The talk of the last day has clearly been the new $2 “convenience fee” that Verizon plans to charge customers who pay their bill each month via credit or debit card over the phone or online starting January 15. While there are plenty of options out there that can get your around this fee, we couldn’t help but wonder how the majority of you currently pay your bill each month. Are you paying with a card online or over the phone and are subject to this new charge? Do you use autopay? Anyone using snail mail? Let us know.

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We have a huge love for people’s opinions here at Droid Life, which most of you have gathered as participants in our well known reader polls.  Over the course of this year alone, we have posed about 70 different poll questions, asking that you share things like which devices you want, what features you need, and even what apps you can’t live without. As a community driven news outlet, there is not a better way for us to decide the direction of the site than through these polls. Plus, they are a ton of fun. At the end of 2011, we have reached 650,000+ total votes casted and more than 480,000 comments.  To us, those numbers are mind-numbing.

So down below we have gone ahead and pulled some of the top polls, charted them, and then presented them in a way that will give us all a look at what 2011 was all about. Who were the most popular manufacturers from one quarter to another? Are unlockable bootloaders important during the purchasing decision? Did any of our 2011 predictions come true?  Enjoy.

Back in August we ran a simple poll asking which device manufacturer our readers favored.  Motorola had a strong following just a few months ago, but now that the Galaxy Nexus is out, we have a feeling everyone’s opinion of Samsung might have possibly turned around.  So down below, give us your take on which manufacturer is your favorite.  Motorola for their history of high quality and tough builds, Samsung for their screens and lighter hardware, or even HTC for making music lovers their main priority with the acquisition of Beats Audio.

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Since another major phone has been released, I’d say it is time to ask the readers of this fabulous community what they are currently rockin’. In the last 2 months, we saw Verizon introduce 3 of the top Android phones ever made in the Rezound, RAZR and Galaxy Nexus. And since this also happened to be the time that millions of original DROID owners were coming due on their contracts, we can imagine that at least a few of these “Big 3″ were purchased.

So, which is it?

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You are almost a week deep into your Galaxy Nexus and we want to know if anything in particular is “wowing” you. If you could pick your favorite feature so far, what would it be? Is there something that keeps you constantly grabbing for your phone? Is it the crazy fast shutter speed in the camera? The beautiful 4.65″ HD Super AMOLED display? The nature-inspired design? Beaming with friends? It’s 3-pin docking connector (right)? An easily unlocked bootloader that opens up unlimited possibilities? Or is it Ice Cream Sandwich as a whole?

As we draw closer to the end of year, we wanted to reflect on some of the apps that seemed to have taken 2011 by storm.  It was only a year ago that the Android Market hit the 200,000 apps milestone, and now we are talking 10 billion app downloads and beyond. Whether it was a new messaging client, revamped social networking tool, or even a game that consumed our days to the fullest, this was a great year for applications on Android.  2011 also marked the release of the Amazon Appstore, which changed the way developers could market their apps to potential buyers and also showed that Amazon knew people loved free things.

So below, we have a list of the apps that we feel were the most popular, talked about and influential here at Droid Life throughout the year.  We have tried to keep it to apps that were released this year, but might have one or two that were released in late 2010, or that were just too damn good and received a big enough overhaul to leave out.  There are games, utilities, social media outlets, home replacements, and everything in between.

These aren’t in any particular order of importance, so feel free to sift through and weigh in with your opinions via the comments. Did we miss any? Agree or disagree with our top choices?  

This Friday is looking more and more like the day that we will finally see the Galaxy Nexus with 4G LTE on Verizon. And since the majority of Droid Life readers are planning to pick one up, we are wondering how exactly? Are you eligible for an upgrade ($299) or are you planning to pay full price (around $649)? The DL community is filled with some of the greatest tech addicts on the planet that upgrade more often than almost anyone, but we know that many of you also held out for 2 years with the OG, hoping that something this good would come along. So, upgrade or forking out the big bucks?

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