It’s been no secret that T-Mobile really wants the iPhone, and equally no secret that T-Mobile users want one too (with over a million iPhone’s already being used on T-Mobile’s 2G network today). Ever since the first iPhone launched in 2007 all iPhone’s could be used on T-Mobile’s network, but the problem was they only could use T-Mobile’s 2G network and not it’s fast 4G one. This had to do with fact that the iPhone didn’t have the right radio band inside needed to use T-Mobile’s faster networks (known as the 1700 MHz band)– but that will all change soon. If Apple won’t bring the iPhone to T-Mobile then T-Mobile will go to the iPhone.

Later this year, T-Mobile will begin to upgrade some it’s 2G network (on what’s known as the 1900 MHz band) into part of it’s 4G network. Unlike the 1700 MHz band, this 1900 MHz band is supported by the iPhone (since AT&T uses it for some of their own 4G HSPA+ network). Basically what this means is that any unlocked iPhone– from the iPhone 3G to the iPhone 4S (and presumably the new iPhone 5 or whatever it’s called later this year)– will now be able to finally get T-Mobile 4G!

There is still no word as to whether T-Mobile will finally get to officially sell the iPhone (and thereby have an iPhone that also works on their current 1700 MHz 4G network), but T-Mobile says that this upgrade should be finished by the end of the year (think somewhere between October-December). So T-Mobile iPhone users you can finally relax– one way or another you’ll finally be able to get a 4G iPhone.

More info: AllThingsD

Well that didn’t take long. Late last month Verizon announced that they will be launching family data plans this summer, and now AT&T has told CNET that they will also be launching their own family data plans later this year. Of course AT&T didn’t given any specifics– such as when exactly the plans will be available (they did say it would be “soon”) or what the pricing would look like– but hey, right now we’ll take what we can get.

So why should you care about this? Well, in addition to hopefully lowering your monthly bill, this should be great for anyone out there looking to upgrade to an iPhone or other smartphone but can’t convince their parents to allow them to get data. We’re not sure exactly how this will work but we imagine it going something like this: instead of paying $30 a month for 3 GB of data for each person’s phone (which is what you have to do today), your family pays $100 a month and gets 10 GB of data for all 5 lines of your family plan to share. If you have multiple members of your family with smartphones and data plans this could be a really great way to help lower your monthly phone bill (even if it’s only by a little, like not paying $20 a month for 200 MB of data when that person only uses 50 MB).

Like with Verizon we’ll of course keep you updated as we learn more. For now let’s just hope that Verizon and AT&T can get this out sooner rather than later.

More info: CNET

In a time where we see more and more phones launch with screens of 4.5 inches or more, it’s nice to see a phone that’s not as huge but still just as powerful. Verizon get this and today they announced the next generation of their Droid Incredible line, a phone we’re happy to say that it is exactly that.

Like the earlier Droid Incredibles– the original Droid Incredible and the Droid Incredible 2– the Droid Incredible 4G LTE is a powerful phone in a very nice, thin design. If you want a fast 4G LTE phone on Verizon that doesn’t need you to have huge hands or pockets we think this is the phone for you. Specs wise it’s just as impressive as those earlier Droid Incredibles and is exactly what you’d expect from a top of the line phone today. It’s got a 4 inch qHD screen (while not as clear as the as a lot of those 720p screens you see on big phones like the HTC One X, it still should make everything you view on it– from videos to pictures to apps– look pretty amazing), a 1.2 GHZ dual core processor with 1 GB of RAM (so everything runs smoothly), an 8 megapixel back camera with a front camera for video chat (with HTC’s Video Pic software so you can take pictures while you’re recording video), built-in Beats Audio support (so all your music and videos sound great), Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and of course, it runs on Verizon’s 4G LTE network. 

No word yet on when this bad boy will be available to order (or how much it will), but if it comes in below $100 with a 2 year contract it could be a great choice for anyone with an upgrade. Verizon said we should expect the Droid Incredible 4G LTE to arrive in the “coming weeks.”

Facebook Video Chat– coming soon to the iPhone? 

With Facebook Video Chat having been available for Windows and Mac for almost a year now, it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before they brought the feature over to their mobile apps. And according to the site 9to5Mac, that time is finally almost here.

