A ROM for the Endeavor has leaked and provided us with much needed confirmation for most of the superphone’s specs. The Endeavor will come with a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, a 4.7-inch 720p HD touchscreen, an 8 MP rear camera, a 1.3 MP front-facing camera, 1 GB of RAM, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and NFC. It will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC’s Sense UI 4.0 overlaid.

We’ve previously heard that the Endeavor would be in stores by March or April, and it seems pretty likely that it will be announced during HTC’s MWC event. The Endeavor has apparently secured slots in the lineups of more than 20 carriers worldwide, including heavyweights Vodafone and Orange.

Via PocketNow, HTC-Hub, DigiTimes

• Quad-core LG X3 leaks with 4.7-inch HD touchscreen
• HTC Ville shows off some Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich love on video
• Lenovo announces IdeaTab S2 Ice Cream Sandwich tablet to take on Asus Transformer Prime
• Telstra HTC Velocity 4G to get Android 4.0 ICS next month
• Quad-core Acer Iconia Tab A510 and 7 inch ZTE Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablets showcased at CES

From the styling, it’s pretty obvious that this is meant to serve as a successor of sorts to the Droid Incredible 2 and Incredible S. It actually has that Incredible DNA, especially if you look at the back cover. Whether or not it will be called Incredible 3 is up for debate. Also note that the device pictured today probably isn’t a Droid, since there’s no Verizon branding whatsoever. That said, it does boot up with an LTE logo, so maybe it’s an internationally-selling LTE smartphone. Or Verizon simply hasn’t added its branding yet.

This phone will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (with the new Sense UI 4 on top), and will come with an AMOLED touchscreen, a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, an 8 MP rear camera, and a VGA front-facing cam.

And that’s everything we know about it so far. We’ll let you know when we find out anything new.

Via Phone Arena

• Verizon Droid Incredible 2 shows up in new photos
• New HTC Android phones (including one for Verizon) in the wild
• Verizon HTC Droid Incredible 2 is a world phone
• Verizon makes the HTC Droid Incredible 2 $50 cheaper, but you can get it for free elsewhere
• Verizon HTC Droid Incredible 2 now just $0.01 at Amazon

While the company doesn’t say what exactly it’s going to unveil there, the invite to the event reads “Nvidia quad-core firsts continue at MWC.”

As Cnet points out, we already have quad-core tablets, so the next quad-core device should be a smartphone. One of the unannounced smartphones that’s rumored to feature an Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor is the HTC Edge / Endeavor (which could be launched as the HTC Supreme) – so maybe this is what Nvidia will showcase.

HTC will have its own press event at MWC, one day earlier than Nvidia, on February 26, hence it’s possible that we’ll see the Edge then first. We’ll be in Barcelona anyway, to let you know what happens.

• Quad-core HTC Endeavor specs confirmed by leaked ROM, should arrive on 20+ carriers worldwide
• Quad-core HTC Edge smartphone gets codename changed to Endeavor, may be sold as the Supreme
• HTC, Lenovo to announce quad-core Android tablets soon
• HTC Edge Android phone with quad core Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU coming next year?
• HTC Edge to launch in March or April running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Previously, all we had to go by was an admission by HTC that they’re working on updates, and a short list of devices to be updated. Thankfully, that list has grown larger today, and we also get the rough time frame for the first updates from the Taiwanese company (which, unsurprisingly, will come quite close to the release of the white Sensation with ICS preinstalled).

So, the first HTC devices to taste some Ice Cream Sandwich will be the Sensation, Sensation 4G, and Sensation XE. Updates for all three should be out around the end of March (but for the internationally-selling Sensation and Sensation XE units expect the rollout to include devices sold unlocked first, as always).

At some point after that (which unfortunately HTC doesn’t go into more detail about), the Sensation XL, Rezound, Vivid, Amaze 4G, Evo 3D, Evo Design 4G, Incredible S, Desire S, and Desire HD will be updated too.

HTC also says we should expect more updates about the updates in the coming weeks. For now, owners of the original HTC Desire will have to make do with Gingerbread, as will those who carry around a Desire Z, even though it was announced at the same time as the Desire HD. Strange are the ways of phone makers sometimes. But hey, at least we now know a bit more. And you can be sure we’ll keep you posted on the matter.

• HTC Rezound, Amaze 4G, Sensation and others confirmed to get Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• 7 HTC smartphones to get Android 4.0 update in January, HTC Turkey says
• White HTC Sensation with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on board coming to the Netherlands on March 1
• HTC Sensation gains ’4G’ suffix on its way to T-Mobile USA
• Android 4.0 updates for Sony Ericsson Xperia phones to start in March or April

Clove allows British customers to pre-order the white Sensation XE, asking £408 (about $646) for it. The handset should become available in the week starting February 20 – however, as always in these cases, things can change until then.

Just like the black Sensation XE, the white one runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread (upgradeable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich), and features a 4.3 inch qHD display, Sense UI, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 768MB of RAM, 8MP rear camera, and a Beats headset in the box.

• HTC Sensation XE and Sensation XL launched by Vodafone Australia
• HTC Sensation XE launched by O2 UK
• HTC Sensation XE with Beats Audio headed to India
• HTC Rezound now cheaper at Verizon: $199.99 on contract
• HTC Sensation XL introduced in India

The sale will take place this Saturday, February 11. Among the devices that will be offered for a $0 net down payment after rebates, we must mention: Samsung Galaxy S II, HTC Amaze 4G, HTC Sensation 4G, T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide, BlackBerry Bold 9900, HTC Amaze 4G, Nokia Lumia 710, and the T-Mobile SpringBoard tablet.

Remember that the sale will be available only throughout February 11, so it’s a Valentine’s Day Sale without actually taking place on Valentine’s Day. Anyway, more details about it can be found in this press release.

• T-Mobile’s HTC Amaze 4G, Sensation 4G, LG DoublePlay, myTouch, and myTouch Q approaching End-of-Life
• T-Mobile HTC Amaze 4G – new official photos
• T-Mobile myTouch2 / myTouch Slide (HTC Espresso) photos leaked
• T-Mobile myTouch 4G Slide appears in clear photos
• T-Mobile myTouch Slide will have three color versions

The biggest one – management seems to understand they screwed up, admits it and is already taking action. They also hinted about two very interesting initiatives underway, that should result in much more competitive products sometime later this year.

One of them is creation of a new Studio – a group or department –  within HTC. It is tasked specifically with formulating and driving the new product strategy inside the company. The new Studio department is a “cross disciplinary group” comprised from engineering, designer and other teams, and reports directly to CEO Peter Chou.

Here’s HTC CFO Winston Yung talking about the new Studio during the earnings conference call:

“When we look back to the 4th quarter of last year, we simply dropped the ball on products. If we compare some of the products that we have launched,  (especially in the U.S., LTE products) with some of our competitors products, you’ll see thicker form factor for example. And LTE at this point also has some compromises, like battery life. So we simply need to do a better job on both the design, and also the internals and the components of products. And these are the various areas where we will be working on. From the design point of view, from the choice of components, having a lot more open mind as to what components we use, and using the most appropriate components for the phone. By having a more focused approach to our product strategy, and having the organization behind the product strategy to support it. I think I have told some people when talked about the creation of this Studio, which is a department within HTC that reports directly to Peter (Chou, HTC CEO). And this group of people comprise the team from design, the team from engineering and etc; working on a cross disciplinary approach, and reporting directly to Peter. It has a lot of focus, is spending a lot of time on the key products that we are going to launch this year. And I think from these various perspectives, organization more focused on strategy and having a more open mind on components, choosing the best components, will allow us to regain the edge in products. “

Another interesting development, stemming from HTC’s Q4 implosion, is clear signaling that they are now finally ready to move away from Qualcomm CPUs, for some of the products at least. Here’s what HTC CFO had to say about it:

“ … for most components there are multiple sources. And we actually want to and make sure that we do have multiple sources for a single component. So we have, I think, a very good range of suppliers to choose from on CPU, for example, or memory, for example. And I don’t think we are constrained in any way from a component point of view…”

This quote comes in the context of HTC’s newly found “open-mindedness” towards the components that go into the smartphone, which company execs couldn’t have mentioned more often then they did during the CC. As well as their desire to use the “best components“, and some veiled hints that some of the things they used last year, were at least partly to blame for the underperformance of Sensation flagship.

