Hasta La Gadget!

LG hasn’t said when it is going to release Android 4.4 KitKat update for its flagship smartphone, the G2. Moreover, it is not known when carriers will be done with their approval of said update. At any rate, its bound to take a while before the latest and greatest Android update becomes officially available for G2 owners. Fret not if you’ve been craving for a piece of KitKat, a Verizon G2 Android 4.4 custom ROM has been released which brings near vanilla KitKat experience to your LG smartphone.

The ROM is based off of AOSP with a few additional features added by the developer, such as carrier label options, performance control, application permissions control, background style and more. Status bar, hardware key and lockscreen mods have been added as well. The Gummy Android 4.4 ROM is only for Verizon LG G2, don’t attempt installing on any other variant. Prior to installation, make sure that your device is rooted. Also create a backup as flashing the custom ROM will delete all of your data. If you’re new to flashing custom ROMs, keep in mind that things can go awry which might end up harming your device, so its always best to be sure before poking around. Those who’re good to go can grab the custom Gummy ROM for Verizon LG G2 from here.

Verizon G2 Android 4.4 Custom ROM Released original content from Ubergizmo.

Welcome to Engadget’s holiday gift guide! Head back to our hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month.

Who doesn’t want a new smartphone? Even if you love the handset in your pocket, there’s bound to be a newer, higher-specced device calling your name. If you’re generous enough to give the ultimate mobile-tech gift, we’d like to help. We’ve lined up the hottest phones both on- and off-contract, from less than $100 to north of $500. Extra points if you foot the bill for the giftee’s early termination fee.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Samsung, Sony, Microsoft, HTC, Nokia, Google, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, LG, T-Mobile

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Among the many surprise costs that annoy cellphone owners, unwanted text message service fees can be the worst; they’re hard to stop, and not always worth the effort. Those fees may not irk many US subscribers after today, though — AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile now stop “problematic” premium SMS services from billing their customers. Donations and those all-important talent show votes will still go through. Verizon isn’t part of today’s announcements, although the company’s General Counsel William Petersen tells us that Big Red is already “winding down” premium SMS services. There’s a good chance that these shady messagers will simply change tactics, but they’ll at least have a tougher time scamming phone owners.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile

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Source: Vermont Attorney General, T-Mobile

HTC’s 5.9-inch One max is comparatively modest when it comes to the oversized smartphone horserace; it’s actually dwarfed by Sony’s monstrous Xperia Z Ultra. Still, if your hands are big enough to accommodate the One max’s bulk and you’re a Verizon subscriber, today’s the day you can call it your own. The Big Red operator’s offering the device for $300 with any new two-year agreement, or for $25 monthly installments on its Edge upgrade plan. Verizon’s even bundled in a special SIM that’s “ISIS-ready” so you can take advantage of the carrier’s contactless payment (read: Google Wallet) alternative. The One Max offers mostly everything we love about the OG One it shares a heritage with, just in a heftier metallic chassis and with an oddly-placed fingerprint scanner. Sure there’s plenty you can do with a big ‘ol screen, but in this case, we’d argue the size of your hand matters more.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC, Google, Verizon

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HTC’s flagship phablet has finally made its way to Big Red. We had heard rumors previously that Verizon might launch the HTC One Max at some point and it has rather quietly done that today. We reported yesterday that it was likely that the phablet will be priced $299.99 on contract, and indeed it is. You can now buy Verizon HTC One Max through the carrier’s retail stores or its website for the aforementioned price along with a two year contract.

Those who’re not to keen on being stuck with a conventional contract can opt for Verizon Edge plan, they’ll have to make 24 equal monthly payments of $25.22 for the HTC One Max. Customers who don’t want any strings attached can buy the phablet outright as well for $599. If you’re forgotten about the specifications of this device, allow me to jog your memory. The HTC One Max has a 5.9 inch full 1080p HD display, a 1.7GHz Snapdragon 600 processor aided by 2GB RAM. It has 32GB of onboard storage as well as a 3,300mAh battery. The phablet is powered by Android 4.3 Jelly Bean with Sense 5.5 slapped on top. There’s a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device underneath its camera, it allows users to lock and unlock the device and even launch up to three apps using just their fingers. It is ISIS ready, so customers will be able to use it to make payments through ISIS as well.

You Can Buy Verizon HTC One Max From Today original content from Ubergizmo.