AT&T announced the Galaxy S II Skyrocket HD a few months ago at CES 2012, and at the time, it would have been a top-tier device. The Galaxy S II variant not only had LTE connectivity like the original Skyrocket, but also added a 720p display. Now in light of the Galaxy S III announcement, launching the Skyrocket HD doesn’t make sense anymore. Samsung Mobile’s Director of Product Marketing, Ryan Bidan, confirmed with The Verge that the Skyrocket HD has been axed from AT&T’s line-up and won’t be launching.

Although it wasn’t specifically confirmed that AT&T would be carrying the Galaxy S III when it launches this summer, the cancellation of the Skyrocket HD almost certainly confirms it. Biden didn’t confirm any specific carriers, just saying the the Galaxy S III would be coming to “the fastest HSPA+ and LTE networks”, which seems to be T-Mobile, and AT&T or Verizon.

[The Verge]

Verizon was the first major carrier in the US to launch a 4G LTE network, and ever since then, they’ve been on a warpath to stay ahead of the rest of the pack. Their most recent LTE expansions include a bunch of new markets across New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. I’ll be honest, I haven’t heard of most of these places, but that just means Verizon is determined to bring LTE coverage to every nook and cranny across the US. Here’s the full list:

• Henniker, New Hampshire
• Canton, Ohio
• Youngstown And Warren, Ohio
• Northern Cambria County, Pennsylvania
• Erie, Pennsylvania
• Somerset, Pennsylvania
• New Castle; Pennsylvania
• Oil City, Pennsylvania
• Franklin, Pennsylvania
• Clarion, Pennsylvania
• Barnesboro, Pennsylvania
• Bucyrus, Ohio
• Lima, Ohio
• Defiance, Ohio
• Toledo, Ohio
• Ashtabula, Ohio
• Mansfield, Ohio
• Lunenburg, Massachusetts

Any of our readers in one of these markets and happy to now have LTE in your area?

Update: Looks like they’ve added a few towns in Virginia as well, including: Fredericksburg, Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Martinsville.

[via Droid Life]

On Monday, Verizon and HTC announced the Droid Incredible 4G LTE. With Verizon moving away from 3G smartphones, an LTE-enabled version of the Incredible line is only a natural progression. The Incredible 4G LTE is now what we would consider a baby phone with only a 4 inch screen, but that’s plenty for most people. Pretty much all the other specs are a slight bump from the Incredible 2:

• 4-inch super LCD qHD display
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0
• 8 megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus, LED flash, BSI, f/2.2 and 28 mm lens
• Front-facing camera
• 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor
• Support for up to 32 GB microSD memory card
• 1,700 mAh lithium ion removable battery
• Verizon 4G LTE connectivity
• NFC and Beats Audio

Of course, Verizon hasn’t been too specific with a release date, they did say the Incredible 4G LTE would be available in the coming weeks. They also didn’t indicate a price, but we would guess $199 with a two year contract.

[Press Release]

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]

Samsung’s US sign-up page for the Galaxy S III may have given us a hint as to which US carriers the phone will be hitting when it lands this summer. The page originally had a drop down box for carrier preference selection listing AT&T, C Spire Wireless, Metro PCS, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon. The big four carriers seem obvious, but almost no one has heard of C Spire. And Metro PCS seems like an odd choice since it’s a pre-paid carrier and the Galaxy S III is likely to be very expensive outside of carrier subsidized pricing.

While this may hint at which carriers will see the S III, Samsung has already changed the sign-up page, now only asking for name, email and zip code. If you would like the latest release info straight from Samsung, feel free to head over there and fill out the form.

[Samsung via PhoneArena]

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+]

While owners of the HTC Rezound are patiently waiting for Verizon to give the green light on the Ice Cream Sandwich update, there are some people that just can’t wait. For those impatient among us, there’s a new leaked ROM out, build number 3.13.605.7 with is Android 4.0.3 with Sense 3.6 and new radios.

This is most likely still a testing version, and not the final release, but it’s still the latest version available. Installing it will wipe your phone completely, so proceed with caution. Also, if your bootloader is unlocked via HTC Dev, this will not work, so you must be locked running the latest stock firmware.

[Download Link] [Mirror]

Install instructions:

• After downloading the file, rename it to “PH98IMG.zip” (no quotes)
• Place the renamed file onto the root of the SD Card
• Power down your device
• Reboot into the bootloader by holding VOL DOWN + Power
• The flashing process should begin automatically

[via Android Police]

The latest Ice Cream Sandwich builds for the Motorola Droid RAZR and RAZR MAXX have been leaked out. Build number 6.14.84 is the version number, and it’s most likely not a final release, just another incremental testing version. A few bugs still remain and we’re expecting more changes before Verizon approves a final build.

According to the leaked screenshots of Verizon’s software release schedule, the RAZR and MAXX are in firmware testing till May 17th, with the final upgrade due on May 21st. But if you don’t think you can wait that long, hit up the source link for downloads and instructions for updating the the latest available build.

UPDATE: The download links have been pulled since many users are reporting they are not able to flash back to the previous stable firmware.

Source: Droid RZR forums

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]

Verizon has recently posted a changelog for the latest update for the Casio G’zOne Commando. The new software version is C771M110 and brings a handful of bug fixes and feature updates including fixed to GPS, changes to email and messaging, mass storage improvements and more. Commando owners can expect to see the OTA update notification any day now.

[Verizon Support]