According to the folks over at Droid-Life, Verizon Wireless will soon be launching the Galaxy Nexus in another color — white. The handset has not been given a release date just yet and so far the price is expected to come in at $199. And for those familiar with the pricing of the currently available Galaxy Nexus and wondering why the $100 drop. Well, simply put the White Galaxy Nexus will come with half the amount of internal storage — 16GB as opposed to 32GB. Sort of like the Droid RAZR and the Droid RAZR MAXX.

Via [Droid-Life]

Verizon Wireless has just launched its latest In Store Trade-In program. Like most of the similar programs which Verizon launched before, this one lets you trade in your no-longer-used wireless devices at any Verizon stores. You’ll get Verizon Wireless gift card depending on the appraised value of your device. You can then use this gift card to purchase a new device or pay off your bills from Verizon Wireless. You can get as much as $300 as exchange value for your devices. The said Trade-In Program is being launched as part of Verizon’s way of helping the Environmental Protection Agency in its drive to recycle old phones in a more environment-friendly way. The Trade-In Program awards gift cards depending on the make, model and condition of devices. Additionally, if you’re feeling more generous, you might consider donating your old phones instead to HopeLine from Verizon program.

Via [Verizon]

The Samsung Galaxy Note is finally available for purchase in Canada across three different carriers: Bell, Telus, and Rogers.  The Galaxy Note is a particularly attractive smartphone for individuals seeking one device that can perform the functions of a smartphone and a tablet.  Instead of buying a standalone smartphone and tablet, the Galaxy Note provides a nice mix of the two given its 5.3 inch touch screen display.

Other specs of the Galaxy Note include Android 2.3.6, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor, LTE connectivity, 8MP rear facing camera, 2MP front facing camera, and an upgrade to Android 4.0 in the near future.

In terms of pricing, the three carriers are offering the Samsung smartphone between $699-779 off contract and at $199 on a three year term.

Via [MobileSyrup]

Despite nothing coming from Sprint just yet, Samsung had previously confirmed that the Galaxy S II lineup would be getting and update to Ice Cream Sandwich this year. And well, it looks like some evidence of an Android 4.0.3 update for the Epic 4G Touch has been spotted on the Sprint website. The details are coming by way of an RDF page that was discovered by the folks over at xda-developers. Anyway, said page was last dated on February 10th and is showing details on an Android 4.0.3 update for the Samsung SPH-D710 smartphone. Needless to say, while things look good in terms of an upcoming update, we still need the official word from Sprint before we begin to get super excited.

Via [SprintFeed] and [xda-developers]

Judging from an event invitation that was recently posted by the folks over at TmoNews, it looks like BlackBerry and T-Mobile will be having an event on March 15th. The event is titled as “What’s Next” and is being billed as an “exclusive event” that will give a “sneak peak preview of BlackBerry’s latest and upcoming technology at T-Mobile.” In short, there still seem to be plenty of details that are missing however speculation (and probably some hope) is pointing towards something BlackBerry 10 related. With that, here is to hearing what happens on March 15th. Or probably more accurately, to hearing what rumors will come available in the meantime.

Via [TmoNews]

It looks those sporting an LG Phoenix smartphone with AT&T have an update ready and waiting. The update has arrived as the P505 Software Update, which perhaps will be better known as Android 2.3. Yup, Gingerbread has finally arrived for the Phoenix. That being said, the update has been announced and detailed by the folks at LG and it looks like this one is a manual download and install as opposed to an over-the-air update. And while that is not the ideal method, especially considering it is only available for Windows user at the moment, there is a nice step-by-step set of directions that should get anyone through the process with ease. With that, if you are using an LG Phoenix with AT&T and have (or have access to) a Windows computer — hit the link below to get started.

Via [Twitter @LGUSAMobile] and [LG.com (AT&T LG Phoenix P505 Software Update)]and [AndroidCommunity]

While we suspect most of the Xoom 4G LTE users are waiting for Ice Cream Sandwich to arrive, we have word of a new update. Though, just to clarify and possibly probably disappoint up front — the Xoom 4G LTE tablet does indeed have an update coming out however this particular update is not going to give you Android 4.0. Instead this one is much smaller and quite honestly, it probably is an update that many users can simply skip. But that being said, we will leave you to be the judge of whether you should update or not. Anyway, this latest update has recently been detailed by Verizon Wireless and will roll-out as software update HLK75H. The update measures in at 11.6MB in size and according to Verizon, it should take about 5 to 10 minutes to download and install. Without further adieu, here is the change log for update HLK75H.

Improvements and Fixes

• Data connectivity will properly restore after disabling Airplane Mode

Via [Verizon Wireless]

What can you really say here, Saturday Night Live has decided to poke a bit of fun at Verizon Wireless and their 4G LTE network (and smartphone) advertising. Anyway, the video comes in at just 1 minute and 34 seconds and is well worth the time in laughs. Enjoy.

Via [YouTube] and [The Verge]

We often see third party retailers offer better deals on smartphones, as compared to what you would pay direct with the carrier. And well, while we almost expect that to happen these days — we do not always expect it to happen within the first 24 hours of the release. Anyway, that being said, that is exactly what has happened with the Motorola Droid 4. Verizon Wireless released the handset and has it selling for $199.99 on a two-year agreement. Amazon Wireless is selling the same phone for half the price, $99.99 on a two-year agreement. Of course, we should point out the “Amazon Wireless Instant Discount Policy” for those who are considering the purchase. You see, if you make this purchase with Amazon Wireless — make sure you do not cancel your contract early or you will be paying your regular ETF with Verizon as well as a $250 penalty with Amazon. According to the fine print;

“When you purchase your device with service from AmazonWireless.com, we automatically pass along an instant discount from the carrier to you.  This discount has been provided to you based on your agreement to (a) activate a new, or extend an existing, line of service for this device with the carrier, and (b) maintain this service in good standing for a minimum of 181 consecutive days.  If you do not activate or extend a line of service in connection with this device, or if your service is canceled/disconnected before 181 consecutive days, AmazonWireless.com will charge you $250 per device, plus applicable taxes.”

With that, this policy (or a similar one) is often associated with third party retailers as it is what allows them to offer such low prices. Bottom line, this is a good deal and it is safe to buy with third party retailers provided you plan to keep your agreement in good standing.

Via [Amazon Wireless]

If you are eligible and have been planning to upgrade your handset with AT&T — you may want to do so today. According to some recent information (which was originally leaked and then later confirmed), AT&T will be doubling the upgrade fee as of tomorrow February 12th. The fee will increase from $18 to $36 and AT&T is blaming this on an increase in the “costs associated with upgrading.” Or more specifically, here is what an AT&T spokesperson had to say;

“Wireless devices today are more sophisticated than ever before. And because of that, the costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased and is reflected in our new upgrade fee. This fee isn’t unique to AT&T and this is the first time we’re changing it in nearly 10 years.”

Via [AndroidCentral]