The folks over at 9to5Mac have gotten a sneak peak at a beta for an upcoming update to Facebook’s Messenger app for iPhone. In addition to the usual bug-fixes and performance improvements expected in a normal update they found this: the ability to make Skype Video Chats right from your iPhone/iPod Touch just like you already can from your computer. Making a video call is pretty simple too– if the person who you’re talking to is at their computer or on iPhone/iTouch you’ll see a blue arrow next to their name. Tap that arrow and you’re calling them.

9to5Mac also says that Facebook has a similar update planned for the Android version of the Messenger app (as well as a version of the Messenger app for the iPad), but that will probably come after the iPhone gets its update this summer.

Later today Samsung plans to take the wraps off of the next generation in their hugely successful Galaxy line, the Galaxy S III. The Galaxy S II last year really raised the bar for Android phones with its amazingly thin design and awesome 4.3 inch screen (so much so that it’s still one of the top Android phones today on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint) so obviously it’s gonna be hard for Samsung to top that. But we think they can and well, according to the latest rumors it looks like today Samsung’s going to be raising the bar yet again.

The rumored Galaxy S III in a dummy case (via SamMobile.com)

The level of secrecy Samsung has taken with the Galaxy S III is Apple-like, which would be expected with such as hotly expected phone. Samsung even has the people testing the phones use “dummy cases” like the one you see above in order to keep the actual design a secret. As such the rumors on this device have been all over the map, but here are some of the ones we think are most likely to be true.

A rumored shot of the Galaxy S III without the dummy case (via BGR)

As we said above, this phone will be an absolute beast so let’s get to the specs. Screen wise the Galaxy S III is said to have a 4.7 or 4.8 inch 720p HD screen (in other words it’s gonna be pretty amazing). Throw in a top of the line 1.5 GHZ quad-core (or top of the line dual-core) processor with 1 GB of RAM (for unbelievable speed. Everything from Facebooking and Tweeting to gaming and video-chatting will be extremely fast and smooth with no freezes or lags), an 8 or 12 megapxiel back camera with a 2 megapixel front camera for HD video chat, the latest and greatest version of Android– version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, a super thin design, and of course, 4G LTE support. Yeah, this looks to give the HTC One X a real run for your money as top Android phone.

Like the Galaxy S II and original Galaxy S we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Galaxy S III on AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon (who technically skipped the Galaxy S II for the Galaxy Nexus), though like the Galaxy S II we wouldn’t be surprised to see minor changes between each carrier’s version. In terms of release date and price, we obviously don’t know those yet (latest rumors say this summer)– but with the event later today all should be revealed soon. Stay tuned!

With more and more people buying smartphones that require data plans, and more and more of us teens in particular upgrading to iPhones and Androids it seemed like this would be only a matter of time: family data plans. I mean, we have it for calling and texting so why not this too?

Well, Verizon understands this and they have announced that this summer they will finally launch family data plans. In addition to hopefully lowering your monthly bill, this should be great for anyone out there looking to upgrade to an iPhone but can’t convince their parents to allow them to get data. We’re not sure exactly how this will work but we imagine it going something like this: instead of paying $30 a month for 2 GB of data for each person’s phone (which is what you have to do today), your family pays $100 a month and gets 10 GB of data for all 5 lines of your family plan to share (with things like the leaked Verizon screenshot above to help you figure out how much data you’re family needs). If you have multiple members of your family with smartphones and data plans this could be a really great way to help lower your monthly phone bill (even if it’s only by a little).

Again, all Verizon has said at this point is that this will be coming sometime this summer– so we don’t yet know how much data you’ll be getting or how much it will cost, but we’ll of course keep you updated on that as we learn more. In the meantime, let’s hope AT&T and T-Mobile add this soon too.

UPDATE: As Unclesameisen pointed out in the comments, Sprint already offers family data as part of their Everything Data Family plan (see here for more info on that).

Pic from PhoneArena

So you’re on AT&T, you’ve got an upgrade coming up sometime over the next couple of months and while you like some of the phones already out there, you really wanna know what AT&T’s got coming out during the next few weeks or months so you don’t go out and buy something only to really regret it a week later. Well we wanna try to help you avoid that, so here are 5 phones out now or on their way to AT&T and that any AT&T user with an upgrade should be really excited for.