The only components that HTC was really stubborn about since very beginning, were Qualcomm chipsets, that went into almost every HTC device. Which makes it hard to interpret the above as not a snub at Qualcomm, and confirmation that HTC is now working with Nvidia or Texas Instruments to power the next flagship.

• HTC sales drop 52% in Jan. Plans 35% decline in Q1. R&D slashed by 60% in Q4, starts hiding unit volumes too
• HTC sold 1 million Magic phones; wants to concentrate on mid-end handsets
• HTC LTE devices confirmed for next year, should run Android and Windows Phone 7
• HTC expects to ship 1 million G1′s and 3 million Touch Diamonds
• HTC Windows Phone 7 Series device coming this year, says Peter Chou

They were already pretty bad in the last quarter of 2011, when HTC had to issue a profit warning and then reported 30% revenue decline compared to Q3.

Now this HTC sales slump is accelerating into 2012.

January revenues just came in at 16.6B $NT ($560M), and they are a whopping 52% lower compared to January 2011. In the guidance for the January-March quarter, HTC now expects to sell NT$65-70B ($2.19-2.36B) worth of smartphones, which is more then 35% decline from $NT 104.16B ($3.5B), HTC collected in Q1 2011.

And, with January numbers as they are – I’m not at all sure that in April HTC will be able to deliver the promised revenues.

The sales in February and March will have to be much better then they were in January, to get to $NT65B for a quarter. Maybe they will. The revenue guidance for Q1 2012 includes 2% decline in gross margin and 5% decline in operating margin – which means we should see a lot of price slashing on current HTC models, and that may help drive smartphone sales. When asked about January numbers and ability to deliver on guidance, HTC CFO Winston Yung was pretty sure that they will get there.

On the other hand, in late October 2011, HTC was pretty sure about its Q4 guidance too. But 3 weeks later came out with a profit warning, nonetheless. So an additional slash in revenue forecast sometime late February or early March is not out of the question.

Another bummer in HTC’s Q4 report was the their decision to stop sharing actual smartphone shipments and average selling prices. HTC cited “competitive reasons”, and, with Samsung hiding those numbers for 3 quarters already – there is some merit to that. But the choice to seriously limit performance disclosure just as your growth stalls and your sales start falling, raises a lot of questions. Even when there aren’t any funny things in the financial numbers you reported.

And there was one very interesting detail  in HTC’s financial report. From Q3 2011 to Q4 2011, in just 3 months, HTC somehow managed to reduce their R&D expenses by 60% – from $NT5.5B ($185M) to $NT 2.2B ($74M). With the bulk of R&D costs usually related to engineering/researcher salary expenses, such a dramatic drop in such a short period looks pretty strange. And does not bode well for future product development.

Maybe today’s HTC problems are just a blip. Company execs were pretty open about the reasons for current troubles. “We simply dropped the ball on products. In form factor, design, battery life” – HTC’s CFO said during earnings conference call. And HTC’s sales were hit particularly hard in the U.S. where their LTE devices were thicker, not as good looking and had worse battery performance then competition.

HTC CFO said that they have learned their lessons from 2011, and are working hard to get back on track. This includes:

• complete reevaluation of components that go into HTC phones to improve the performance
• creation of separate “Studio” unit, staffed with designers and engineers working on new models and reporting directly to CEO Peter Chou
• putting more efforts behind fewer products. Which means reduction in number models/SKUs, with bigger promotion and marketing budgets per model
• increased focus on LTE devices, especially on improving their battery life

We’ll have to wait and see if it works.

HTC is hoping that the new product portfolio, part of which will be announced during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and ship sometime in Q2, will help to turn things around.

Maybe it will. Right now smartphones are a hit business, after all. And HTC’s Sensation bet for 2011 simply didn’t pan out. If they took last year’s lessons to heart, and will be able to come up with a new hit model that can stand up to Samsung Galaxy S3 and later iPhone 5, HTC might get their turnaround this summer.

But if  their next flagship is another dud like Sensation – by the end of 2012 HTC might be following in the footsteps of Motorola and Sony Ericsson, losing piles of money, on the way to become a smartphone division of some bigger rival.

I’m looking forward to HTC Barcelona announcements to see what they will come up with.

• HTC sees weak Christmas ahead, blames iPhone and product transition for its troubles
• iPhone sales fell in Q3, Apple may lose the No.1 smartphone maker spot to Samsung or even Nokia
• Apple Q2 financial results: 8.75M iPhones for $5.75B, 131% growth. But iPhone U.S. sales growth may be slowing
• Samsung may have shipped 35M smartphones in Q4 2011, posts record profit. HTC’s profit down
• Apple sold more iOS devices in Q4 2011 than all Androids combined, reclaims No.1 smartphone maker spot

Videotron didn’t out any pricing details just yet, saying that it will make all the necessary announcements on launch day itself, but promising to have competitive rates. We’ll see.

Also in Canada, the HTC Radar is on its way to SaskTel too. Videotron is also getting ready to launch this midrange second-generation Windows Phone device, as we found out last month.

Unfortunately, SaskTel is keeping the release date and price for the Radar close to its chest at the moment. But if that’s your carrier of choice and you’ve been meaning to pick up a new Windows Phone, soon you’ll be able to do just that. We’ll keep you posted.

Via MobileSyrup here and here

• HTC Radar to bring more Windows Phone Mango to Canada (via Videotron)
• T-Mobile HTC Radar 4G will be available on November 2 for $99.99
• Canada: SaskTel releases the HTC Wildfire S
• HTC Radar 4G with Windows Phone Mango now available at T-Mobile for $99.99
• HTC Panache (Glacier) is headed to Videotron in Canada too

The HTC Evo Shift 4G is getting a security update, alongside an updated version of HTC Peep (the company’s built-in social networking client), as well as much needed battery life improvements. The update will make your Evo Shift 4G run software version 2.77.651.3. The Samsung Replenish, on the other hand, only gets some security patches brought to it by the FA19 update.

The update is already rolling out over-the-air for the Replenish. If your phone hasn’t yet received the notification that the update is available, then know that the rollout will take a few days to complete.

For the HTC Evo Shift 4G, the update notification will start showing up on February 7. However, if you’re impatient you can manually check for the update right now and it should be there waiting for you.

Full update instructions for the Evo Shift 4G are available here, and for the Samsung Replenish here.

Via Sprint here and here

• Sprint HTC Evo Shift 4G Android 2.3 Gingerbread update will be available on June 17
• Sprint Samsung Replenish Android 2.3 Gingerbread update now rolling out
• Sprint’s HTC Evo 4G, Evo Design 4G and Samsung Epic 4G are all getting software updates today
• Sprint’s HTC Evo 3D gets a software update that improves battery life and security
• Sprint Samsung Replenish will get a maintenance update on July 18

Not to worry, though, for today we have something very close for you. If for some reason you’ve been meaning to pick up a Flyer but haven’t done so already, you’ll be happy to know that Expansys will sell you one for just £234.99. And £35.99 more than its absolute lowest price isn’t that much to be paying for HTC’s first Android-powered tablet.

Speaking of which, an update to Android 3.2 Honeycomb should probably be waiting for you as soon as you power up your new puppy. That still isn’t the latest version of the operating system, and truth be told we’re not sure if HTC will ever update the Flyer to Ice Cream Sandwich. Still, do take this over 99% of similarly priced ‘budget’ Android tablets which run Gingerbread.

