TP2 very chatty after MR3 update

[proch]

Hello - I recently upgraded my TP2 (Verizon) from the original Win 6.5 update that came out more than a year ago to the latest MR3 update. I've noticed that a lot of things seem to work better - less freezes between operations... But I've also noticed that the phone seems to be very 'chatty' now when idle. Basically, through the icons at the top of the screen it seems that there's a lot of constant network activity. Also, my battery life is very short now - possibly as a result of the increased network activity. Has anyone else noticed a similar behavior? What processes or settings can I look for that might be responsible?