As you’ve heard by now, AT&T has this month released their first two phones capable of using their brand new, much faster 4G LTE network. 4G LTE is AT&T’s true 4G network, and looks to really give you all the speed of your home internet wherever you go.

Now we know a lot of you are really confused right now– “didn’t AT&T already have 4G? What about phones like the Atrix 4G, Thrill 4G, and Infuse 4G? Aren’t they 4G?” Well, the answer to that is yes and no– we’ll explain.

What is 4G HSPA+?

Earlier this year, AT&T announced that this year they will launch two 4G networks, one based on a tech called HSPA+ (the 4G T-Mobile uses, pretty much a faster, upgraded version of their current 3G networks) and one based on LTE (the same tech as Verizon’s blazing fast 4G network). Back in January when AT&T made this announcement they had to call their HSPA+ network 4G because at that same time Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon were already in the process of expanding their 4G networks and releasing 4G phones. AT&T needed some sort of 4G of their own to keep up in the marketing game while they began setting up their LTE network, so like T-Mobile they called their HSPA+ network 4G even though it is only slightly faster than their 3G (which is unlike T-Mobile’s HSPA+ 4G network which, even though it’s not LTE, provides some pretty fast speeds right up there with Verizon’s 4G LTE network).

All the 4G phones AT&T has so far been releasing this year that they say are 4G (i.e. the above phones, Galaxy S II, Torch 4G 9810, Atrix 2 etc.), are just phones that could connect to the faster, HSPA+, upgraded 3G network and cannot connect to the new LTE one.

And while HSPA+ is capable of 4G-like speeds (again, just look at T-Mobile’s network), at least in our tests all along the East Coast they were pretty much the same on those “4G” phones as they were on some of AT&T’s top 3G phones (like the 3G-only iPhone 4). Now don’t get us wrong, AT&T’s HSPA+ network isn’t bad and the speeds we got were solid and at times even really fast, it just wasn’t true 4G like this new LTE network will be.

What Is 4G LTE– And Why It’s The Real AT&T 4G

4G LTE is AT&T’s true 4G network that should give you much faster speeds– we’re talking download speeds from 5 Mbps to 20 Mbps, or up to 10x faster than 3G and just like your home internet (and Verizon’s 4G network). This means even less time waiting for things to download (full albums of music can be downloaded in seconds), even faster web browsing, and even HD video chatting and intense online gaming without needing to be on WiFi (though we wouldn’t really recommend much of that last one because of those 2 GB monthly data limits). In short, this is the 4G network we’ve been waiting for.

Now there are a few things to note here. The first and most important is that come this Sunday, AT&T will have only launched this faster LTE network in 15 cities:  Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Houston, Atlanta, Athens (Georgia), Baltimore, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Juan, Puerto Rico, Oklahoma City, Las Vegas, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Kansas City and Chicago. This means that if you’re not in one of those cities (or really close to it) you won’t yet be able to take advantage of this new network (AT&T plans to cover most of the US by 2013 and plans to add a lot more cities next year– but we don’t yet know which ones).

Yes, 4G LTE is that fast

The bright side of all of this is that even if you don’t live in one of those cities you can still take advantage of AT&T’s HSPA+ network which, while not LTE fast, is still very solid and much faster than Verizon’s and Sprint’s 3G networks (which you drop to when you don’t have 4G coverage on their networks). As confusing as this all is, we gotta say it’s nice to know that AT&T has a solid backup network behind LTE.

The second big thing here is what we mentioned above: all those older “4G” phones won’t be able to work with AT&T’s LTE network as they don’t have the right chips in them. Again, they can still use AT&T’s HSPA+ network, but you’ll need one of those new 4G LTE phones to use the LTE network.

Why You Should Get An LTE Phone Now

If you’re looking for a powerful smartphone on AT&T today, and don’t want the iPhone, we really recommend looking at AT&T’s new LTE phones. While specs wise they may seem just as powerful as other AT&T phones (similar screens, processors, cameras, prices), the LTE phones not only will be able to use this much faster network once AT&T launches it in your area, but they all can also use AT&T’s 4G HSPA+ network so you’ll still be getting solid speeds right now while you wait.