• UK: HTC Flyer price drops to just £199
• HTC Flyer launches in India, Rs. 39,890 for the 32 GB 3G version
• HTC Flyer now just $299.99 at Best Buy
• HTC Flyer Android 2.3 tablet coming in March, Honeycomb upgrade to be offered later
• HTC Flyer pre-orders have started in the UK, expected to be shipping mid-April

But this is also good news for owners of the existing Sensation. If the white SKU will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on March 1, that means that existing Sensations will probably be updated to the latest OS version around the same time (at least those bought unlocked and SIM-free, as it’s another story entirely with carrier-branded units that need to go through additional testing).

So despite the fact that HTC has never officially announced exactly when it will start rolling out ICS updates for its smartphones, we may now have a rough time frame, at least for the Sensation. The Sensation XE and Sensation XL shouldn’t be far behind either, especially considering that these three phones are currently HTC’s cream of the crop.

• First HTC devices to get ICS? Sensation, Sensation XE and 4G at the end of March. Others to follow
• HTC Sensation XE and Sensation XL launched by Vodafone Australia
• White HTC Sensation XE to be launched this month in the UK
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich for Bell’s HTC Sensation, HTC Raider and Galaxy S II to be out in H1 2012
• iPhone 3Gs in Taiwan are carrier-unlocked upon purchase

According to Le Presse (website in French), Videotron intends to launch the new Windows Phone Mango handset in “early spring”, which likely means in March.

For the moment, there’s no word on how much Videotron will ask for the HTC Radar, but $50 on contract seems reasonable – since the Radar isn’t exactly a high-end product, coming with a 3.8 inch WVGA display, 1GHz single-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 5MP rear camera, and 8GB of internal memory (not expandable, as there is no MicroSD card slot).

Canada’s first two Windows Phone Mango devices will be the Nokia Lumia 800 and Nokia Lumia 710, which are going to be released next month by Telus and Rogers, respectively.

Via Mobile Syrup

• T-Mobile branded Nokia Lumia 710 unveiled by the FCC
• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900 can be pre-ordered in Microsoft stores now
• HTC Radar and Acer Allegro with Windows Phone Mango announced in India
• HTC Titan (Eternity) and Radar (Omega) with Windows Phone Mango announced
• HTC Radar 4G to bring Windows Phone Mango to T-Mobile USA

As the video testifies (watch it below), the Ville is running Android 4.0.1 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sense UI 4.0. The new device features a 4.3 inch qHD display, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera, and a VGA front-facing camera.

T-Mobile may release the HTC Ville in the US – and that’s all we know for now regarding the handset’s availability.

Since it doesn’t have an HD display, and neither a quad-core processor, the Ville won’t be among HTC’s flagship Android handset for 2012 (the Edge and the Zeta probably will be). However, it’s still a very nice smartphone, so we’re eagerly waiting to see it live at MWC.

Via Android Central

• HTC Ville with Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4.0 UI coming at MWC 2012?
• HTC Ville with Android ICS pictured?
• HTC Ville on its way to T-Mobile
• Sprint announces the Motorola Triumph Android phone (for Virgin Mobile)
• Sprint’s HTC Kingdom leaked: Android 2.3 Gingerbread, qHD display

This offer will be available until February 14 at 11:59 pm PDT, however it’s also a “while supplies last” thing, so if your favorite smartphone is on the list you should probably act soon to get it at the heavily discounted price and not risk it going out of stock.

Yours for $0.01 with a new two-year contract with AT&T: BlackBerry Torch 4G 9810, BlackBerry Torch 9860, HTC Inspire 4G, Samsung Focus Flash 4G, Motorola Atrix 4G, HTC Freestyle, Samsung Captivate, HTC HD7 S, and the BlackBerry Torch 9800.

The Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket 4G is now $139.99, the Galaxy S II 4G is $94.99, the Samsung Focus S 4G is $19.99, the HTC Titan is $144.99, the Samsung Captivate Glide is $79.99, and the HTC Vivid 4G is $149.99. All these prices are only valid if you sign a new two-year contract with the carrier, of course.

So there you have it. Some of the best smartphones on the market are now cheaper, and some very decent performers are now almost free. Amazon’s full listing of the smartphones in this offer can be found here.

• AT&T’s HTC Vivid and Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket now available. Plus new Windows Phones and BlackBerries
• HTC Titan, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and others now available at AT&T
• AT&T announces BlackBerry Bold 9900, Torch 9860 and Curve 9360 pricing, availability
• HTC 7 Surround, LG Quantum and other AT&T phones are only $0.01 on Amazon ’till Monday
• Samsung Captivate only $0.01 at Amazon. Samsung Vibrant now $69

The operator is going to discontinue three devices before the end of this month, and a big name in March. The HTC Flyer, Nokia E6, and BlackBerry Torch 9860 have all apparently run out of time at Orange, since their End-of-Life is at the end of January. So by the day after tomorrow, don’t expect to see either of these in stores (unless they still have some unsold units lying around, that is). Needless to say, if you want any of these three phones badly (and on Orange), act fast, otherwise you may be disappointed.

Due to be discontinued in March is the iPhone 3GS. That will leave only the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S in the operator’s portfolio, which is certainly decent enough for Apple fans in the UK. Yet if for some reason you absolutely want an iPhone 3GS, you should plan to get yours before March.

These things do periodically happen in the mobile world, as the operators are getting ready to sell new devices, sometimes some of the old ones need to go. It’s only natural.

Via PocketNow

• Orange to launch iPhone in ten more countries
• Apple launches iPhone Your Life mini-site
• Apple delays white iPhone 4 again, won’t be available until “later this year”
• White iPhone 4 Being Tested With T-mobile 3G
• Apple iPhone 4S pre-orders: 1 million in the first 24 hours

In any case, go here at Amazon Wireless if you’re interested in getting the HTC Rezound for less than the price asked by Verizon ($199.99 on contract).

The HTC Rezound was released by Verizon in November last year. It features a 4.3 inch HD (1280 x 720) display, Sense UI, LTE connectivity, 8MP rear camera with 1080p video recording, 2MP camera, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of internal memory. The smartphone is currently running Android Gingerbread, but an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich should be available for it sometime soon.

• Verizon’s HTC Rezound with Beats Audio available starting today
• HTC Rezound now cheaper at Verizon: $199.99 on contract
• Verizon HTC Rezound officially presented, will be launched on November 14
• Verizon HTC Rezound now $100 cheaper at Amazon
• Verizon HTC Rezound discounted at Amazon again, now only $150 on contract

The phones that are nearing EOL status are the HTC Amaze 4G, Sensation 4G, LG DoublePlay, and the myTouch and myTouch Q.

These aren’t out just yet, but stores will only be clearing their existing stocks from now on. And that means that all of the aforementioned devices will not be available for long from now on. So if you’ve been holding off on buying one of them, this may be a great time to go and do just that.

Otherwise, you’ll have to wait and see what T-Mobile will replace them with. We’re also very interested in what the magenta carrier has up its sleeves, especially as replacements for the HTC Amaze 4G and Sensation 4G. We should see some really high-end stuff soon from TMo.

Via TmoNews

• LG-made T-Mobile myTouch and myTouch Q Android smartphones coming soon
• T-Mobile now selling the HTC Amaze 4G for $229.99, it’s $30 cheaper at Amazon
• T-Mobile HTC Amaze 4G – new official photos
• Samsung Galaxy S II and HTC Amaze 4G now available at T-Mobile
• T-Mobile myTouch 4G and Samsung Galaxy S 4G free with contract for limited time

While the second largest US mobile carrier didn’t say when exactly the Titan II would become available, we’ve heard that it could happen on March 18. Until then, the smartphone first needed to be approved by the FCC – and, well, this happened yesterday. Unsurprisingly, the FCC has approved the new Titan to play nice with AT&T’s LTE network.

Besides LTE and a 16MP rear camera, the Titan II runs Windows Phone Mango, and features a 4.7 inch WVGA Super LCD screen, 1.5GHz single-core Qualcomm processor, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 512MB of RAM, and 16GB of internal memory. The new handset should cost $199.99 on contract.

Another LTE Windows Phone device that AT&T will launch is the Nokia Lumia 900. Reportedly, this will also be released on March 18, for only $99.99 on contract.

