Here's some good news for Verizon Wireless subscribers. The carrier has revealed its commitment to providing 4G LTE to all of its upcoming smartphones.

But that's not all. The carrier is also planning to make 4G technology a "hard requirement" for all the devices that it will offer going forward.

Sprint has taken advantage of CES 2012 to launch a couple of new exciting Android smartphones. Both of these new phones will provide 4G LTE connectivity and may be released in mid-2012. Let's go over the details of the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus and LG Viper for Sprint.

The LG Spectrum for Verizon Wireless surfaced last month with impressive specs but the release date was unclear. However, new rumors have provided us with a date for the possible release of this exciting handset. 

The folks at DROIDLife have acquired some documents that reveal the arrival of this upcoming Android handset for 2012. The documents show that the LG Spectrum will arrive on January 19. Consumers may be able to get this phone with a price that range from $249 to $299 on a 2-year contract.

It's a new year and that means more exciting handsets for the Google Android platform. 2011 was a great year for Android and we can expect that trend to continue this year. With the growing threat from Windows Phone and the upcoming version of iPhone, the Android phones for this year are expected to aim for the top spot by pushing the boundaries that define a smartphone. Let us look at the rumored Android-powered phones and announced handsets for 2012.

Here's a handset that may be one of Verizon's upcoming cell phones for 2012. The folks at Pocketnow have obtained images of an unaanounced LG smartphone that's sporting the carrier's logo. 

This phone is believed to be the LG Spectrum, a adevice that has previously surfaced in a leaked Verizon system. The rumored features of this Android phone include a 4.5 inch HD (1280 x 720) display, 4G LTE connectivity, 1.5GHz dual-core processor,  and a 8MP rear camera with 1080p video recording.

The LG Nitro HD for AT&T has been leaked several times but it has now become official via a press release. The announcement reveals that this Android smartphone will hit AT&T's stores and website on Dec. 4 for $249.99 with a two-year commitment.

This handset is the first smartphone in the AT&T portfolio with a true high-definition screen that supports resolutions up to 1280 X 720 pixels. The Nitro HD boasts of a 4.5-inch True HD AH-IPS display and a dual-core 1.5 GHz processor. This powerful Android smartphone also offers an 8-megapixel HD camera, and provide access to AT&T’s 4G LTE network.

Here's some good news for the owners of LG Optimus smartphones. The manufacturer has announced that Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich updates will be released for its high-end smartphones that became available this year. 

Here are the handsets that will receive the ICS updates:

• LG Optimus LTE
• LG Optimus 3D
• LG Optimus 2X
• LG Optimus Black

The LG Nitro HD was recently leaked as a possible version of the Optimus LTE for AT&T. A few images surfaced and the handset made a trip to the FCC. But a new rumors indicate that the HD smartphone will become official next month. 

LG has announced a press event for December 1 in New York and circulating rumors indicate that the manufacturer might be planning use it for the introduction of Nitro HD. The event is expected to be a showcase for a handset that sports a 4.5-inch HD display with 1,280x720-pixels of resolution.

Smartphones have continued to evolve in 2011. This year we saw the arrival of powerful handsets with dual-core processors. The size and the technology of displays have also improved from the iPhone's "Retina Display" to Super AMOLED plus screens. 2011 was also the year for the arrival of major versions of smartphone operating systems such as Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, and iOS5.

So will smartphones continue to grow at the same rate next year? Early rumors and leaks indicate that 2012 will also be a big year for the smartphone industry. Nokia has already launched its Windows Phones and quad-core handsets for Android have already been leaked. Let's look at the rumored upcoming smartphones for 2012 to get a glimpse of the future super phones.

HTC Titan II: This AT&T-bound smartphone packs a powerful main camera. The Titan II will sport a 16 megapixel camera with an f/2.6 lens, dual-LED flashes and the ability to record video in 720p HD. Other features for this handset include a 4.7-inch display, dual-core 1.5GHz processors, a 1.3-megapixel user-facing camera and 4G Long Term Evolution support.

Sony Xperia Ion: This device is the first Sony LTE smartphone. The Ion features a 4.6-inch 720p HD Reality display, and a dual-core 1.5GHz CPU. It will be available at AT&T and will ship with  support for the carrier's 4G LTE network. Other key features for this phone include 1 GB of RAM, 12.1 megapixel camera, FM radio with RDS, DLNA, and Android 2.3.