Remember, you’re buying this phone for 2 years and trust us– come next year you’re really gonna wish you had an LTE phone.

For more info on AT&T’s 4G networks, see AT&T’s site here.

Thought the Droid RAZR raised the bar for Android phones? Think again. Google and Samsung have finally taken the wraps off of the future of Android and Android phones with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus– and put simply both look absolutely incredible.

As always we’ve got all the info you’re gonna want and need to know after the break, so read on.

Let’s start with the future of the Android phone, the Galaxy Nexus.

Galaxy Nexus

Just like last year with the Nexus S, Samsung and Google have teamed up to show off their vision for what future Android phones should be. And just like the Nexus S last year,the Galaxy Nexus really changes everything for Android phones.

Design wise the Galaxy Nexus is one of the nicest phones we’ve seen. It’s not as thin or as strong as the Droid RAZR (it’s about 2mm thicker– or in other words it’s still crazy thin– and it isn’t waterproof), but with its large 4.65 inch curved screen and no button design it’s just impressive. And speaking of that screen, all we can say is wow. Samsung and Google have given the Galaxy Nexus not only one of the largest screens we’ve ever seen on a phone, but what promises to be one of the best looking too. The Galaxy Nexus packs Samsung’s latest and greatest Super AMOLED HD screen that is right up there with the iPhone’s amazing Retina Display and is pretty much like a HDTV in your pocket (seriously, this screen is insane).

Speed wise the Galaxy Nexus is no slouch either, with its 1.2 GHZ dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM (same as most of today’s top Android phones and means that everything you do should run fast and without any freezes or lags). The Galaxy Nexus also packs a pretty impressive camera and while it’s just 5 megapixels, there’s literally zero lag which means that the second you press the capture button the picture is taken (in other words, you’re actually getting the moment you want when it happens instead of a few seconds after it’s over). There is also a 1.3 megapixel front camera for higher quality video chat (and for unlocking the phone with your face… but more on this in a minute).

The Galaxy Nexus also has support for NFC (or near-field communication, a new tech that allows for you to do things like use your phone as a credit card or Android Beam– again, more on this soon) and even a barometer (which Wikipedia says is used for measuring “atmospheric pressure”– in other words, the temperature. This may also make the GPS work even faster in finding your location which is a more practical reason for why this is in here).

In terms of what network it will run on, as rumored the Galaxy Nexus is coming to Verizon and it will have support for Verizon’s blazing fast 4G LTE network. Unfortunately though that’s all we know as Verizon, Samsung and Google haven’t said anything yet about an exact launch date or price (rumors are that it’ll be out in November for Verizon’s usual 4G phone price of $300 with a new 2 year contract and data plan).

So with the impressive hardware now covered let’s move to the next big part of the phone: the all new software, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is the next major version of Android for both phones and tablets and from what we’ve seen, it looks to be pretty amazing.

As you’d expect, Google made a bunch of improvements to Android here, but we’re only gonna focus on ones you’re really gonna want to know about.

• No more buttons below the screen– You know those buttons below each Android phone’s screen for home, search, menu and back? Well as you can see from the pictures of the Galaxy Nexus above they’re now gone, instead replaced with onscreen, virtual Back, Home and Multitasking buttons at the bottom of each app. This should mean we’ll see some nicer looking Android phones in the future with just a camera, speaker and screen on the front of the phone.

• Face Unlock– Probably Ice Cream Sandwich’s coolest feature: the ability to unlock your phone with your face. Yeah, this is insanely cool and will definitely impress all your friends.

• Better multitasking– One of the biggest problems with all the older versions of Android was how hard it was to actually close apps. You’d leave them thinking they were closed but then later find out that they were still be running in the background, slowing down your phone and draining your battery. In Ice Cream Sandwich Google looks to fix this problem, and now once you press that multitasking button you’ll see a pop-up of all you recent apps, allowing you to either tap on them to reopen them or swipe them to the left or right to actually close them. We’re really glad Google finally added this.

• Android Beam– Like Face Unlock this is also something that will really impress your friends. Using the built-in NFC chip (also found in phones like the Nexus S), you can just tap your Android phone with your friends Android phone to instantly share things like contact info, directions or even things like links to the game you’re playing, app you’re using or YouTube video your watching (you can’t transfer the actual app but this will instead open up the Android Market on your friend’s phone so they can download it for their phone).

