4G

Sprint customers will soon have a wider range of choices when it comes to phone selection. The company announced two new phones at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, one with an advanced OS, the other with a green thumb. Check out the details on each of them below, and stay tuned for pricing and release date information.

Galaxy Nexus
You've heard its name before. Samsung's Galaxy Nexus is one blazing-hot phone that you should definitely keep an eye on. Coming with 4G LTE speeds and Google's Ice Cream Sandwich operating system — which boasts an all new interface, facial recognition, NFC technology, native support for Google Wallet, and lots more — the Galaxy Nexus is a tough act to follow. Not to mention its 4.65-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen, 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, and teardrop-shaped bod. Sexy.

LG Viper
The LG Viper may be eco-friendly — its casing is made of 35 percent recycled plastics and comes with an energy-efficient charger — but that doesn't mean it's boring as dirt. The Viper is a 4G LTE phone, and comes with a 1.2Ghz dual-core processor, two cameras (one 5MP rear-facing and one VGA front-facing), and a nice 4-inch WVGA NOVA display. Plus, you can expand your on-board memory up to 32GB with your own microSD card.

Verizon will release its first 4G phone, the ThunderBolt ($250), this Thursday. The device, which first surfaced last year, was officially unveiled at CES in January.

Despite running on Verizon's new 4G network, ThunderBolt customers can enjoy the same pricing plans as current Verizon subscribers: voice plans starting at $40/month and data starting at $30/month. The ThunderBolt has a 4.3-inch hi-res screen, 8mp camera with flash, and 720p HD video camera.

Since it runs on the 4G network, the ThunderBolt is the first Verizon phone to be able to handle voice and data use at the same time. It also can serve as a mobile hotspot for up to eight other devices, which according to Verizon will be free until May 15. After that, users can choose to pay an additional $20 for 2GB of data each month.

It's all pre-CES excitement around the tech world, and we're no exception. From tablet rumors to Internet TV advancements, there are way too many goodies to keep an eye out for while in Las Vegas.

Not to be outdone, new 4G LTE Verizon phones have been the subject of various leaks for the past few weeks. Verizon said in a press release that there will be a "suite" of LTE phones to choose from, and rumors are swirling that this means HTC, Samsung, and Motorola options. Want to know more about supposedly leaked specs for these phones? Check out more after the break.

There's been a lot of buzz about the tweet heard 'round the world yesterday — Verizon's confirmation of Android LTE phones being prepped for their CES debut in January. But what does this all mean?

If you're not familiar, LTE (long term evolution) is Verizon's 4G network that is said to get wireless speeds up to 10 times faster than 3G (downloads at five to 12 mbps), and the company is hoping it can do a lot more than just stream your entertainment to your phone. Find out more after the break.

• A 4G hotspot for your iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches — Gizmodo
• Oregon Trail gets its own movie trailer — Urlesque
• Migrate your entire Google account to a new one — Lifehacker
• Feng shui your workday and boost career success — Lemondrop
• Florida courthouse stored over 35,000 body scan images. Ew. — Switched

Your iPad has the capability of connecting to any WiFi signal to get online. This is great, but what if you're in an area that doesn't have a signal? You can always wait for the iPad WiFi+3G to hit stores and buy a month-to-month 3G plan through AT&T, but then you're tethered to AT&T's (sometimes questionable) reception and service. Sprint wants to take over and fill in the gaps with its Overdrive 4G WiFi hotspot (which creates a lightning-fast 3G/4G WiFi signal where available), and in addition, will help you carry it all with a sleek iPad case.

Available at participating Best Buy stores, if you can throw down for the Sprint Overdrive hotspot (which is $399 without a contract), you will get the Sprint iPad folio case for free. There aren't a lot of Best Buys that are getting in on this deal just yet (take a look at the state list here), but maybe if enough people get excited for 4G coverage on a network other than AT&T, they'll expand to more territories.