AT&T was the first carrier to sell the iPhone and still offers subsidized smartphones to customers with grandfathered unlimited data accounts. This year's best smartphones after surveying the top best sources, prorated, offered some surprises and also insight into the wireless business as a whole.

So far, we've completed the best smartphone from Consumer Reports, T-Mobile, DT, HTC, Droid, Motorola, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, trends, sales figures and the best for 2012.

The AT&T best smartphone list is the most varied out of all the carriers.

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AT&T is pushing out an update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for the Motorola Atrix HD.  It is available via Wi-Fi.

To update via Wi-Fi, go to Settings>About Phone>Software Updates on their phone.

It is always a good idea to backup your data before any update and make sure your battery is at least 50% charged. You will not be able to make calls during the update process .

An added bonus is the Drive Smart action with  Enhanced Voice Search for a safer driving .

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Motorola has updated its Android software update page.  After excluding the Motorola Atrix 4G, earlier this year, they have updated some details of the planned Android updates for the end of this year and beyond.

The first good news is that the Motorla Atrix HD rollout to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will begin in December of this year. Popular Verizon Wireless models to that will be upgraded to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean will be the Droid RAZR, Droid RAZR/MAXX, Droid 4 and Droid Bionic.

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WiMo News is continuing its round-up of distilling the review sources for the year of 2012. Our ginormous database is crunching out numbers with the help of human formulas that reveals some trends and surprises.  So far Consumer Reports gave higher ranking to LG and Motorola, there were few if any keyboarded winners and sales figures from Canaccord Genuity do not reflect the reviews.  Today we look at Digital Trends that really likes Windows Phones.

Our data includes all the smartphones throughout the year.

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Consumer Reports is one of the few publications and organizations that does not accept advertising.  Consumer Reports claims that this makes their ranking impartial.  We reviewed Consumer Reports ratings for smartphones this year and found some surprises as well as similarities with technology media reviewers.

Update 12/18/2012 - We've rounded-up the 2012 results for best smartphone for T-Mobile, DT, HTC, LG, Droid , Motorola, Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, trends, sales figures and the best for 2012.

Some things that Consumer Reports hold important are call quality, ability to play Flash, ability to create Microsoft Word and Excel documents, ability to use voice/data at the same time, ease of use, separate call buttons and removable batteries.

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Motorola has announced a developer edition of the Atrix HD.

The Atrix HD will be a supported device in the Bootloader Unlock program. It has the same features and specs as the  Atrix HD but allows the customization offered by an unlockable bootloader.  

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The demise of the Webtop and whole docking system for high-end Motorola smartphones is now official.  It is also very irritating to those who bought laptop dock, lapdocks and other docks from Motorola for earlier devices.

Last week customers learned that Motorola would not update the Motorola Photon (Fauxton), Motorola Atrix (Mo’ Accessories Up Ur A-Tricks 4G) and Motorola Electrify(Electric-Foe) to Android 4.o4 Ice Cream Sandwich causing outrage in owners who spend hundreds of dollars for lapdocks and other accessories.

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It would seem that since Google bought Motorola that  promised software updates to Android 4.04 Ice Cream Sandwich would be more than possible.  However, Motorola is creating an uproar with customers and also contributing to global warming by denying owners an update that has been promised for months.

Many people who bought top-of-the-line Motorola smartphones a year or less ago are furious and vowing never to buy a Motorola smartphone again.  Motorola has updated its Android update page and removed three products from ICS updates.

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Motorola is pushing out the update to  Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) software upgrade for Motorola Atrix 2. The software upgrade 67.21.125.MB865.ATT adds ICS, Smartactions and removes some widgets and features. We're hoping this means good news for Atrix 4G owners who were previously promised an update in Q3.

Once you upgrade, you cannot downgrade back to Android 2.3(Gingerbread) software after this upgrade.

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich adds some features such as Android Beam, Face Unlock, a new UI and improved camera (see all features and video). The update removes some of the MotoBlur features.

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The United States International Trade Commission(ITC), ban on Motorola devices goes into effect on Wednesday brought on Microsoft. In Germany, a German court denied a  ban of the Motorola Xoom by Apple.

AP reported the Düsseldorf court dismissed Apple's request for a ban on the Motorola Xoom in Germany.

Meanwhile , the smartphones and tablets involved in the ITC ban are Atrix, Backflip, Bravo, Charm, Cliq, Cliq 2, Cliq XT, Defy, Devour, Droid 2, Droid 2 Global, Droid Pro, Droid X, Droid X2, Flipout, Flipside, Spice, and the Xoom tablet.

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When the first Motorola Atrix was released it was a premium product with specialty docks that turned it into a netbook and media center.  The latest Motorola Atrix HD goes on sale today at AT&T it has HD features but is not compatible with the Atrix lapdock or Webtop apps with an HD dock coming in the future.

Motorola reported that it removed the Webtop feature from the Atrix HD in an effort to keep the price down.

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