Also new in Ice Cream Sandwich are folders (for grouping apps and even favorite people and keeping your phone better organized), a data usage limit (so you can tell your phone to warn you or turn off your 3G/4G when you’re near your monthly data limit– great for making sure you don’t run over and have to pay your carrier even more money), an updated notifications bar (where you can now swipe away alerts), better photo editor and video effects, and better voice control (seen above. It’s not Siri, but it should now be better for sending texts or searching the web with just your voice).

There’s a lot more in Ice Cream Sandwich, and for all the info on everything else that’s new see Google’s Android site here.

Wrap Up

There you have it, everything you need to know about the all new Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

So, what do you think: you like everything that’s new in Ice Cream Sandwich? And if you’re on Verizon and have an upgrade coming up– which phone do you want as your next phone: iPhone 4S, Droid RAZR or Galaxy Nexus? Share your thoughts in the comments.

More info: Google

It’s no Droid Bionic, iPhone 4S or Bold 9930, but if you’re on Verizon and want a smartphone mainly for things like Facebook and BBM this is the perfect phone and deal for you. Verizon is now offering an online only deal for the BlackBerry Curve 9330 where you can get the Curve 9330 for just $50 with new 2 year contract and data plan– but the data plan is only $10 a month.

Now this $10 a month only gets you 75 MB of data a month so you pretty much shouldn’t watch any YouTube over 3G (though you can watch over WiFi), but it is more than enough for things like BBM (even if you send several thousand a month), checking Facebook and email(but not download a ton of pictures), and browsing the web for scores. If you want to watch YouTube or do a lot of Facebook from your phone then you could always get Verizon’s larger 2 GB data plan, though that will cost you $30 a month (and if you’re already paying for that we’d recommend getting one of those above phones instead of this).

This deal looks to only be available for the Curve 9330, but if you’re looking for a new Verizon BlackBerry and really only need Facebook and BBM you should definitely check this out.

More info: Verizon

Sprint users, you’re wait for the iPhone finally begins its end. Sprint today has finally added both the new iPhone 4S and the 8 GB iPhone 4 to its website, with both being available for pre-order right now and available next Friday, October 14th. Like AT&T and Verizon, Sprint’s iPhones will cost $99 for the 8 GB iPhone 4 and either $199, $299 or $399 for the iPhone 4S (depending on if you get the 16, 32 or 64 GB version). Unlike the AT&T and Verizon iPhones though, Sprint will still be offering unlimited data for $40 a month (once you include their $10 “premium data fee,” though if you have a family unlimited plan you may be able to add unlimited data for just $20 a month.  AT&T’s data plans on the other hand are either $15 a month for 200 MB, $25 a month for 2 GB, or $45 a month for 4 GB. Verizon’s data plans start at $30 a month for 2 GB and go up to $100 a month for 12 GB).

For those who don’t know, the iPhone 4S is Apple’s latest and greatest iPhone. While it looks exactly like the iPhone 4 and has many of the same features (including the same 3.5 inch Retina Display, Facetime camera and being 3G only), under the hood it’s a whole new animal with a much faster dual-core processor (which means faster app openings and even better gaming), 8 megapixel back camera and support for Siri, Apple’s incredible new virtual assistant. For everything new in the iPhone 4S, see our full breakdown here.

So, Sprint users– you ready to finally get the iPhone?

More info: Sprint

Here it is, the news everyone’s been waiting for. Apple’s has just announced the next generation of the iPhone, the iPhone 4S. On the surface the iPhone 4S looks just like any iPhone 4, but like with the iPhone 3GS, Apple has made some major changes under the hood here, changes that will change the way we use technology forever.

So what are you waiting for? Read on for everything you need to know about the all new iPhone 4S!

What’s New– Hardware

As we said above, design wise this is pretty much the iPhone 4. Same all glass design, same 3.5 inch Retina Display, same Facetime front camera. And while like everyone else we were hoping for a completely redesigned iPhone 5, the iPhone 4S is still pretty amazing.

