Vodafone Germany will trial Huawei LTE equipment; Smartphone downloads from app stores to skyrocket

> Despite already conducting LTE trials in co-operation with Verizon Wireless and China Mobile, Vodafone Germany has announced it will conduct independent trials of the technology using equipment from Huawei starting this summer. Article

> Smartphone downloads from all app stores will reach 6.67 billion per year in 2014 according to a new forecast issued by market research firm Frost & Sullivan, which credits the overwhelming number of free applications as the key to adoption in the U.S. market. Article

> In what could be the start of a new communal relationship between the government and the U.S. telecom industry, the nation's largest telcos and cable MSOs have agreed to help the Commerce Department identify broadband availability gaps. Article

And Finally... A man in Louisiana was arrested after riding a bicycle with a three-foot alligator on his shoulders. Article