Via Engadget

• AT&T HTC Titan II to cost $200 and be launched on March 18. Sony Crystal tablet also coming soon?
• HTC Titan (Eternity) and Radar (Omega) with Windows Phone Mango announced
• AT&T’s HTC Titan to be included in a BOGO offer?
• Nokia Lumia 900 to be launched by AT&T in March
• ZTE Tania will be sold unbranded in France (as Windows Phone by SFR)

This update brings with it better audio quality for calls, an updated signal strength meter, reduced force closes of the People app, and overall improved device stability which should cut down on the number of pesky random reboots.

Screen timeout issues while connected to Wi-Fi have been fixed, as have been those relating to the task manager stopping the Mail process. Finally, Mobile Hotspot data should no longer be stalling while multiple users are connected.

So as you can see, this update brings some very welcome bug fixes and improvements, which is why we recommend you install it right away. Speaking of which, it’s apparently already available if you manually check for it by going into your device’s Settings.

If you can’t see the update yet, be patient as the rollout is bound to be staggered, so it may take a few more hours or days for it to reach your particular smartphone.

Looking for a Rezound to call your own? Amazon has ’em for $79.99.

Via Droid Life here and here

• Vodafone UK’s HTC Sensation gets a small reliability fix
• Motorola Droid Pro finally receiving Gingerbread update
• AT&T Inspire 4G and Atrix 4G receive HSUPA via OTA update
• Verizon Motorola Droid X2 maintenance update now rolling out
• Gingerbread update already rolling out to Verizon’s Droid Incredible 2 users

Now BGR is reporting that the Titan II will probably be released by AT&T on March 18 for $199.99 on contract. The new smartphone features Windows Phone Mango, LTE connectivity, a 4.7 inch WVGA display, 1.5GHz single-core processor, and an impressive (at least theoretically) 16MP rear camera with wide-angle lens.

The HTC Titan II and the Nokia Lumia 900 (which will likely be out in March, too) will be AT&T’s first LTE-enabled Windows Phone handsets.

Windows Phone aside, BGR is also reporting that AT&T will launch a so-called Sony Crystal tablet for $409.99. The tablet will allegedly have HSPA+, but no LTE. For the moment, it’s not clear if this is a brand new tablet, or just a renamed Sony S2 (AT&T officially announced the S2 back in July and we haven’t heard about it ever since).

• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900, Samsung Galaxy Note and Rugby Smart priced. Should be out on March 18
• AT&T’s HTC Titan II hits the FCC with LTE in tow
• Windows Phone Marketplace now has a Nokia category
• Nokia Lumia 800 with LTE coming to AT&T in 2012?
• Nokia Lumia 900 to come in white, too

Now SprintFeed has received Sprint’s latest EOL list, and it includes some big names from yesteryear. Alongside the less-known Samsung M360 and Samsung Trender Purple, the famous HTC Evo 4G will be discontinued sometime this week.

Next week it will be the turn of the HTC Evo View 4G, and the Wi-Fi-only BlackBerry PlayBook will join these devices into oblivion before the end of January. In early February, the Sanyo Innuendo Blue will have to go too.

That’s just the way the mobile world works, so don’t be quick to shed a tear for any of the aforementioned gadgets. They’ve had their moment in the spotlight (well, some more than others) and are now getting old and need to be replaced in the carrier’s lineup with younger, better performing offerings.

• Boost Mobile launches Sanyo Innuendo, $129.99
• Kyocera Sanyo Innuendo QWERTY phone launched by Sprint
• T-Mobile early-2009 roadmap leaked – BlackBerry Curve 8900 and Samsung Memoir on the list
• Sprint After Christmas Sale to include HTC Evo 3D, Evo Shift 4G, Evo View 4G, and BlackBerry Playbook
• UK: 16 GB BlackBerry PlayBook sees price cut to £249

That’s because Big Red is now asking for just $9.99 for the Droid Incredible 2 (with a new two-year contract naturally). If even that seems too expensive for you, how about $0.01? That’s exactly what Amazon requires you pay to get the smartphone, with the same two-year contract with Verizon of course.

Yes, the Droid Incredible 2 is getting a bit old, and it’s not the coolest kid on the block anymore, but at the price point of almost free, it may make for an interesting proposition for some. It’s unclear how long it will be discounted at Verizon, but it’s been almost free at Amazon for quite a while now.

Via Droid Life

• Verizon makes the HTC Droid Incredible 2 $50 cheaper, but you can get it for free elsewhere
• Verizon’s Motorola Droid Bionic now just $149.99, Droid X2 almost free at Amazon
• Verizon Motorola Droid 2 Global price drops to $149.99 possibly making way for the Droid 3
• Motorola Droid 2 and HTC Droid Incredible both now go for only $149.99 from Verizon
• Verizon Samsung Droid Charge and LG Revolution now also $0.01 at Amazon

According to AusDroid, the Velocity should get Android ICS “next month or so”, before other Telstra smartphones like the HTC Evo 3D, or HTC Sensation. So those who buy the Velocity will not only get Australia’s first LTE handset, but also one of the firsts to taste Ice Cream Sandwich.

You can go here at Telstra to pre-oder the new smartphone.

Already available in the US (via AT&T) as the HTC Vivid, the Velocity 4G comes with a 4.5 inch qHD (960 x 540) display, Sense UI 3.5, 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front-facing camera, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, and 1GB of RAM.

• HTC Velocity will be Telstra’s first 4G LTE Android phone
• Velocity Micro Cruz T507 and T510 Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablets coming to CES 2012
• HTC Ville shows off some Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich love on video
• HTC Holiday to become Telstra’s first 4G smartphone
• It finally happened. Samsung Galaxy Nexus now available on Verizon

It’s unclear at this point if these are permanent price drops or if they represent a limited time promotion. Whatever the case, if you’ve been craving one of the world’s first 3D smartphones, now may be the time to finally act and get one.

The prices being asked today are even more staggering in context – remember that when the Evo 3D launched in the UK, it went for no less than £534. And of course the Evo 3D still is a high-end device even by today’s standards, so you’re getting a lot of bang for your pound there.

Via Android Central

• UK: T-Mobile Vivacity with Android 2.3, 3.5-inch screen, and 5 MP camera, now just £89.99 on PAYG
• HTC Desire II (Desire S) and Wildfire S headed to US Cellular
• Bang & Olufsen says goodbye to the cell phone biz
• Motorola Milestone X, HTC Merge, LG Axis, and Samsung Gem now available at Alltel
• AT&T Motorola Olympus Tegra 2-based Android superphone to be released in December or January

We’ve seen the ThunderBolt discounted in the past, at one point it was even almost free, but those things happened at third party retailers. This time it’s Verizon itself, and the offer is only valid through January 26.

For those of you looking for a smartphone and a bargain, this is both. Perhaps the only (rather big) downside being that it ships running Android 2.2 Froyo, which is positively ancient in this fast-paced mobile world. That said, an update to Gingerbread may or may not be waiting once you power the device on. Anyway, if you’re interested in picking up a ThunderBolt, Verizon is patiently waiting for your order.

• Verizon HTC Thunderbolt 4G now only $150 at Wirefly until April 18
• HTC Thunderbolt launch date and price officially confirmed by Verizon: March 17, $249
• ZTE Blade/Orange San Francisco Android 2.2 Froyo update arrives this month
• Verizon to cut prices on iPhone 4, HTC Thunderbolt?
• Dell Streak price drops to $399.99 at Dell, but you’ll only get it on January 10

The new software version for the Evo 4G is 4.67.651.3, and brings a security update, plus battery life improvements, and updated Peep client “to align with Twitter.” You can find out more here at Sprint.

The Evo Design 4G’s new software version is 2.12.651.5. It also brings a security update, battery life improvements and new Peep client, plus updated Sprint Zone client, and 3LM Enterprise Tool access. More details here.