As with the iPhone 3GS the iPhone 4S has a ton of changes under the hood that will easily make this the best iPhone out there today. It’s now twice as fast as the already pretty quick iPhone 4 and has even more incredible graphics thanks to it’s all new A5 dual-core processor (the same processor that’s in the iPad 2). What this means is that everything from multitasking to opening apps to gaming (particularly gaming, which Apple says is a crazy 7x better than on the iPhone 4) will look and run much better and a lot faster.

Speaking of speed, Apple also added another new antenna system here (hopefully one that will have no death grip) and the iPhone 4S, while still 3G-only, will be able to use AT&T’s faster 14.4 Mbps HSPA+ network– the same network that’s considered “4G” on other AT&T phones like the HTC Inspire 4G, Samsung Infuse 4G and Galaxy S II, and BlackBerry Torch 4G (for Verizon and Sprint– yes, Sprint now has the iPhone!– the 3G will be the same as it is on any other 3G Verizon/Sprint phone).

Another area the iPhone 4S has gotten a major update in is the camera. Now we found the iPhone 4′s 5 megapixel camera to be very impressive and one of the best we’ve ever used. The iPhone 4S looks to put it to shame.

The back camera on the iPhone 4S is now 8 megapixel (like the Galaxy S II, Droid Bionic and other top phones) and can take full HD 1080p videos. More importantly however is that it now has features like a f/2.4 aperture, an improved backside illumination sensor, excellent auto white balance, advanced color accuracy, face detection, and reduced motion blur. In simple terms, this all means that all your pictures– no matter how light or dark it is where you take it or how many things are in the shot– will look amazing. The video camera also now has stabilization which means that it will automatically clean up those shaky videos to look like they were taken by a professional. Throw in the new editing features of iOS 5 and this is the perfect iPhone for photo lovers.

Now while all of these are nice little updates, let’s get to the feature that we think will change how we use our phones forever– Siri.

Siri– The Future Of Technology

Put simply, Siri is one the most incredible things we’ve ever seen in technology, and just as Apple changed the way we use our phones with multitouch in the first iPhone, this will change everything all over again.

Ever been so lazy that you wished you could just tell your phone what to do like you see in all those futuristic movies? With Siri on the iPhone 4S this is now reality. Tell your phone what to do and it will do it.  ”Text Joe the game has been moved to 1,” “remind me to work on that paper for US history when I get home,” “Wake me up in one hour,” “What is biology?” “Update Facebook status that I’m going to the zoo” “Where is a good pizza place to go for lunch?” “Should I take a coat today?” These are all examples of what you can ask/tell Siri and yes, it will answer you and do what you asked. Heck, you can even go into the Notes app and tell it to take notes for you!

As we said, this is the future of technology and the fact that it actually works is beyond insane.

For more info on Siri– including a video showing off what it really can do– see Apple’s site here.

Availability

The iPhone 4S will be available next Friday, October 14th– in black or white– starting from $199 for 16 GB (with 32 GB being $299 and 64 GB being $399) for AT&T, Verizon and Sprint (sorry T-Mobile users). Pre-orders for the iPhone 4S begin this Friday, October 7th.

Wrap Up

So there you have it, everything you need to know about the iPhone 4S. Sure it’s not as major an update as we all anticipated– and the iPhone still has a pretty small screen (compared to all the new Androids and Windows Phones which are at least 4 inches) and no real 4G support (for all this I guess we’ll have to wait for next year)– but it still is a pretty impressive update that should continue to make the iPhone one of the top phones around, and a great choice for any one looking for an awesome new phone. I mean, for me at least the potential awesomeness of Siri is so strong that it’s really making me think about upgrading from my iPhone 4 (if it was just speed and a better camera I probably would’ve just stayed with my iPhone 4).

What about you, what do you think of this new iPhone– you like what Apple announced today? Wanted a completely new iPhone 5? And more importantly, will you buy an iPhone 4S or will you wait for next week to see the future of Android from Google and Samsung first? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments.

Info from Apple

While we haven’t yet gotten to the new iPhone announcement, Apple has just announced something that will surely be great news to anyone with an iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad (original and iPad 2), or iPod Touch (3rd and 4th gen)– the long awaited, latest and greatest version of iOS will finally be coming to your iDevice exactly one week from tomorrow, October 12th.