HTC One X

If you’re looking for a phone that takes amazing pictures, has an awesome HD screen, amazing Beats audio, a crazy thin design AND 4G LTE then we think you’re really gonna love this. The HTC One X is the latest and greatest phone from HTC and already is looking like one of the best phones of 2012. Put simply this is a pretty amazing phone. With specs like a massive 4.7 inch Super LCD HD screen (basically its awesome and right up there with the iPhone’s Retina Display and other top screens), 1.5 GHZ  dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM (for speed), the latest and greatest version of Android, version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, 8 megapixel back camera with HD video recording on the back and a second 1.3 megapixel one on the front for HD video chat, built-in Beats Audio (so everything from watching a YouTube video to listening to Pandora or Spotify sounds amazing), a ridiculously thin design (just look at the pic above!),  and of course support for AT&T’s extremely fast 4G LTE network.

But here’s the best part– unlike the Galaxy Note and other top Android phones the One X will cost $200 (as opposed to the now common Android superphone price of $300) with a new 2 year contract and data plan when it launches May 6th.

For more information on the HTC One X see AT&T’s site here.

Nokia Lumia 900

If you’re not into Android or the iPhone as your next phone we think you should definitely take a look at this beast from Nokia, the Lumia 900. Unlike those phones, the Lumia 900 runs Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS; and while Windows Phone isn’t anywhere near as popular yet as Android or the iPhone, we gotta say– every time we use we are more and more impressed. It’s fast, looks great and keeps you connected with what you want your phone to do (like easily stay connected with your Facebook and Twitter). It’s also got one of the best on-screen keyboards we’ve ever used (right up there with Swype and the iPhone’s) and of course support for Xbox Live games.

Now one of the reasons Windows Phone hasn’t been as popular as Android or the iPhone is that it’s lacked some really awesome phones. The first groups of Windows Phones were good, but they were nothing compared to the iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S II. Nokia plans to change all of that with their first AT&T Windows Phone, the Lumia 900. Specs wise its solid with a fast 1.4 GHZ processor, 4.3 inch Clear Black display (in other words, a very nice screen), 8 megapixel back camera with 1 megapixel front camera for HD video chat,  and a very thin design the should feel amazing in your hand. And like the other phones on this list the Lumia 900 of course has support for AT&T’s blazing 4G LTE network.

But here’s the best part– the Lumia 900– which is out now– is FREE (until April 21st, after that it’s a still solid $100 on contract) on a new 2 year contract with a data plan and $100 rebate. We actually had a chance to check out the Lumia 900 for a few minutes last week and wow were we impressed. The design felt great in our hands, apps opened pretty much instantly and that screen– while not as sharp as the iPhone’s or top Android phones– was nice and clear. Yeah, If you’re looking for an awesome phone that doesn’t cost almost as much as an iPad we think you’re gonna love this.

Samsung Galaxy Note

For those looking for a phone that’s a tablet or a small tablet that could also be a phone allow us to introduce you to the Samsung Galaxy Note. The Galaxy Note pushes the limits of both categories with its ginormous 5.3 inch HD screen (that’s almost two inches larger than the iPhone’s 3.5 inch screen!). Now if you have small hands this is definitely not the phone for you, but if you want all the power of an Android tablet and Android phone without having to buy both, you’ll love this.

Specs-wise the Galaxy Note is like any other top of the line Android phone or tablet today: 1.5 GHZ dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM (for speed), support for AT&T’s 4G LTE network, 8 megapixel back camera with 2 megapixel front camera for HD video chat, and Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread (with an upgrade to the latest and greatest version of Android, version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, expected over the next couple of months). The Galaxy Note also features a special S-Pen which allows you to take notes or draw right on the screen.

Again this is definitely not for everyone but seeing as this is $300 (with a new year contract and data plan), if you’re looking for a solid Android phone and tablet we really think you should check this out first and save some money from buying both (something that would cost you at least a couple hundred dollars more).

The Galaxy Note is available now for $300 with a new 2 year contract and data plan from AT&T. 