As for the Samsung Epic 4G, the new software (version S:D700.0.5S.EL30) brings it a security update and speaker feedback fix. Also, the QIK and Asphalt 5 apps are no longer pre-installed on the device. More info here.

Each of the HTC Evo 4G, HTC Evo Design 4G and Samsung Epic 4G is currently sold by Sprint for $99.99 on contract.

Via Android Police

• Sprint’s HTC Evo Shift 4G and Samsung Replenish also get some update love
• Sprint’s HTC Evo 3D gets a software update that improves battery life and security
• Sprint Samsung Epic 4G Android 2.3 Gingerbread update finally rolling out
• Samsung Epic 4G, Sanyo Zio Updating to Froyo Feb 21
• Sprint Samsung Epic 4G Android 2.2 Froyo update starts on December 26

Now we have some new information about the Edge, but sadly it doesn’t have anything to do with pricing or release dates. Though we’re sure to find those things out in due course, especially with MWC approaching, since that’s where the Edge will get its unveiling. Today’s news is intriguing, though.

According to one of PocketNow‘s trusted sources, the Edge isn’t the Edge anymore. It has received a very, very rare codename change, and is now internally known as the HTC Endeavor. But, perhaps confusingly, that’s still just a codename. The device may be sold internationally under the name HTC Supreme.

As for why this change was made, it’s unclear unfortunately.

• Nokia Supreme is supremely boring, supremely expensive (£100,000)
• T-Mobile G2 nearing ‘end of life’
• Samsung already sold 1 million Galaxy Note units, may bring the device to AT&T in 2012
• Telus will launch the 4G Samsung Galaxy S II X soon
• Verizon’s Samsung 4G LTE smartphone may be called Droid Charge after all

In the meantime, PocketNow has learned that the HTC Ville will be offered by T-Mobile in the US. That’s not a surprise, since the magenta carrier does have a lot of love for top of the line Android devices. Unfortunately, it’s not known at this point when the Ville will be launched (or what it will end up being called, for that matter, since Ville is almost certainly just a codename).

The HTC Ville is rumored to be the company’s slimmest smartphone yet, with under 8mm thickness, and it will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich when it launches (which will probably happen in April). The HTC Ville will have a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, a 4.3-inch qHD (960×540) AMOLED touchscreen, a ‘point-and-shoot quality’ camera (possibly with an 8 MP backside illuminated sensor), 1080p HD video recording support, Beats Audio, and a totally new version of HTC’s Sense UI.

• HTC Ville with Android Ice Cream Sandwich and Sense 4.0 UI coming at MWC 2012?
• HTC Ville with Android ICS pictured?
• HTC Ville shows off some Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich love on video
• HTC Zeta with Android ICS, quad-core CPU and HD screen apparently rendered
• Quad-core LG X3 leaks with 4.7-inch HD touchscreen

It has three functions. It improves battery life, adds a needed security patch, and comes with an updated HTC Peep client (for social networking).

After applying the update, your phone will run software version 2.17.651.5. The update is available today if you manually check for it. If you don’t, your phone will notify you that the update has arrived starting on January 17, when the push rollout begins. However, keep in mind that it might take a few days from that point on for it to reach your device.

If you want to apply it now, just go to Settings > System updates > HTC software update > Check now and it should be waiting.

• Sprint HTC Evo Shift 4G Android 2.3 Gingerbread update will be available on June 17
• T-Mobile HTC Sensation 4G receives software update which improves battery life and overall stability
• Sprint HTC Evo View 4G Android Honeycomb update now rolling out
• Sprint Samsung Epic 4G Touch gets an update that fixes its loss of signal issues
• T-Mobile HTC Sensation 4G Android 2.3.4 update is rolling out

According to Ausdroid, the Velocity could become available at Telstra as soon as January 24, “for $0 upfront on Telstra’s $79 cap.”

Also released in the US as the HTC Vivid, the Velocity features a 4.5 inch qHD (960 x 540) display, Sense UI, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8MP rear camera with 1080p video recording, and 1.3MP front-facing camera.

(images via Gizmodo Australia)

The HTC Velocity will be launched running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. There’s no official word on an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich for now, but the smartphone will most likely get ICS at some point.

• Telstra HTC Velocity 4G to get Android 4.0 ICS next month
• Velocity Micro Cruz T507 and T510 Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablets coming to CES 2012
• HTC Holiday to become Telstra’s first 4G smartphone
• Samsung Galaxy Note will be launched in Canada in Q1 2012
• Huawei Honor now comes with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (but only in China)

Unlike the Titan that’s already available at AT&T since November, the new Titan II comes with LTE connectivity – so it’s a true 4G device.

Other than that, the Titan II looks a lot like the older model. It has a 4.7 inch WVGA display and a 1.5GHz processor. As for its 16MP rear camera, this has wide-angle lens (f2.6, 28mm), dual LED flash, autofocus, and is capable of shooting video at (only) 720p.

For the moment, that’s about all we know regarding the HTC Titan II, but more details (including a price and a launch date) should become available pretty soon, and we’ll share them with you.

Via Windows Phone Team Blog

• AT&T HTC Titan II to cost $200 and be launched on March 18. Sony Crystal tablet also coming soon?
• AT&T’s HTC Titan to be included in a BOGO offer?
• AT&T HTC Titan will be available on November 20 for $199.99
• HTC Radiant for AT&T (Windows Phone with LTE) pictured
• HTC Runnymede unveiled: giant 4.7-inch screen, Beats Audio, and impressive camera

Until now we haven’t heard anything else from the Taiwanese company, but today its Turkish arm took to Facebook to publish a neat table with details about which handset will get the update when. However, the photo isn’t accessible anymore, which may be a temporary glitch, or it was removed. Make of that what you wish.

First of all, the HTC Evo 3D is listed as having been updated in December 2011, which didn’t happen, so take this with a grain of salt (or, alternatively, allow for some other delays too).

According to this, the HTC Sensation, Amaze 4G, Sensation XE, Sensation XL, Rezound, Evo Design 4G, and Vivid will all get their taste of ICS in January. As in, this month.

The HTC Thunderbolt’s update is also confirmed for the first quarter of 2012 (though nothing more specific), and that’s about it. If you have another HTC Android smartphone, the fact that it’s going to receive ICS hasn’t been confirmed yet by the manufacturer. Which means it may, or it may not, but in any case, don’t expect anything to happen soon (or sooner than Q2, we’d guess). Again it’s tough luck for the midrange and low-end of the market it seems. Hang in there though.

Via HTCInside Via PocketNow

• First HTC devices to get ICS? Sensation, Sensation XE and 4G at the end of March. Others to follow
• HTC Rezound, Amaze 4G, Sensation and others confirmed to get Android Ice Cream Sandwich
• New T-Mobile HTC Amaze 4G software update brings Google Music, Wi-Fi calling
• UK: Vodafone’s exlclusivity of the HTC Sensation is about to end
• Telstra HTC Velocity 4G to get Android 4.0 ICS next month

The 35 million figure is 25% larger than the 28 million smartphones Samsung shipped in the third quarter of 2011. Samsung’s numbers just keep growing and growing, certainly helped by its Android lineup, but also possibly by the lower-priced devices running Bada, the in-house smartphone OS.

Samsung is now on the way to becoming the new Nokia, so to speak, and if the momentum holds, it may just be the biggest phone maker in the world this year. It already is the biggest smartphone maker in the world, a title it gained in Q3 2011 and is likely to keep for Q4.

Samsung’s strategy of flooding the market with similar-looking handsets at all possible price points is in fact the exact same strategy that allowed Nokia to keep its No.1 position for so long (until its devices simply became too uncool).

Samsung has reported a record profit level, although it’s a per-group number, and not related just to the phone business. 5.2 trillion won, or $4.5 billion was its operating profit, beating analysts’ estimates of 4.7 trillion won.

While Samsung just keeps on growing, HTC’s situation is the exact opposite. We’ve told you before how its device sales crashed in November, and now we’re getting the first numbers that back up the impact of that in its bottom line.

