From day 1 with the Galaxy Nexus, many of you (including the DL crew) have been on the hunt for a Google-branded replacement battery cover. In fact, we tried swapping our GSM cover with the Verizon-branded cover the minute we got the device and came up empty. Something about having a “Nexus” without a Google logo on the back just drives some of us die-hards nuts.

Since then, we have searched the web for possible replacements. After all, accessory companies could probably make a pretty penny off of these skinny pieces of plastic should they make one that would actually fit. So far, none have worked including the one we have pictured up top that was purchased from Amazon. This post is really just a heads-up to not purchase it even though it says it will fit the SCH-I515 aka the LTE Nexus. As you can see from the picture, when you get it snapped into place, it doesn’t fit properly and bows a bit in the middle. Also, I took a knife to it a number of times to try and shave off pieces in order to get this sucker to fit and still ran into issues. At almost $20 a pop, proceed with caution.

If you stumble upon one that fits, be sure to let us know!

During a Q4 earnings call discussion with analysts this morning, Verizon’s CFO Fran ShamWow Shammo dropped a variety of numbers that I’m sure will spark up interesting conversations throughout the day. After a full year of the iPhone on Big Red’s network, we have the first set of numbers to compare how it sold versus the Android army. I think it’s safe to say that the iPhone 4 and its slight rehash in October did not bring the world of green robots to a screeching halt as so many had predicted last January. It obviously outsold every single Moto, HTC, Samsung or LG phone on their own, but in this world, it’s all about OS market share.

Verizon sold 15 million Android phones and 10.8 million iPhones over the course of 2011. During Q4 alone, VZW knocked out 7.7 million smartphones which helped account for 70% of their entire 2-year contract wireless sales. 4.3 million of those were iDevices, while the other 3 million were a mix of Android, Blackberry and Windows Phone 7.

We should point out that analysts were a little concerned that while Big Red managed to sell record numbers of phones, that their revenues were not looking so hot thanks to the “cost of doing business with Apple.” With high subsidies on Apple devices, it takes years for wireless carriers to see returns on their sales. VZW seems to think that they will survive – we do too. 

If stressing over malware on Android is something that you enjoy on a daily basis, the crew responsible for Lookout Security has a new release that will satisfy your needs. Their newest app titled Mobile Threat Tracker takes the last few day’s security threats that their security products have identified and displays them in a visually stunning, rain shower-ish, globe rotating manner. You can view the top threats, tap to view more info on them, and then decide for yourself if you believe that there is actually a Malware problem in Android. Is there? I’m not ready to buy into yet, but hey, the app looks snazzy.

Market Link

Last night, the latest Siri wannabe was introduced to Android under the name Evi. It’s voice-inspired, can answer almost any question you ask it, and even learns on the go after receiving feedback directly from you. This actually is a decent attempt at being Android’s Siri, except for one problem which you will quickly find in the market:  they have like 1 or 2 servers trying to power the service for thousands of new users and simply cannot keep up with traffic.

At this point, if you jump into the app and search for something, you will see this: “I’m waiting for a network connection before trying this one.” It’s frustrating, especially after using it last night and finding pretty favorable results for the most part. In fact, it’s built-in map feature works well, however, we would have liked to have seen some way to launch navigation out of it. It returns simple, yet detailed results pages, beautifully laid out business or location pages, and even answered many of our off-the-wall questions. Again, this service actually isn’t bad and is probably the best attempt yet. Now, let’s hope we see a legitimate server infrastructure in the next day or so or it may be a short life for ol’ Evi.  

And the DROID RAZR MAXX is now officially official as headed to Verizon this Thursday, January 26, for $299 on contract. Big Red confirmed two reports of ours this morning that this would be the week. As you all know, the RAZR MAXX packs a whopping 3300mAh battery, yet manages to stay less than 9mm thick. It also boasts the same dual-core processor, 8MP shooter, qHD screen, and build quality of the original RAZR, but again, can last you for days (allegedly).

Full specs | Video hands-on | Photo gallery

Who wants one?

Starting tomorrow at 10AM ET, Verizon will launch a “4×4″ Twitter contest that will reward 14 (or is it 16?) lucky souls with brand new Galaxy Nexus devices. As the must-have Android device of the last year, you won’t want to miss out on this opportunity if you have yet to pick one up. From the 24th (tomorrow morning) through the 27th, you will have multiple chances to take home a brand new G-Nex, however, VZW is going to make you work for it a bit.  

Motorola’s Feedback Network is sending out invitations tonight to DROID RAZR owners, asking if they want to participate in a soak test for a new “project.” The details of the update are absent as usual, but with software leaking within the last couple of weeks, we have a pretty good idea as to what we can expect. You probably shouldn’t assume that this one is Ice Cream Sandwich just yet and should instead focus on the likelihood of simply being a bug fixer and slight UI enhancer.

Cheers N and P!