumors point to a Nokia phone, codenamed ACE, making it’s way to AT&T’s LTE network sometime on March 18, 2012. The rumors comes from Paul Thurrott at WinSuperSite, and merely mentions the name of the new phone, without many details about the device. Windows phone doesn’t currently support LTE, but the new Tango update could, despite the fact that it’ll be more tailored for low-end phones. The ACE LTE shouldn’t be the only LTE Windows Phone device coming, with the HTC Radiant and Samsung Mendel also said to be coming out around the same time. All three smartphones will likely be shown at CES this year. Thurott also mentions the Lumia 710, which he says will be coming to Verizon in April sans LTE. It’s not exactly the most exciting phone, but it could open the door for more Nokia Windows Phones on Verizon sometime shortly thereafter. Perhaps even an LTE phone, should one be coming to Verizon. Read [WinSuperSite] via [The Verge]  
It is no secret that Verizon Wireless would like to launch 4G LTE compatible Windows Phones since it believes all new, high-end smartphones should run on its advanced network. As a result, it is up to the crew in Microsoft to either launch Windows Phones with 4G LTE support or focus on devices for other carriers. According to sources “familiar with Microsoft’s plans,” HTC and Samsung are gearing up to launch two smartphones running a Tango build allowing for 4G LTE support. Samsung’s model is known as the Mandel and is expected to feature a screen larger than the 4.3 inch one found on the Samsung Focus S, so perhaps we’re talking about a 4.5 inch or even 5 inch display. HTC’s smartphone is known as the Radiant, but not much information is known about it yet. Both names are codenames which are expected to change by the time it launches. At this point, we’re looking at a launch sometime in February as it will possibly be announced during Mobile World Congress 2012. Via [TheVerge]  
Best Buy’s Deal of the Day may be right up your alley. The myTouch 4G Slide is free for today only if you order it from Best Buy’s website. The small print says the myTouch 4G Slide is only free with a new 2-year contract. If you’re already a T-Mobile customer and want to simply renew your contract, this smartphone will cost you $129. Just as a refresher, let’s go over some of the specs. The myTouch 4G Slide is basically a myTouch 4G with a keyboard. However, this phone had an impressive camera when it was released. The 8-megapixel rear camera has no shutter lag and can capture 1080p HD video. It also has special shooting modes such as ClearShot HDR, SweepShot and BurstShot. Non-camera specs include a 1.2 dual-core Snapdragon processor, a 3.7-inch Super LCD display, Android 2.3 and storage capabilities up to 32GB with a microSD card. Site [Best Buy]  
We saw those leaked images of the White Samsung Galaxy S II with Sprint branding a few weeks back, and well, it looks like the handset will be launching sooner rather than later. Of course, the handset will launch as the Samsung Epic Touch 4G — but regardless of the carrier branding, it is looking like a January 8th release date is happening. In other words, this one should be available for white smartphone loving Sprint users fairly soon. Otherwise, aside from the exterior coloring, the specs (and presumably the price) will be the same as the black Epic Touch 4G that has already been available for some time. Via [SprintFeed] 
 
The launch of the Motorola Droid 4 seems to be turning into a bit of a mess. We have seen a few rumored launch dates that have come and gone up until this point. Then yesterday we saw those leaked audio clips come available. And now, now it looks like Best Buy has outed the handset on their Rewards Zone website. Of course, we should point out that while the handset was pictured on the Best Buy Rewards Zone website — there was one saving point — it was not actually listed for sale. Instead, it was simply pictured along side a few other smartphones. With that, we now wait for the next chapter in the mess of the Droid 4 launch, which we hope is an official announcement from Verizon Wireless and/or Motorola. Who knows, maybe that will happen during CES. Via [Best Buy Reward Zone] and [AndroidCentral]  
As we near the end of 2011, I thought it would be nice to share some of the Android apps that have retained my attention this year. My phone has seen plenty of apps come and go, but there are a few that I doubt will ever be threatened by my compulsive need to uninstall anything that isn’t being used at least semi-regularly. I intentionally left some no-brainer apps off the list such as Facebook, Twitter and Gmail because everybody uses them. Without further ado, let’s jump into the list.  1) Google Reader – I’m on the internet all the time. There are a ton of websites I visit several times a day, and jumping back and forth between them can get really tedious really fast. That’s why I use Google Reader to give me a brief synopsis of all the new content from the sites I subscribe to. Google Reader is one of the first apps I check every morning and it probably gets more use than any other app on my phone. I also like that I can mark things as read on my phone and they won’t be highlighted once I sit down at my computer.