The Taiwanese company is expected to have sold just 10 million smartphones in Q4 2011, according to analysts quoted by Bloomberg. That’s less than the 13.2 million it managed to sell in the third quarter. What’s even worse, shipments this quarter are expected to reach just 8.5 million.

At a time when the entire smartphone market is growing, HTC is falling. Its profit took a plunge of 26% in Q4, compared to Q4 2010. It’s in fact the first time in two years when HTC’s profit has been down. Revenue fell 2.5% year-on-year, and the operating margin is now just 12.8%, the lowest in at least three years.

If you’re wondering what caused HTC’s decline, look no further than a few paragraphs above in this post. That’s right, Samsung, along with Apple, are the main ‘culprits’ here. HTC has seen increased competitive pressure from both companies, and it simply didn’t deliver an exciting product portfolio this year.

It wasn’t perceived to lead in hardware specifications anymore, and its Android software overlay, Sense UI, is getting a bit old (and still basically looks the same). Next year, the company promises to focus on less, but better devices. And that focus may just bring it back on the growth track. However, that can’t happen before Q2, and perhaps even Q3, for the simple fact of how the mobile world works. The new high-end HTC offerings will undoubtedly be showcased either next week at CES, or next month at MWC, but from that point on it usually takes a few months for products to reach stores.

So if HTC is a new casualty of the smartphone war(s), we’ll only be able to conclusively say after the third quarter of next year. Until then, anything is possible.

Note: this article has been edited to more accurately reflect the fact that both Samsung’s and HTC’s sales numbers for Q4 2011 represent forecasts made by analysts, and not official figures.

• Samsung ships 20 million smartphones in Q3, becomes the biggest smartphone maker in the world
• Samsung Q2, 2011: no more then 16.7M smartphones shipped. It’s still #3, behind Apple and Nokia
• Apple sold more iOS devices in Q4 2011 than all Androids combined, reclaims No.1 smartphone maker spot
• Nokia stops smartphone sales drop in Q3, but it’s now No.3 behind Samsung and Apple
• iPhone sales fell in Q3, Apple may lose the No.1 smartphone maker spot to Samsung or even Nokia

The Evo Shift 4G is no new device, in fact it’s around its one-year birthday already. And during its lifetime it has been free before (though from Amazon and Wirefly). As of now, you can get it from Wirefly for $0.99, which is also basically free – if somehow you have something against purchasing directly from Sprint.

If you’d rather get one from Amazon, know that the price being asked there is $29.99. Again, a new two-year contract is mandatory in order to get these prices.

The HTC Evo Shift 4G may not be a high-end device, but it’s a decent midranger, and it’s the only Evo handset to sport a full physical QWERTY keyboard. If you’d like to get one for free from Sprint, this is the link to click.

Via Phone Arena

• Sprint HTC Evo Shift 4G now free with new two-year contract
• Sprint HTC Evo Shift 4G now only $39.99 at Amazon
• Sprint HTC Evo Shift 4G now only $69.99 at RadioShack
• Verizon Motorola Droid 2 Global and Droid X now free at Wirefly with contract
• Sprint HTC Evo Shift 4G now available, Amazon has it for only $119.99

Reportedly headed to AT&T sometime later this quarter, the Radiant has the same massive 4.7 inch display as the Titan (most likely with the same WVGA resolution). Its back has a different design, though, but there’s still a camera with dual LED flash there.

Alongside the HTC Radiant, AT&T should also introduce the Nokia Ace and the Samsung Mandel. All three new LTE Windows Phone handsets could be officially announced at CES 2012 next week. We’ll obviously let you know if this happens.

AT&T is already selling the HTC Titan, asking $199 for it (on contract).

Via PocketNow

• HTC Titan II (Radiant) with LTE, Windows Phone and 16MP camera announced by AT&T
• AT&T’s Nokia Lumia 900, Samsung Galaxy Note and Rugby Smart priced. Should be out on March 18
• AT&T’s HTC Titan II hits the FCC with LTE in tow
• Samsung Mandel LTE Windows Phone may still be on its way to AT&T, despite not being announced yet
• AT&T’s Samsung Focus S and Flash will be launched on November 6

The update is apparently going out to both Wi-Fi-only as well as 3G-enabled versions of the tablet in the States. The update comes over-the-air so your tablet will notify you once it’s reached it and it’s ready for downloading and installing. So you won’t need a computer to perform the update.

If you can’t wait, you can always try manually checking for the update by going into your tablet’s settings. And don’t forget to enjoy this update as much as you can, for it’s uncertain that HTC will update the Flyer to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich as well. Or at least the manufacturer hasn’t said anything about that yet.

Via Engadget

• HTC Flyer Android Honeycomb update finally rolls out starting today
• Acer Iconia Tab A500 Android 3.1 update has started rolling out
• Archos 101 G9 and 80 G9 tablets will be updated to Android 4.0 in the first week of February
• UK: HTC Flyer can be yours for £234.99
• Sprint HTC Evo View 4G Android Honeycomb update now rolling out

During the sale, you’ll be able to pick up any smartphone and some broadband devices for up to $49.99 net down payment. The price is after a mail-in rebate, and only valid with a new two-year contract of course.

Monthly device payments start at $5 for mobile hotspots, and are between $10 and $20 for smartphones and tablets. This handy little table breaks everything down neatly:

The sale will be available at T-Mobile stores throughout the US. You can take advantage of the promo even if you’re already a TMo customer (which doesn’t happen often), but you must be eligible for an upgrade.

For detailed information about the “New Year, New Phone Sale”, go to T-Mobile’s special website over here.

Via Press release

• UK: Carphone Warehouse starts huge clearance sale, discounts galore on smartphones and tablets
• T-Mobile discounting the HTC Amaze 4G, Galaxy S II and other devices this Saturday
• Verizon will have new 3G data plans starting tomorrow
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 delayed for a year?
• IDC: Android and Windows Phone will rule the smartphone market in 2015

And now it seems that Nokia won’t be the only company doing the Windows Phone LTE dance. According to people familiar with Microsoft’s plans, who have spoken to The Verge, both HTC and Samsung will come up with LTE-capable Windows Phones in early 2012.

The HTC device is codenamed Radiant, and the Samsung handset is currently being referred to as Mandel. The Samsung Mandel will have a screen larger than the 4.3-inch Focus S which is currently the company’s flagship phone running Microsoft’s new operating system.

Both the HTC Radiant and the Samsung Mandel will run a pre-Tango build of Windows Phone that includes LTE support. They’re most likely to be announced at Mobile World Congress in February.

• Samsung Mandel LTE Windows Phone may still be on its way to AT&T, despite not being announced yet
• HTC Radiant for AT&T (Windows Phone with LTE) pictured
• Nokia Ace with LTE and Windows Phone to be released by AT&T on March 18, Lumia 710 headed to Verizon
• Nokia Lumia 800 with LTE coming to AT&T in 2012?
• Nokia Lumia 900, Lumia 719, Windows Phone Tango and Apollo launch dates leaked by someone in Finland

However, here we are about two months later, and there’s already been a huge price drop for the Sensation XE on contract. Phones 4U now offers you the device on an O2 contract which costs just £21.50 per month. The only catch is that you’ll need to pay £19.99 for the device upfront. Which is literally a small price to pay for such a deal.

The £21.50 per month plan will give you 200 minutes, 3,000 texts, and 500 MB of data. And yes, it’s a 24-month contract you’ll need to sign. If the amount of stuff included suits your communication needs, and the HTC Sensation XE has been on your wishlist, perhaps it’s time to make the jump over to Phones 4U to take advantage of this deal. There’s no telling how long it will last.

The HTC Sensation XE is a rehash of the original Sensation, sporting the same shell, but coming with Beats Audio integration, a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor, and an extended battery compared to its predecessor.

