Appolicious - Don’t let the holiday stress get to you. Just use the ol’ Android to grab some pizza (Papa John’s Pizza), fend off Viking zombies (Siegecraft), or put the pedal to the metal (Real Racing 2).

Appolicious - Hear those sleigh bells? Probably not over the sound of Talking Santa, the famous holiday character from Outfit7. He’s got a new friend in town, full of mischief and mayhem to lighten up this holiday season. Personal cloud and productivity apps are also on the rise this week, with the new PocketCloud Explore app from Wyse and the Personal app to manage your data.

Reuters - AT&T Inc said late on Thursday that it won regulatory approval to buy wireless spectrum from U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm Inc, a move that would boost the company's 4G network.

Appolicious - A whole lot of people use Fandango, the online movie ticket purchasing service, from their mobile devices. Already the app was highly convenient, allowing you to purchase your tickets from anywhere you could establish a 3G Internet connection just by using a credit card number. Then you can have tickets emailed to you to print out, and at some theaters, you can even just scan a barcode on your device and you’re on your way.

Yahoo! News - If you want to get the unvarnished truth from someone, don't even entertain the thought of texting them. A new study by researchers from the University of British Columbia confirms what you may have suspected all along — people find it easier …

Appolicious - You do not need a console, Mac or personal computer to tap into the best games of 2011.

Appolicious - When Twitter acquired Whisper Systems last month it was unclear what their intentions were for the encryption software maker. But a release from Twitter this week sheds some light on their goals with Whisper’s TextSecure. Released on Github as an open source project, TextSecure is now available for developers to use for SMS encryption on Android devices. Encryption can be added for all sent and received texts from an Android phone, and can encrypt texts for transmission if they’re being sent to another TextSecure user.

Appolicious - Bring your Android to every and all gatherings this holiday season. It can aid you in the kitchen (aTimer), get a party started (Multiponk), help you escape family stress (Enchanted Realm), and show you the power of mobile technology (TouchOver Map).

Reuters - Verizon Wireless said it had fixed a data service problem that started early on Wednesday, the second high-profile service problem this month for the company that boasts it is the "most reliable."

NewsFactor - Samsung Electronics and other Android-based handset makers plan to roll out Google's Ice Cream Sandwich update on their mobile devices early next year. Samsung said Tuesday that the platform update, otherwise known as Android 4.0, will be ready for launch on the company's Galaxy S II smartphone and Galaxy Note device during the first quarter of 2012.

Appolicious - With the year coming to a close, lots of people are taking a look back at 2011 to see how various mobile markets have fared. For many developers working on both Apple’s iOS platform and Google’s Android, 2011 might look like the year iOS paid a whole lot more than Android (again).

Mashable - [brightcove video="1340681645001" /] Google's Android Chief Andy Rubin has revealed that Android sales continue to climb, boasting 700,000 activated devices daily. In June, that number was 500,000.

Digital Trends - Watch out, Kindle Fire, there’s a new cheap tablet in town. Announced yesterday, the Archos 70b Internet Tablet (pdf) runs on Android 3.2 (Honeycomb), and is advertised as the first tablet to sport Honeycomb that costs under $200. Of course, the suggested starting retail price is $199, for the 8GB model.

Mashable - Mobile phones are universally popular -- and so is text messaging. Cellphone users in 21 countries were surveyed on their mobile habits and 75% replied they send text messages. A Pew Research Center Global Attitudes Project study, published Tuesday, examined worldwide use of digital communication tools such as mobile and social networks. Not surprisingly, the research found the young and well-educated are the most likely to adopt new technologies. Those under 30 who hold college degrees are most likely to use many mobile functions and social networks.

Digital Trends - In the battle for mobile platform dominance, Android is increasing its presence to the tune of 700,000 new devices every single day.

Appolicious - Birds aren’t the only ones who enjoy a change of seasons. Today’s fresh Android list includes a holiday update to Jelly Defense.

Appolicious - Today’s fresh list brings two updates and two new apps. The updates come from a real contender in mobile video content (Hulu Plus), and a key player in the mobile social space (Google+). The new apps are a fantasy RPG (Earth and Legend) and a new version of Hangman (Hanging with Friends).

Appolicious - It was a long time coming, but finally popular UK-based newspaper, The Guardian, has released a dedicated Android app. People from all around the world enjoy The Guardian for current news, analysis and columns. Smartphone users may have missed The Guardian’s presence at their fingertips, but the wait is over now.