HTC Titan II

If you love taking pictures then this should definitely be on you’re list for possible new phones. Where the Galaxy Note has an insane screen the HTC Titan II has an insane camera. How insane? Try 16 megapixels! Now megapixels are only part of what makes a good camera (things like the sensor, the lens and software also play a big factor), but something tells us this will take some really great looking pictures.

Other specs on the Titan II include a 1.5 GHZ processor (for speed), a 4.7 inch screen (not as sharp as the HTC One X or Galaxy Note’s but still very good), a 1.3 megapixel front camera for HD video chat, Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS (like the Lumia 900 above), and like all the other phones on this list– support for AT&T’s 4G LTE network.

All in all, if you’re looking for a fast phone with a super powered camera we think you’ll love this.

The HTC Titan II is out now for $200 with a new 2 year contract and data plan. 

Sony Xperia Ion

If the One X and Galaxy Note are too large for you perhaps you’ll like this slightly smaller, yet still powerful Android phone– the Sony Xperia Ion. The Xperia Ion, like the Galaxy Note and One X is one very sleek, powerful Android phone with all those top of the line specs you’d expect: a 1.5 GHZ processor with 1 GB of RAM (for speed), a 4.6 inch 720p HD screen, a 12 megapixel back camera with 1.3 megapixel front camera for HD video chat (not as powerful as the Titan II but still very impressive), Android 2.3.6 Gingerbread (with an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich promised for a later date) and support for AT&T’s 4G LTE network.

And like all other Sony phones the Xperia Ion is PlayStation certified so you’ll be able to play all those PlayStation games on that awesome screen.

No word on a price or release date for the Xperia Ion, but according to the latest rumors it should be out over the next couple of weeks.

Wrap Up

So, there you go, some of the hottest phones out now or coming soon to AT&T.  As  you can probably see, now’s a pretty great time to have an upgrade on AT&T with a very impressive lineup of new phones either out now or expected to be on the way over the next couple of weeks and months. Personally, I’m right now torn between the Lumia 900 and One X as my next phone, but all of these look pretty amazing.

Now fellow AT&T users we have to ask:  if you’re up for an upgrade now, do any of these new phones do it for you or do you just plan to try to wait it out until the next iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S III are announced (whenever that is– the latest rumors on both say they’ll be out sometime this summer? Let us know in the comments.

If you’re like me you’re gonna want to try to make the most of your Android phone’s battery life, so here are four tricks that I use to get the most out of my smartphone.

1. Airplane mode– Even when the screen isn’t on, your phone is using lots of battery because the wireless radios (3G, 4G, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS etc.) in your smartphone are still working to connect with the cell networks. This means you’ll still get all your new texts, emails, Facebook messages, etc. but you’ll also still be draining your battery. So how do you solve this problem? Simple: Airplane mode. Airplane mode, which can be found in Settings –> Wireless and Networks, is a feature on your phone that turns off all those radios (which the airlines want you to do every time you go on a plane, hence the name Airplane mode). This way, there will be almost no battery use when the display is off. Since I usually don’t use my phone during class, I keep it in Airplane mode.

Now this doesn’t mean that I can’t play games, read Word documents, or watch videos (though you probably shouldn’t be doing any of those in class), it just means that your device has no access to the internet, texting or calling. So consider keeping your smartphone in Airplane mode during school or at times where you know you won’t be answering your phone or using the internet (when your phone is in Airplane mode you will be able to still use WiFi if you want to be online but in more power efficient way– WiFi doesn’t use as much power as 3G/4G).

You can save around 30-40% of the battery and still use it for non-internet activities. And don’t worry, you will still get all your missed calls, texts, and Facebook updates once you disable airplane mode and reconnect to the network.

2. JuiceDefender– Juice Defender is an app (found in the Android Market here) that “automatically manages the battery draining components of your phone.” So basically what it does is it turns off data connections when you are not using them. For example, when your phone is in your pocket and in sleep mode, it will turn off the 3G and WiFi radios, saving lots of battery. Similar to Airplane mode, it turns off your internet and data connections though it does so “smartly,” meaning that it detects when the screen isn’t on and when you aren’t using the phone. You will still receive texts and calls though, so allow the app to run 24/7 and it will save an hour or so of precious battery life. Since the app is free and automatically set up, just download and install the app to start saving battery!