Via Eurodroid

• HTC Sensation now available in the UK for free with £25 per month contract
• Samsung Galaxy Ace now free with £10.50 per month contract at O2 UK
• HTC Sensation XE to hit the UK on October 1, should cost £492 unlocked
• HTC Sensation XE now available at Three UK, free from £30 per month
• HTC Sensation will be available on O2 and Orange in the UK on July 8

Verizon, for example, will give you a Motorola Droid Bionic for $199.99, or the midrange Pantech Breakout for just $49.99. And the carrier’s ’2x data’ promotion is still going, so if you sign up for a data plan (which you must in order to get these smartphones anyway), you’ll get double the ‘advertised’ data traffic each month.

Verizon has even put out a commercial for this sale. And here it is:

Sprint also has some neat cut prices for some products. Its promotion is available until January 7. You can get a Samsung Replenish for free, HTC Evo 3D for $99.99, and the HTC Evo Shift 4G for $49.99.

There are also a couple of tablets on offer. Both the HTC Evo View 4G and the BlackBerry PlayBook can be yours for $199.99.

Via VzBuzz and SprintFeed

• Sprint After Christmas Sale to include HTC Evo 3D, Evo Shift 4G, Evo View 4G, and BlackBerry Playbook
• Verizon to offer two BlackBerry Storm2 phones for the price of one?
• Verizon introduces prepaid data packages for Droid Incredible, Droid X, Droid 2 and other smartphones
• Sprint’s HTC EVO 3D and HTC EVO View 4G officially arriving on June 24
• Sprint raises unlimited smartphone data plan cost by $10

So if you’re in the UK and still are willing to buy a smartphone or a tablet, listen up. The Carphone Warehouse has just started a mega winter clearance sale, with heavy discounts on both smartphones and tablets. You can now benefit from the offer online, and it will be available in stores starting on Monday, December 26.

The phones currently on sale are:

• Samsung Google Nexus S for £199.95 SIM-free and free from £15.50 per month on Pay Monthly
• HTC Incredible S for £249.95 SIM-free and free from £20.50 per month
• Nokia N8 for £199.95 SIM-free and free from £10.50 per month
• HTC ChaCha for £119.95 SIM-free and free from £7.99 per month
• HTC Desire HD for £269.95 SIM-free and free from £20.50 per month
• HTC HD7 free from £21.50 per month
• Nokia E7 for £249.95 SIM-free and free from £10.50 per month
• Nokia C7 free from £10.50 per month

In the tablets section we did find the HTC Flyer for £289.99, however if you want to pick one up we recommend saving £90 more by getting it from Dixons.

The other better known tablets on offer are:

• BlackBerry PlayBook 16 GB for £169, 32 GB for £199, and 64 GB for £329 (all three Web-exclusive)
• HTC Flyer 3G for £389.99
• Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi for £319.99
• Motorola Xoom 3G for £379.99
• Asus Eee Pad Transformer with keyboard for £399.99
• Asus Eee Pad Transformer 32 GB for £379.99

Alongside these you’ll also find a few tablets from smaller manufacturers, if you’re into that sort of thing.

For the full list, and to get one of these devices at these great prices, head over to the Carphone Warehouse. And hurry, if you want to make sure that your desired item won’t be out of stock when you want to order it.

• UK: Motorola Xoom Wi-Fi now just £249.99
• Google Nexus S price cut to £429.99 at Carphone Warehouse UK
• Asus Eee Pad Transformer goes to India, priced at Rs. 32,999
• Motorola Defy and white Samsung Galaxy S now available in the UK from Carphone Warehouse
• Motorola XOOM 2 will be available at Carphone Warehouse for Christmas for 400 Euros

And let’s not forget that back when it launched, the Flyer was one of the most expensive tablets. In the UK, the Wi-Fi-only version (which is what’s been discounted now) went for no less than £479. So there you have it. £280 off.

If you’re interested, run to Dixons right now. Who knows how long this price (or supplies, for that matter) will last.

The HTC Flyer comes running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but the update to Android 3.2 Honeycomb may be waiting for you once you start it up. If it isn’t, it should come shortly.

Via Eurodroid

• HTC Flyer Android 3.2 Honeycomb update starts rolling out in the US for both Wi-Fi and 3G units
• HTC Flyer launches in India, Rs. 39,890 for the 32 GB 3G version
• UK: Wi-Fi-only HTC Flyer can now be yours for just £299.95
• HTC Flyer should get Android 3.0 Honeycomb “shortly after launch”
• HTC Flyer selling for just £329.99 at Best Buy UK until September 21

Today’s leaked info (courtesy of an image depicting an internal Verizon system) is interesting because if it turns out to be true, it means that these two handsets will be Verizon’s first LTE-capable phones to have ‘global roaming’ abilities. In short, they may be ‘world phones’.

Of course, Verizon has had many of those before. But none of them also had 4G LTE baked in. Which is something that definitely needed to change. After all, those of you who like high speed Internet at home aren’t forbidden from travelling across the world, right?

So it looks like Verizon is taking some steps in this direction. That said, do have your grain of salt nearby, because the ‘Global Phone’ capability isn’t marked with a clear ‘Y’ in that picture. And that ‘O’ which is there may stand for ‘optional’ instead. Let’s hope not.

Oh, and expect more leaks about the LG Spectrum and HTC Fireball to pop up soon.

Via Droid Life

• Verizon’s Motorola Droid 4 and LG Spectrum will get global roaming ability before the end of June
• HTC Fireball shows up in Verizon systems with 4G LTE support
• Motorola Droid Pro, Droid 2 World Edition, MZ600 Tablet found in Verizon databases
• First pictures of the Motorola Droid 2 World Edition for Verizon surface
• LG Spectrum for Verizon officially unveiled, will cost only $199.99 on contract

Sprint’s HTC Evo View 4G is now getting updated to Android 3.2.1 Honeycomb. The rollout has started today, and since the update comes OTA, it may be staggered. So your tablet may not have gotten it yet. But fret not, for it will soon. If you’d like to manually check for the update, just go to Settings > System updates > HTC Software update > Check now.

Because of the differences between Honeycomb and previous versions of the operating system, you’ll have to re-add all your homescreen shortcuts and widgets after the update. Alongside the usual Honeycomb bits, this update also packs in fixes for Google video chat and Bluetooth support in Airplane mode.

Via Sprint

• Sprint Samsung Galaxy Tab Android 2.3 Gingerbread update now rolling out
• HTC Flyer Android 3.2 Honeycomb update starts rolling out in the US for both Wi-Fi and 3G units
• Motorola Atrix Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update now rolling out in Europe
• Verizon Samsung Fascinate Android 2.2 Froyo update begins tomorrow, April 21
• Android 3.2 may become available for the Motorola Xoom in a few days

According to Google’s mobile chief, they are now activating 700K Android devices a day. And, just to dispel any doubts that are indeed all new handsets and tablets:

..and for those wondering, we count each device only once (ie, we don’t count re-sold devices), and “activations” means you go into a store, buy a device, put it on the network by subscribing to a wireless service.

To be fair to those of us who thought that Android growth had already peaked, Google itself is somewhat to blame for creating the appearance of a slowdown. Android daily activations reached 550K a day level on July 14th and stayed there at least until Dec. 7th. When Eric Schmidt used the same 550K data point in his LeWeb conference keynote. Almost 5 months without any reported growth is a long time.

So what happened in three weeks between Dec. 07 and today, to add additional 150K new Android devices to daily activation count? Holiday Shopping Season, most likely.

To make new claim about daily Android device activations, Google has to observe that number for a certain number of days. So in the beginning of December, less then 2 weeks after Black Friday/ Cyber Monday, it was probably too early to give any solid growth updates. But sometime in December, with Christmas gift shopping kicking into high gear all over Western Hemisphere, Android device activations topped 700K a day, and are staying there for a while now.

