A couple of weeks ago, I went to the Acer pop-up store in Bondi Junction and put down my debit card for an Iconia W511, a convertible tablet in the style of the Asus Transformer series, but running Windows 8 and with a SIM slot for 3G connectivity. It didn’t have to be this way. In a parallel universe, I would have bought a Chromebook or a Nexus 10 and I would’ve thrived in the growing ecosystem of Android or Chrome OS apps. In the end, however, I made the purchasing decision I did because, based on what’s happened in the tech industry lately, I came to this realisation: that Google has shown no long-term interest in letting me …

Just in case you guys haven’t heard, a recent article over at geek.com revealed a rumoured unified messaging service from Google called Babble. This service is meant to roll all of the messaging, voice and video chat options of Google into a single service, combining Google Talk, Hangouts, Voice, G+ Messenger, etc. Of course since that times there’s been a couple of leaks of supposed screenshots of the upcoming Google Babble, however we know that both of those are fake, for the simple reason that both of them are using the icon that Shen Ye made for the original geek.com article. Still, it doesn’t stop us from fantasising about what an upcoming Babble will look like:

For anyone who …

Samsung Galaxy S, BMW M3, Halo, Apple iPhone, Sony Playstation, and I’ll throw in Mario Kart too. Each of these names represents a product that has been updated numerous times; names that have grown in stature, and represent some of the best work each company produces in that specific segment. Each of these products adds value and desire to other products in the company’s lineup. And importantly, all of these names have been used sparingly and strategically by the parent company, and not squandered. (Note: some may claim that recently Sony has been a bit liberal with the Playstation name in regards to the Playstation Suite of mobile games, but given Sony’s recent financial woes, and the low penetration of …

One thing Google can never be accused of is being conservative when it comes to trying out new features and services. New online services or products continue to spew out of the Google headquarters in a bewildering torrent. Some of these services are destined to go on to greatness (Gmail and of course Android itself are two great examples) whereas others arrive to minimal penetration and are quietly put down in the back yard once it’s apparent that they’ve gone lame (everyone used Buzz, right?). In fact the list of dead Google products is so long that there’s a Pinterest board dedicated to them.

It could be argued that this “see what sticks” policy is what has made Google great. …

A recent job posting on LinkedIn has sparked rumours about whether Nokia, purveyor of the Lumia range of Windows Phones, was poised to explore making an Android phone. Although quite a few blogs picked up on the story, it was quickly debunked by Nokia, stating that the job listing was in reference to their Here mapping solutions, which are headed to Android.

The persistence of the Nokia-Android rumours is a testament to the number of people who crave the flexibility and benefits of the Android OS combined with the well-respected design and construction of Nokia hardware. However, this is wishful thinking; it makes little business sense for Nokia to adopt Android given its current position, and given the cutthroat …

We recently had the pleasure of meeting with a Google Australia PR representative and had a ‘little’ chat about Android. As this was a friendly encounter, we didn’t feel it was necessary to bring out any recorders.

We spent a lot of time talking about what Android is and what Google is doing with it. We started speaking about the ultra high demand there is about when updates are coming – particularly when to expect them and which OEMs get the updates out fastest. Oh and, of course, what Google is doing to help the update process. While the Google representative was quite tight-lipped on the issue (as you would expect) there were some interesting things to come out …

With Samsung’s announcement of the Android-based Galaxy Camera and Nikon’s recent announcement of its own Android point-and-shoot Coolpix 800c, camera manufacturers are beginning to adopt Android to differentiate and iterate their products. It’s worthwhile asking – should they? And should you buy one? This editorial delves into why camera manufacturers are beginning to release smart cameras, and whether they really make sense for the consumer in the end.

Whilst this post isn’t a piece of Android news or a review, it’s something I felt the need to say. Something I believe is generally known by many in our tight knit community but all too often forgotten, at a time where taking notice of it is crucial.

I have to make this quick. I don’t have much time. I have to write this post. It has to be edited. Feature images have to be made and formatting has to be done. It has to be posted. Then people have to find out about it. We’ll post it on our page on Facebook. Then on our personal Facebook accounts. Time for Twitter. Don’t forget to add hashtags. Retweet on personal …