AT&T has announced pricing and availability for the LG Optimus G, their first ever LTE quad-core smartphone. The LG Optimus G is set to hit stores on November 2 for $199.99 (2-year contract), however, those of you who hate having to go out can pre-order one starting tomorrow. This marks LG’s attempt for a big comeback in the smartphone arena and we’re dying to see how the Optimus G stacks up.

If you happen to be the owner of a GSM/HSPA Galaxy Nexus or Nexus S, you might want to keep your eye out for an update. According to reports, Android 4.1.2 has begun rolling out to the “yakju” Galaxy Nexus and the “soju” Nexus S. This isn’t surprising since Google posted the factory images just a few days ago and it’s only been about a week since Nexus 7 owners received the update. .

Could Amazon be making a go at Apple and Samsung in the smartphone sector? According to Israeli financial newspaper Calcalist, it sure looks that way. According to the report, Amazon is in advanced talks with TI, looking to scoop up their chip business at a cost of billions of dollars. Texas Instruments has been quite vocal about wanting to get out of the smartphone market and has scaled back its support after losing most of its market share to Qualcomm and predicting an unattractive long-term opportunity for them in the smartphone market.

Monday is here… *sigh*. While you were busy trying to accomplish every “to-do” relax over the weekend, a few stories developed that you may have missed. I’ll briefly round-up a couple bits of information here for you to catch up on and then let you get back to enjoying your Blue Monday.

Helloooo Sunday! I know everyone’s out raking leaves or watching football, but take a quick break to check out this week’s Swag Sunday. Last week we were giving away an Android candy jar and today we’re going to announce the lucky winner, as well as give you a chance to win some new swag.