Looking back to the days when the explosive Android growth just started, it has been exhibiting the same pattern for 2 years in a row now:

• From January to March, there ‘s little to no growth in daily activations
• Between April and August– when Android flagships announced during CES and Mobile World Congress start shipping- we get a huge jump in Android activation count. In 2010 daily activations jumped from 60K in April to 200K in August (140K unit, 230% growth). Between April and July this year, Android went from 350K to 550K (200K additional daily units and 57% growth).
• August – December, a period of little to no growth again, until Christmas Shopping Season starts
• December – a smaller, but still impressive jump in Android device activation numbers. In 2010 it increased from 200K a day to 300K (+100K, 50% growth), this year – from 550K to 700K (+150K, 27% growth)

To see where Android daily activations may get next year, if the same growth patterns continue, I plotted the numbers Google already gave us. Looks like by the end of  Q2 2012, new Android device additions can easily top 1 million units a day.

Overall,  the relative Android growth is slowing down. In 2010 Google’s mobile OS grew almost 1000%, this year the growth is “only” 133%. But that’s just the law of big numbers. In absolute terms Android continues to grow at an amazing rate. During 2010 Google added 240K new devices to Android daily activation count. This year – the growth is 400K. To manage this in Q4 2011, when Google has to compete for every customer against newly released iPhone 4S, plus cheaper iPhone 4/3GS, is even more impressive feat.

While I expected Android absolute numbers to grow by a lot, I must I admit I was too skeptical about it last year. The actual daily activations topped even the optimistic part of my range by 100K. I thought that other platforms – Symbian, Windows Phone or Bada – will slow the Android onslaught, but none of them managed to put a dent into Google’s OS growth.

The mobile device market is not infinite, and Android will reach its saturation level sometime. But I have to admit that I have no idea when it will happen. The pressures of patent litigation, and more skeptical carrier and vendor attitude is still there. But so far Android seems to be resilient to them, and anything else competitors throw at it. So I will have to see a much more clear break in Android growth patterns before proclaiming the slowdown next time.

Getting back to the newly reinvigorated Android growth. Here’s a quick take about the winners and losers among vendors in Q4 2011:

• Q4 was the launch quarter of the next generation iPhone 4S. Despite the pent up demand and  launch hype, much wider carrier and price tier availability, iPhone failed to have meaningful impact on overall Android device sales growth. At this point in time these two platforms are growing together, mostly taking the sales from everyone else, but not each other.
• The big winners among Android vendors this quarter will be Motorola and Samsung
• Motorola’s new Droid RAZR is the main Verizon smartphone for the Holiday Season, and, by all indications, a huge hit. Its international version is also quite competitive in those markets where the device was released. Expect some nice upside surprise when Motorola reports Q4 numbers in January
• Samsung’s Galaxy S2 flagship continues to rule the sales charts of most operators worldwide, together with iPhone 4S. With smartphones like Galaxy Mini, Ace, Y, R and S Plus; Sammy also has an incredibly strong Android device line-up at every price point down to $200. Expect some huge October- December smartphone sales numbers from them. Though whether Samsung will be able to beat huge iPhone shipments and keep #1 smartphone vendor spot, is anyone’s guess. Probably not, but it should be close.
• The big loser among Android vendors will be HTC. Due to the poorly balanced device portfolio in Q4 2011, I expect their Android smartphone sales to drop by about 3 million units. With most of the lost HTC sales going to Samsung and Motorola.

Were you impressed/surprised by 700K Android activations number today? Do you you think they will get to 1 million a day this summer? And how high can Android go?

• Google activated 250 million Androids so far, may have topped 1 million/day in the second half of Q4
• Google now activates 350,000 Android devices daily. 3 billion Android apps installed around the world
• Record-breaking 3.7 million Android devices were activated this past weekend, iOS close by
• Google now activates 550K Androids per day. 135 million devices sold. Market reaches 250,000 apps
• More than 300,000 Android phones activated each day, says Andy Rubin

Yesterday we had a couple of AT&T-bound phones, today we’re here to talk about the HTC Fireball. This will be a 4G LTE capable device which Verizon will launch at some point next year. And… that’s it.

Basically this leak is just about the name (or codename) of the handset. We now know that there is a new HTC 4G LTE device in the making for Verizon. We’re assuming it’s a phone, but it may just as easily turn out to be a tablet. The date you see in the image above (obviously) isn’t a launch date, it’s just when the device was added to the system.

The model number (ADR6410L) places this device right in between the HTC Rezound and HTC Thunderbolt. Which may mean absolutely nothing, or it may be a slight indication of its positioning in Verizon’s lineup. We’ll see.

Naturally, if you stay tuned you’ll find out more about the HTC Fireball exactly when we do.

Via Droid Life

• HTC Rezound (Vigor) shows up in Verizon system, launch is near
• Verizon HTC Rezound to feature wireless charging back cover
• Verizon HTC Rezound discounted at Amazon again, now only $150 on contract
• HTC Fireball and LG Spectrum may be Verizon’s first LTE-enabled ‘world phones’
• Verizon Galaxy Nexus (Droid Prime) and HTC Rezound (Vigor) launch pegged for Nov. 10th. Price- $299

According to BGR, the upcoming HTC LTE Windows Phone device should resemble the HTC Titan (already available at AT&T, but only with HSPA+ connectivity), sporting a 4.7 inch display. The handset could be released on February 5, thus an official announcement at CES (January 10 – 13) shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Another new smartphone that HTC is reportedly readying is the HTC Elite. This might also be released by AT&T, but sometime in April, coming with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Beats Audio technology. AT&T may choose to launch this ICS handset under the name of HTC Congressional (had I to choose a final name, I’d stick to Elite).

Unfortunately, images of the HTC Elite and the LTE WP device haven’t been unveiled yet (what you’re seeing in the photo above is the HTC Titan, of course). We’ll bring more on this as soon as we get new info.

• HTC Sensation XL introduced in India
• HTC Sensation XL to be launched in the UK on October 24?
• HTC Zeta with Android ICS, quad-core CPU and HD screen apparently rendered
• HTC Ville with Android ICS pictured?
• AT&T’s HTC Titan II hits the FCC with LTE in tow

The phone can be yours for free with monthly contracts of course. You’ll have to shell out at least £30 per month for two years though. In that case, you’ll get 500 minutes, 5,000 texts, and 1 GB of data each month. For an additional £3 per month, Three will throw in All-you-can-eat data.

And if you choose the operator’s The One Plan, which costs £37 per month, you’ll get unlimited data too, alongside 2,000 minutes, 5,000 Three-to-Three minutes, and 5,000 texts. The choice is yours. On Pay as you go, the Sensation XE is priced at £399.99.

If you’re interested in picking one up, go to Three now and choose the option that best fits your specific communication needs.

• HTC Sensation XL now available at Three UK, free from £34 per month, £449.99 on PAYG
• UK: Samsung Galaxy S II now available at Virgin Mobile, free from £40.85 per month
• Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and Mini Pro up for pre-order in the UK on contract, free from £15/month
• BlackBerry Bold 9900 now available at Orange UK, free from £41 per month
• BlackBerry Bold 9790 now available at Three UK, free from £28 per month, £319.99 on PAYG

For example, the HTC Evo 3D will be only $99.99 on contract (down from $199.99). Other devices included: HTC Evo Shift 4G ($49.99), HTC Evo View 4G ($199.99), BlackBerry PlayBook ($199.99), and Samsung Replenish ($0 – although this one is already free on contract).

Sprint’s “After Christmas Sale” (yeah, that’s what it’s called) will last from December 26 to January 7 2012, so you’ll have plenty of time to decide if any of the included devices are worth the signing of a new 2-yr contract agreement (required for the discounts to be applied).

If you’re looking to grab something before Christmas, though, head over to Amazon. You’ll find the EVO 3D for $49.99, EVO Shift 4G for $29.99 and Replenishfor a penny.

Via SprintFeed

• All Verizon phones (Droid Bionic included) offered for $0.01 at Amazon until October 17
• Verizon Droid Razr, Droid Bionic, HTC Rezound, AT&T Atrix 2 4G, Sprint EVO 3D and more – now $0.01 on Amazon
• Sprint HTC Evo Shift 4G now only $39.99 at Amazon
• Sprint HTC Evo Shift 4G now only $69.99 at RadioShack
• Sprint EVO 4G White on sale at Amazon for $89.99