2) Read It Later – I use Read It Later whenever I don’t feel like staring at my computer’s screen to read a long article. All I do is click on the Read It Later button in my bookmarks bar, and the page is automatically saved to my account and synced to the Read It Later app on my phone. I can even save articles to Read It Later from my phone’s browser. I like this app because it’s very simple. It shows my reading list, what I’m currently reading and it keeps an archive of everything I’ve read. I also love the fact I can change the background color, resize the text and strip out any of the website ads that may accompany the article.  3) Gas Buddy – One of the things I hate most about 2011 are is gas prices. We’re all getting ripped off and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I use Gas Buddy to inform me of when the greedy people at the top decide gasoline needs to go up 30 cents a gallon in 12 hours. The community support is quite good in my area and Gas Buddy has saved me a lot of money since I downloaded it.
4) Google Docs – Google Docs is a great fit for me. I spend most of my day writing and I never know when something might go wrong. There have been times when I lost a decent chunk of work because I went a whole five minutes without saving. That’s why I love the autosave feature in Google Docs. I never lose any progress. Plus, I can access all my documents and edit them right on my phone. I think Google needs to completely redesign this app for smartphones to make it more user friendly, but it still gets the job done. 5) Any.DO – Any.DO is the productivity app I use for tasks that aren’t quite appropriate to put in my Google Calender. Any.DO reminds me to do non-work related things such as buying Lock Ease for my car. I like the clean Windows Phone 7-like interface most of all. Any.DO was also just updated with larger widgets, so now it occupies one of my seven homescreens as well.  6) Paper Camera – Paper Camera is just a fun camera app. It has a decent number of filters and it’s really easy to switch between them all. The results are actually pretty good too. It’s not my default camera app, but I use it whenever I just feel like doing something different.
7) SiMi Folder – Android’s default folder scheme is boring. There came a time when I wanted my folders to have a little more spice to them. That’s when I picked up SiMi Folder. I can customize the folder’s icons with images that I feel best represents the content that lurks inside. I also like the slide-out drawer animation whenever I click on a folder. 8 ) Lookout Mobile Security – Lookout is constantly running on my phone. Malware on Android devices rose sharply in 2011, and it’s probably going to get worse. Lookout immediately scans every app I download just to make sure its safe. The app also periodically does a full scan of all my apps. Thankfully, I’ve never been alerted to anything suspicious.  Congratulations to Beth Randolph, the winner of the Verbatim Mobile Lifestyle Prize Pack giveaway. The pack included $350 worth of gadgets including the Store ‘n’ Go Car Audio USB Drive, TUFF-’N'-TINY USB Drive, Store ‘n’ Go USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive, Wireless Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard, and the Mini Wireless Slim Keyboard & Mouse. This was the final giveaway we ran as E-Gear. From now on, when you sign up to become a TechnologyTell member, you will be automatically entered into each of our giveaways. Signing up is free and easy and gets you chances to win high-end gadgets, access to our digital edition, and more. Just click here to become a member. Here’s some more detail on what Beth won. The Store ‘n’ Go Car Audio USB Drive is an 8 GB flash drive with a low-profile design that makes it perfect for plugging into an in-dash car audio system. It can store up to 2,000 songs for the road, and it works with any other USB devices, and retails at $29.99. 
The TUFF-’N'-TINY USB Drive is ultra-portable and ultra-rugged. You can hook the lanyard onto your keychain and use it everyday, feeling secure since it is dust, water and static discharge resistant, and offers password protection. At 32 GB, it has an MSRP of $82.99. 
The Store ‘n’ Go USB 3.0 Portable Hard Drive is your big storage solution in a still portable package. USB 3.0 ports can transfer files up to 10x faster than USB 2.0 can so you can try your best to fill up a whole 500 GB of memory. This one is an $89.99 value. 
Turn an iPad or iPhone into a mobile work station with the Wireless Bluetooth Mobile Keyboard. The keyboard is ultra-thin and folds up into a carrying case for portability. It also comes with an iPhone stand, and the keyboard includes a media console for controlling iTunes music, and would retail for $79.99. 