As with all recent iOS updates the download will be free, but for all those waiting to use iMessage (Apple’s new version of BBM for iDevices) your wait is almost over. For the full recap of what’s new in iOS 5 see our previous post here.

On AT&T and waiting anxiously to make the Samsung Galaxy S II you’re next phone? Well, your wait is almost over. AT&T has announced that beginning October 2nd (or about 10 days from now), the Galaxy S II will finally be available for the standard smartphone price of $199.99 with new 2 year contract and data plan.

For those who don’t know, the Galaxy S II is by far the most powerful Android phone ever released on AT&T and is right up there with the iPhone 4 as one of AT&T’s best cell phones. Like Sprint’s Epic 4G Touch, the AT&T Galaxy S II comes loaded with impressive specs like a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus screens (pretty much a slightly smaller version of the Infuse 4G’s 4.5 inch screen. Basically, everything and anything you view on here will look incredible), 8 megapixel back camera with 2 megapixel front camera (for higher quality video chatting), ridiculously thin design (it’s literally pencil thin!), the latest and greatest Android 2.3 Gingerbread (with Samsung’s latest TouchWiz 4.0), support for AT&T’s HSPA+ 4G network (this is the faster, upgraded version of AT&T’s 3G network and is available in most areas you normally would get 3G), 16 GB of built-in storage, and a super fast dual-core 1.2 GHZ processor (so you should never see any freezing or lag even when doing intense things like multitasking or gaming).

All in all, if you’re looking for an awesome new phone on AT&T– and don’t want to wait for whenever the new iPhone comes out– this looks to be the phone for you. So, anyone looking to get this right away or are you gonna instead wait to see what’s new in the next iPhone before deciding which is your next phone?

Info from AT&T

Well, it looks like the long wait for the iPhone 5 is finally coming to an end. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal’s All Things D blog (a site that knows what it’s talking about when it comes to Apple rumors), in just under two weeks Apple will finally reveal the next iPhone to the world. Yes, October 4th looks to be new iPhone day.

So, beyond the iPhone 5 (which according to the latest rumors is said to have that incredibly thin new design, larger screen and 8 megapixel camera) what else can we expect Apple to show off in two weeks? According to the latest rumors, Apple will also use this big event to release its new iCloud service (which allows you to store all your music, videos, pictures, apps, documents etc. online and access it  from any internet-connected device like an iPhone, iPod, iPad or computer), iOS 5 (including iMessage, Apple’s version of BBM), and possibly even a new/upgraded iPod Touch and an upgraded iPhone 4 (rumored to be called the iPhone 4S. This iPhone will look pretty much the same as today’s iPhone 4 but will also be faster, have a plastic design– the current iPhone 4 is made of glass– and be priced much lower than the iPhone 5. Think of this as the new iPhone 3GS which AT&T sells today for just $50 with new 2 year contract and data plan).

As for when the new iPhone 5 will be out, All Things D says we can expect it ”within a few weeks” of the announcement, though when exactly is still unknown (maybe October 15th?).

Now remember– Apple still hasn’t confirmed anything and All Things D also mentions that while October 4th is right now the plan, Apple still may change the date. We’ll of course keep you updated as more info comes out, so stay tuned!

More info: All Things D, iPhone 5 mockup pic from This Is My Next

We recently got a chance to spend a few minutes with the latest BlackBerry Torch 4G, and to say we were impressed would be a major understatement. We’re gonna get right to it– this is everything the first Torch should’ve been (yeah, it’s that good).

On the first Torch things were slow, it froze a ton, and the screen just looked downright pathetic next to top phones like the EVO 4G and iPhone 4. And while this new Torch isn’t necessarily better than the iPhone 4 or Infuse 4G, it’s now much closer and without a doubt in our minds the best BlackBerry available today on AT&T (well, at least until the Bold 9900 finally comes out).

Put simply, this BlackBerry just works. Design wise the Torch 4G looks nearly identical to the first Torch (their both the exact same size and both feel solid in your hands and have that awesome slide out BlackBerry keyboard), but don’t be fooled– this is the Torch you’re gonna want. Many of Torch 4G’s upgrades took place and under the hood and wow are they some nice upgrades.