Quick Tip: How do you use both JuiceDefender and Airplane mode together? So what I do is I keep JuiceDefender running 24/7 so that I am constantly saving some battery, and then when I am in class I turn on Airplane mode so there is almost no battery usage whatsoever during school. Feel free to change how you use these features based on your own needs.

3. Monitor your battery!– In some cases, you might not have much battery left but you need to make sure that it lasts for a certain time. Knowing how much battery you have is an important part to making your battery last longer.  In all Android devices there is a battery symbol in the upper right hand corner of the screen. However, this symbol overestimates how much battery you actually have left. So how do you know how much really have left? Well, a battery widget is a simple way to see how much battery you have (I would recommend this one). You can simply place it on your home screen, and each time you use your phone, you can what percent of your battery is left.

Another way to check battery use is through Settings –> About phone –> Battery usage. There, you’ll see a graph similar to the one above which shows your battery level over time and which activities have been using most of your battery. Use these tools to make sure you have enough juice for that important call.

4. Brightness– We understand that you want your screen to be bright, and that when the screen is brighter it looks better. However, setting the brightness at high levels will drain your battery very quickly. I would recommend keeping your brightness at around 50% (or even less) and using the Power Saving Mode of your device. Through Settings, you can set up this feature (just go to Settings –> Power) which can turn off WiFi and decrease the brightness when the battery reaches a certain level (I have mine set to do this when my battery hits 20%).

We hope that these tips help you to save battery on your Android device. After all, what use is a nice phone if it has no battery left? Have any battery saving tips of your own to share with other teens? We would love to hear about them. Leave a comment below!

We know a lot of you have been waiting for Verizon to finally release their latest Android superphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and today we finally have the good news you’ve been waiting for: the Galaxy Nexus is available now for Verizon’s usual 4G LTE phone price of $300 with a new 2 year contract and data plan. Yes, you can finally pick up the latest and greatest Google phone and the first phone to run the latest and greatest version of Android, version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

But wait– things get better. If you look online you’ll see sites like Amazon and LetsTalk.com offering the Galaxy Nexus for a much better price of $250 when you upgrade your phone (Amazon is also offering the HTC Rezound and Motorola Droid RAZR for an even cheaper $230 on upgrade– $70 less than what Verizon charges). And did we mention that Verizon will also give you double the data for your data plan when you buy a new 4G LTE phone? Yeah, for any upgrade to a 4G LTE phone Verizon will give you double the amount of data (so for example, instead of paying $30 a month for 2 GB you now are paying $30 for 4 GB. This means you can actually do things like video chat and watch YouTube from your phone without constantly worrying about running over your limit and paying Verizon even more money). For more on this see Verizon’s site here.

So Verizon users, which phone do you want for the holidays: Droid RAZR, HTC Rezound, Galaxy Nexus or iPhone 4S?

More info: Verizon

Looking for a new AT&T 4G LTE phone this holiday season but want something with a more powerful screen than the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket or HTC Vivid? Well, then you should check out AT&T’s latest 4G LTE beast, the LG Nitro HD. Like the Vivid and Galaxy S II Skyrocket, the Nitro HD is an absolute beast of a phone with all the latest and greatest specs you’d expect on a top-of-the-line Android phone today: 1.5 GHZ dual-core processor, 8 megapixel back camera with 1.3 megapixel front camera for video chat, Android 2.3 Gingerbread (with an upgrade to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich likely coming next year), and of course, support for AT&T’s growing 4G LTE network (and 4G HSPA+ network for the places that don’t have LTE yet. See our post here on what the differences are between AT&T’s 4G networks).

But the biggest news here is the screen. Like Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus and HTC Rezound, the Nitro HD packs a 4.5 inch 720p HD screen (the first phone on AT&T to do so). This means that everything from pictures to videos to games to websites will look beyond amazing on here (think of this as the awesomeness of the iPhone’s Retina Display, but on a screen one inch larger). If you plan on using your phone for a lot of video watching (it comes with 20 GB of storage) or gaming we definitely recommend checking this guy out.

The Nitro HD will be available this Sunday, December 4th, for a pretty expensive price of $250 with a new 2 year contract and data plan (and who knows, hopefully it’ll get some holiday discounts as we get closer to the end of the month).