Two weeks ago, it was announced that more carriers would be getting a carrier billing option for Books, Music and Videos in the Google Play Store. Sprint was one of three US carriers on the list, and now it’s been enabled for the Now Network. Sprint customers, go wild buying whatever you want from the Play Store and don’t worry about paying for it till your bill comes due.

Carrier billing is a great option for those that don’t want to use a credit card or don’t have one. But it can also be a bit dangerous to have the ability to spend money on books and music all willy nilly then getting bill-shock at the end of the month.

[Fierce Mobile]

A newspaper in the UK recently published a story that the Google Play Store was about to surpass 15 billion apps downloaded. Google’s last published numbers were 11 billion downloads as of January 2012, so it seemed about the time to hit 15 billion. TechCrunch reached out to Google, and a spokesperson confirmed the Play Store already hit 15 billion apps downloaded “a few weeks ago”.

With Android stomping out market share over Apple, it’s no surprise that the Play Store is closing the gap on the iPhone App Store. Currently the Google Play Store has around 500,000 apps, while Apple has 600,000 apps in their App Store. Meanwhile the Play Store is averaging about 1 billion app downloads per month verses about 1.25 billion from the iPhone App Store. Of course these numbers don’t include other app markets such as the Amazon App Store and other outlets, so it’s entirely possible those numbers could be higher.

AT&T announced a bunch of new devices back at CES that they had planned for the first half of 2012. We’re sill waiting on the Sony Xperia Ion and the Samsung Skyrocket HD. And now we may know when the Xperia Ion is going to get released. It appears that someone pulled the trigger on an ad in Google Search just a bit too early. As you can see above, the ad says the 4G LTE device with a 21MP camera is coming to AT&T in June. We haven’t heard anything official from AT&T yet, but the ad appears to come directly from them.

With CTIA going on this week, we can only assume AT&T will announce the Xperia Ion release dates and pricing, etc. But that one little Google ad seems to have already stolen their thunder.

It’s not the first time we’ve seen a phone outed early due to a prematurely launched ad. The one that stands out in recent memory was the Sprint Galaxy Nexus, that was spotted in an ad before an official announcement.

[via Android Police]

When shopping around for a new phone, most of us try to find the best deal instead of just plunking down whatever the carrier charges in the store. If you’re in the market for a Galaxy Nexus on Sprint, this deal is about the best around right now. Amazon Wireless is now selling the Sprint Galaxy Nexus for only $149 with a two year contract, that’s $50 cheaper than from Sprint. On top of that, you get a $50 Google Wallet credit, so essentially you’re saving $100 over retail pricing.

The Galaxy Nexus is currently listed as in stock and you get free two-day shipping from Amazon. So if you don’t mind waiting 48 hours for your new phone, you can save yourself a full Benjamin in cash.

If you’re going to buy a Verizon Galaxy Nexus, that one is even cheaper at only $49 with a two year contract.

[Amazon Wireless]

The latest update for the Motorola Droid 3 might be a huge one, version number 5.7.905.XT862 clocks in at around 230MB, which is huge for an update. However, it’s not Android 4.0, but instead just an update for Gingerbread. This huge update brings a bug fix for pretty much anything imaginable that might be a problem on the Droid 3. Here’s the full change log:

Device Features

• A Google Security Patch has been added to improve the security level.
• Fixed issue where the device may power ON without user interaction.
• Avoid device interruption when accessing an application prior to the storage being fully mounted on the device.
• Improvements in device stability help avoid device power cycles.
• When connected to a Bluetooth® headset or HDMI cable, the device will no longer lock up and power cycle.
• Improvements to the camera’s auto focus will reduce the shutter response time and enhance the quality of captured imagery.
• Device is enabled with the Wireless Alerting System.

Call Features

• Use a wired headset without the interruption of a high pitched tone.
• Plus code dialing has been enhanced, improving the experience while traveling.

Applications & Widgets

• Playback media can be heard while using a Bluetooth headset.
• Place a call to the appropriate recipient using the contact widget.
• When moving applications to the SD card, shortcuts to these Apps will remain.
• After updating the contact database from the Messaging App, the Messaging UI will display the latest contact information.
• Successfully post and play videos on Facebook.
• Purchased ringtones are now able to be downloaded, saved and used where appropriate.
• Contact pictures display properly in Google Voice.
• VZ Navigator® 3D City is now preloaded.
• Resolved excessive data usage and continuous downloading for VZ Navigator 3D City downloads.

Carrier billing is something that’s been around for a while to a handful of carriers for apps and games. And it both convenient and curse at the same time. Sure, you can purchase and app and not worry about paying for it right away, but it can also inflate your phone bill pretty quick.

