Google has gone on just a little bit of an updating spree today. Google Chrome, Google Drive and Google Earth have all gotten themselves a very nice update today, bringing in new features and some new card-inspired design.

Google Chrome now has support for full-screen browsing, with the omnibox disappearing as you swipe down a webpage and reappearing when you do the opposite. Head over to Google Play to grab the Google Chrome update.

Google Drive has a completely new look and design, an absolutely fantastic ‘tab’ view and the ability to scan pages with your camera. The editing experience has also been vastly improved and you can finally Cloud Print directly from your Android device. Head over to …

It has long been expected that Google would be introducing a new instant messaging service. The service has now been officially announced and we have all the details.

The new Google Hangouts is available today on Android and Chrome. It is basically the same as any other major instant messaging service, like WhatsApp, Viber and the likes. However, Google Hangouts comes out with trumps in one major area – it is not confined to any OS or form of computing. Google Hangouts for mobile and the web will give you the exact same experience.

Hangouts runs through your Gmail or Google account, so if you’ve got one of them (who doesn’t?) then you can instantly start chatting. You can do …

Google’s Play Store was only just updated to bring users the new Holo look that came with the introduction of v4.0. The new version, which is currently rolling out, updates the client to v4.1.6.

Image source: AndroidOS

Appearance-wise, the main changes appear as soon as you open up the new application. The content button’s have switched from having a pure white (left picture) background, to a colourful (right picture) one, which matches its content. You will also notice that the old black background for the settings and menu items sections have changed to the holo design.

‘My Wishlist’ has become more consistent with the updated Play Store, in that it now displays all items in the card grid format, rather …

You know that when Google I/O is only days away and the company begins to roll out updates to their applications, that it’s going to get people’s attention. Well, the current update to ‘Google Play Services’, from v3.0.27 to v3.1.36 , is no exception. Ron Amadeo over at AP has done his usual teardown on the APK and has found some exciting additions to the app, including the up-and-coming Google ‘Play Games’.

Play Games

Google Play Games is a new service which is expected to be announced at Google’s I/O. We have heard rumours floating around about what Google Play Games actually is, but now we all but have proof. Play Games will include a bunch of different features including …

Are you into making life changing decisions? Do you like adventure, mystery, friendship and true love? This is just the app for you.

Just kidding. Bang With Friends is an app that connects to your Facebook account and enables you to scroll through your friends and decide whether you are “Up to Hang” with them or “Down to Bang”. The app allows you to stay completely anonymous about your choice until you hit a match with someone who wants to do the same with you. It will then notify both you and your friend. Simply said, if you and your friend both hit “Down to Bang”, the app will let you know, and you can do the rest. Bottom line,you …

A piece of news that’s managed to slip through our fingers amidst all the recent news we’ve been covering is actually quite a significant in its own right – for Android fans and Australians in particular.

Imgur, the popular image hosting service used most widely as a fast and easy option for sharing images to online communities and social networks have officially released their own app in the Play Store. What’s more is the app for the time being is exclusive for Android users in Australia. Yes that’s right, if you’re on Android and an Australian – you’ll be part of a small group of people to give this app a whirl.

Bear in mind, out of the countless …

Edit: We’re not 100% what qualifies the service to be used. Some users are reporting that it is not currently working or is only working for certain users. We’re sure that it is either rolling out slowly or there may be compatibility mismatches. We’ll update you when we know more!

Without much notice it appears that Facebook has quietly launched its VOIP calling feature to the Australian market. After launching internationally not too long ago it is great to see Facebook bring this to us down under in such a quick fashion – yes, Home is a different story.

Anyway, if you’re not sure what Facebook’s VOIP service is then I’ll delve into a couple of the features. It …

Like me, have you got taxi war stories to tell?

Cutting traffic, stopping in the middle of peak hour traffic, drivers constantly on the phone the whole ride talking loudly to their mates in a (foreign) language (or any language at that!), being lectured to on anything from politics to social issues, drivers who have no idea how to get to your destination or maybe not even understanding you (or you them)?

As a “smart” Android user, don’t you think you deserve better? :)

Well you may have that choice!

A taxi app called Uber is making its way to Australia (Sydney and Melbourne at this stage) and via your Android phone (as well as some other smart platforms) promises …

Are you a user of AirDroid?

If you are, you might be interested to know that AirDroid v2 beta has just become available for public download.

If you aren’t, you might be interested to know what AirDroid does.  To put it in the Developer’s own words:

AirDroid is a fast, free app that lets you wirelessly manage your Android from your favorite browser

What that means is that AirDroid is capable of performing through your computer’s browser functions like transferring files between your computer and Android device over wifi, manage your smses, or even preview and manage photos and music off on your Android device.

Version 2 takes functionality further with the inclusion of additional features such as remotely …

Ever wondered how much your property is worth, but didn’t want to engage the services of a pushy real estate agent?

Today CommBank released its award-winning Property Guide App on Android phones allowing Android phone users to gain insights into property values via map searches, address searches, and even a camera (augmented reality) search.  There are also other features such as a suburb guide, but the beauty of the app lies in its ability to not only bring up current sales data but also historical data (via RP Data).  This could prove invaluable if you’re driving around looking to buy a house.

What CommBank has also been kind enough to do is offer the Property Guide App to all users …

Ho Ho Ho! As we draw nearer to the holiday season and that time of year many call Christmas, lots of children around the world will be looking to the night sky to see if they can catch a glimpse of the infamous (and notorious) Santa Claus.  Who wouldn’t want to spot that miracle worker Santa Claus as he single-handedly delivers toys to all the good girls and boys on Christmas eve? Well this Christmas, good-child Google is helping all the boys and girls track Santa Claus on his journey across the world via the Google Santa Tracker which is available on Android (as well as Chrome, Google Earth for 3D maps and PC).  Though the Android App is currently …

Over the last few days we’ve seen major updates to Google Currents and Facebook, which have made us Android-faithful a happy bunch. Both apps have become a lot more usable, with either a complete redesign or the move to a native Android application.

Anyway, Google+ has now joined the party with a whole slew of new changes. Over both iOS and Android there are a total of 24 new and exciting features, with Android alone accounting for about 14 of them.

Direct from the change log:

- New feature: Google+ Communities
- Support for full resolution photo uploads via Instant Upload
- Subscribe to any circle for notifications
- Support for time zones in Events
- Basic profile editing

…