The screen, while the same 3.2 inches as the original Torch, is a huge upgrade over last year’s Torch with videos, pictures and text all now looking extremely sharp and crystal clear. Think of this like the iPhone 4′s Retina Display next to an iPhone 3GS– the upgrade here is that big.

The Torch 4G is a lot faster under the hood too thanks to it’s much faster 1.2 GHZ processor with 768 MB of RAM. Like the screen, the difference here is huge.  On the first Torch we constantly were seeing it freeze up and become unusable for minutes at a time even when doing basic things like switching from BBM to the web. That’s not at all true here. Everything opened up quick and we hardly ever saw the phone freeze up.

We also were impressed with BlackBerry 7, and while it’s not a major upgrade from BlackBerry 6, it’s still a lot nicer to look at and apps like BBM all run as they should– fast and well. One thing that we wish got a bigger improvement though is the browser, which is better but still is pathetic when compared to Android, iPhone and Windows Phone 7. But hey, it’ll get the job done if you’re looking for some quick scores or want to Google something.

And for those wondering about the 4G part of the phone, we found it be a little faster than the 3G-only first Torch but not by much. Like the browser it gets the job done, but if you’re looking for a real 4G AT&T BlackBerry you’re gonna need to wait until AT&T rolls out their true 4G LTE network which will bring some really fast 4G speeds (the problem with this though is that you’ll probably need to wait until next year for any 4G LTE BlackBerrys and the Torch 4G– like all of AT&T’s other 4G phones today– won’t work on the new 4G LTE network and will be stuck on the slower HSPA+ network).

All in all, if you’re on AT&T and looking for a new BlackBerry right now you’re not gonna find one better than the Torch 4G. It’s fast, looks great and at only $50 on contract is practically a steal. If the Torch’s sliding style isn’t for you then we recommend waiting for the Bold 4G 9900 (aka the Bold Touch) which is very similar to the Torch 4G but in that more traditional BlackBerry design (we saw the Verizon Bold 9930 and T-Mobile 9900 very briefly recently as well– not long enough for a first look– but it basically lives up to the hype in our opinion as the best BlackBerry yet).

Hopefully AT&T will release that soon (we asked but couldn’t get a date out of AT&T though hopefully since T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon all released their versions a few weeks ago it’ll be here soon), but again, if you’re looking for a new AT&T BlackBerry today we really think you’ll love the Torch 4G.

The Torch 4G is available now for $50 with new 2 year contract and data plan from AT&T

Things just keep getting better for Sprint users. If you’re on Sprint and waiting for the iPhone, your wait looks to finally be almost over. According to the Wall Street Journal (one of the most respected news outlets in the country and a place with a pretty good track record when it comes to Apple rumors), Apple will finally bring the iPhone to the Sprint network in the middle of October of this year. Yes, the iPhone looks to be finally coming to Sprint and it looks to be here soon.

Now if you ask us, we do believe this Wall Street Journal article and we do think the iPhone will finally be coming to Sprint this year. We thought this a few months ago and it just all makes sense. Think about it: Sprint runs the same 3G network as Verizon (both use a technology called CDMA which is used in the Verizon iPhone 4), Apple needs to keep up with Android and Windows Phone (and there will be some awesome new Android and Windows Phone 7 phones coming out over the next couple of months to give the next iPhone a real run for your money), and we know Sprint and Apple have been testing an iPhone on Sprint’s network since at least this past June (and they probaly were testing even earlier than that). Putting the iPhone on Sprint now gives Apple the ability to stay ahead and kill a lot of Android and Windows Phone’s momentum while opening up the iPhone to Sprint’s 52 million users. I mean how many of you Sprint users will jump to the iPhone when its time for your next upgrade?

And according to the latest rumors Sprint will not just be getting the iPhone 5 (or whatever the next iPhone is called) but also their version of the iPhone 4 too (this iPhone 4 will be cheaper than the iPhone 5 and may have some updates like a better antenna. This also makes a lot of sense and is like an updated version of what AT&T does right now with the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4).

We’ll of course keep you updated as we learn more, but Sprint users– you excited?