Last and not least is the Mini Wireless Slim Keyboard & Mouse. Get rid of the cord clutter with this wireless combo for Windows computers. This is a great desktop space saver with an ultra-slim design and low profile. Responsive touch and 2.4 GHz wireless communication eliminate delays, the system operates on four AAA batteries and the set is a $44.99 value.
 Become a member of TechnologyTell for free and all of this and more could be yours. Our first huge giveaway is coming up soon and we promise you won’t want to miss it. Sign up for free by clicking here. And good luck!  
It looks like Samsung has taken to Flickr for some bragging. Yes, to Flickr. The details are coming by way of the official Samsung Tomorrow photostream and they are letting us all know that they have ‘shipped’ more than 1 million units of the Galaxy Note. Of course, while an impressive number, we have to point out that this is shipped as opposed to sold. In other words, we are unsure as to how many of these Galaxy Notes are in customers hands and how many are sitting on store shelves. Either way though, shipping more than 1 million is still an impressive feat. And in other news, those in the US who are itching to get their hands on, it looks like your time will come in 2012. According to the general sounding details provided by Samsung; “The speed of the global sales is expected to accelerate further next year when it will be available in the US.” Keep reading to check out the full release… Samsung Electronics Ships over 1 Million Units of Galaxy Note Globally Samsung's flagship smart device Galaxy Note has reached 1 million global shipping. Samsung Electronics said on the 29th that it has shipped more than 1 million units of Galaxy Note globally. The worldwide sales of Galaxy Note are also on the rise in Europe and Asia including France, Germany, Hongkong and Taiwan. The rapid global sales of Galaxy Note are notable since it is creating a new market for something between smartphone and tablet pc. The speed of the global sales is expected to accelerate further next year when it will be available in the US. Recently, Financial Times reviewed highly of Galaxy Note, commenting it as"a happy medium for consumers who want to carry just one device, rather than both a smartphone and a tablet and whatever other portable gadget they pick up on their way out". A Samsung official also said "1 million global shipping of Galaxy Note means it has well positioned itself as a market creator," also adding "Samsung will continuously strengthen its leadership in the global smartphone market as well as create new markets with innovative devices."
Via [Samsung on Flickr] and [The Verge]  
It looks like Verizon Wireless is set to anger some customers. This latest comes by way of some leaked details and it looks like the carrier will soon be charging a $2 “convenience” fee if you want to pay your bill either on the telephone or online. Yup, the same online bill paying method that many have been using for a long time will now cost you a few extra dollars to use. Of course, there is an option to still pay online and avoid paying that fee, but in order to make that happen — you will need to sign up for auto-pay. The new convenience fee will go into effect on January 15th and for those who are upset by the news, Verizon does have a list of methods that customers can use in order to avoid that $2 charge. Granted, none seem as convenient as simply logging on and paying your bill, but that aside — you can use the following methods; - ACH (Electronic Check)
- Pre-enrollment in Auto-Pay Option
- Online from the customer’s home-banking service provider
- In-store using My Verizon Express, BPK or a store representative
- VZW Gift Card, VZW Rebate Card and VZW Friends and Family Referral rewards card
- Paper check or money order mailed to the VZW remit address vis USPS.
And lastly, just to make sure everyone does not think this is the first time Verizon did something along these lines — remember back to October 2010 and you will remember that Verizon had wanted to charge you $3.50 for paying with a credit or debit card. Of course, they quickly had a change of heart and never ended up charging that $3.50 fee. Lets hope that the same happens here. Via [Droid-Life]  
After the release of Mango we had some ideas of what’s coming next from Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, and now a new leaked roadmap points to a few more ideas. The roadmap, obtained by WMPoweruser, doesn’t outline the full plans for Windows Phone, but it does give some overall themes with the upcoming updates. First we have the Tango update which will bring Windows Phone to low-end phones. So by Q2 2012 we could be seeing pre-paid or free-on-contract Windows Phones with lower specs. The second big update, Apollo will be due out in Q4 of the same year. With that update Microsoft hopes to “increase overall volume” by selling more phones. That’ll happen with the updates new business features, as well as “competitive superphones.” So maybe we’ll be seeing faster CPUs and HD screens in Windows Phones by next year, which would be a welcome change. Of course, while Microsoft is working on this it has to compete with the latest from Google and Apple. Hopefully the Windows Phones superphones can compete with what those two giants put out around the same time. If not, Microsoft will likely have a hard time increasing it’s volume. Read [WMPoweruser]  | 