Now Google has brought the carrier billing feature to select carriers for books, movies and music in the Google Play Store, making it easier than ever to buy more stuff, no credit card required. The list, as seen in the chart above, isn’t all that big, but we’re expecting it to expand in the near future.

Notably missing from the list is Verizon in the US for reasons unknown. But we can suspect it might have something to do with Verizon’s own attempt at an Android app store.

[Google via Google+]

Do low-end entry-level handsets get you excited? Are you a non-smartphone owner looking to buy your first smartphone and only have an Andrew Jackson in your pocket? Well good, then T-Mobile has a smartphone for you!

Today they announced the T-Mobile Prism 3G, a Huawei-build handset stripped of the manufacturer’s name in favor of carrier branding. It features a 600Mhz processor, 3.5-inch HVGA display, 3.2MP camera, and 3G connectivity. For those keeping score, those specs are only *slightly* better than the T-Mobile MyTouch 3G, a three year old handset. To add to the fun, the Prism 3G is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread, you know, the version that’s a year and a half old.

While most likely no readers of this blog will be purchasing the phone, it will be available starting on May 6th in Best Buy and in Walmart stores on May 9th, then finally coming to T-Mobile on May 23rd. The price for a watered down version of the Android brand? A mere $20 after $50 mail in rebate when signing a new two year contract.

If you want our advice, go with the HTC Sensation 4G, which is currently available for free on T-Mobile.com when signing a contract. It might be an older phone, but you’re getting a much better phone and saving yourself 20 bucks.

T-Mobile Introduces Its Latest Budget-Friendly Smartphone: T-Mobile Prism

Built for first-time smartphone customers, the new Android device is expected to be available starting May 6.

BELLEVUE, Wash., — May 2, 2012 — T-Mobile USA, Inc., today announced the upcoming availability of the T-Mobile® Prism™, the latest budget-friendly option for cost-conscious consumers looking for their first smartphone. The T-Mobile Prism will be available to T-Mobile customers through flexible pricing options, including no annual contract paired with a T-Mobile Monthly4G™ plan or paired with a two-year T-Mobile Classic or Value plan.

Powered by Android™ 2.3 Gingerbread and featuring a 3.5-inch HVGA touch screen, the new 3G smartphone enables T-Mobile customers to easily surf the Web, access their favorite social networking sites and choose from thousands of applications to download from Google Play. The T-Mobile Prism also makes it simple to capture and share photos and videos via its 3.2-megapixel camera with digital zoom and video recorder. With the T-Mobile Prism, customers can sync multiple email accounts, including Microsoft Exchange, Google calendar and contacts, T-Mobile contacts, and more.

The T-Mobile Prism is expected to be available at Best Buy starting May 6, at Walmart starting May 9 and available nationwide at T-Mobile retail stores, online via www.T-Mobile.com and at select dealers beginning May 23. The T-Mobile Prism is expected to cost $19.99 after a $50 mail-in-rebate card with a two-year service agreement and qualifying Classic voice and data plan or $149.99 via no annual contract.

Anxious to know when your Verizon device is getting its next update? Well look no further, because the software update schedule has been leaked for many devices.

We start off with the HTC Rezound, Motorola RAZR/MAXX and Motorola XOOM, all poised to get Ice Cream Sandwich very soon. Assuming the testing phase goes well, the Rezound OTA should start on May 9th and the RAZR/MAXX on May 23rd. Meanwhile the XOOM 3G/4G update has finished testing and is ready to be pushed out straight from Google, date unknown at least to Verizon.

We’re not sure if Verizon has ICS updates for the other devices, since they’re listed in a separate section they’re most likely just maintenance updates. Also the size of the update files is a bit too small to be Android 4.0. Updates for the Commando, Droid 4, Rhyme and others are already on the way. And for the Bionic, Thunderbolt, Revolution, Galaxy Tab 10.1, and Xperia Play are still in testing.

[via Droid Life]

Another very cool feature just added is the ability to “print” to your Android device. Instead of printing out a physical copy or transfering a file to your device, you can send it through Google Cloud Print to any Android 4.0 device with Chrome Beta installed:

Once you install Chrome for Android Beta and sign in, your Android device will appear as a destination in the Cloud Print dialog. After choosing your Android device, a PDF copy of your document will open in Chrome for Android Beta.

Additionally Google also announced Canon is now supporting printers that are Google Cloud Print Ready, in addition to Epson, Kodak and HP that were already on the list.

[Google Chrome Blog]