Whether you love or loathe Google’s Android mobile operating system, its meteoric rise to become the most widely-used of the big ecosystems in just a couple of years is something which must be applauded.
Having dipped its toes into the branded mobile device game, Google is all set to expand its Nexus program, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The search giant is apparently planning to offer early access to future Android iterations to up to five device OEMs, with the intention of selling the devices directly to consumers.
While there are plenty of Mobile Safari alternatives in the form of Dolphin, SkyFire and iCab, Apple's iOS iteration of its popular desktop browser could soon be facing a battle from Google, since rumor has it that the web company is developing Chrome for the fruit company's ecosystem - an app which could be finished as early as this quarter.
The news that Google is looking to bring a Game Center-like feature to its Android smartphone and tablet operating system is a particularly interesting one, if perhaps not a surprising one.
Google's Android has constantly come under fire from Apple for ripping off elements of iOS, with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs famously vowing to go "thermonuclear" and "destroy" what he deemed to be a "stolen product," and one suspects the Cupertino outfit won't be best pleased to hear that the Big G has, according to rumor, decided to develop its own Game Center-like infrastructure for Android.
For those iOS device owning social networking fans out there, the time has come to head on over to the App Store and see for yourself the direction which Google has decided to take with their iOS version of the Google+ app. After already going through a number of updates since initial launch, Google haven't really wowed anyone with their Google+ mobile app, but version 2.0 of the said app will definitely up the game a bit.
It's been a while since we had a good old fashioned battle of the mobile operating systems, or more specifically an iOS versus Android head-to-head. The world's two most popular mobile offerings have both steeped themselves in glory and shame in the past, but a new report seems to show that iOS is leading the way when it comes to gaming revenues.
Those in any way affiliated with the tech industry will know of Microsoft's plans to release Windows 8 to the consumer pretty soon, and from what's been showcased hitherto, most have been impressed. While the latest iteration of the software maker's operating system has many strengths over preceding versions, the Metro user-interface has been the most celebrated by consumers, and although perhaps better suited to the tablet, it's been running nicely on the PCs of those running the Consumer Preview.
The current spat between Google and Oracle has already thrown up one or two interesting tidbits, and we are all beginning to get a little insight into both the early days of Android and indeed the process which was followed in order to bring it to market. Just how Google sees Android within its larger business model has also been under scrutiny of late, with its profitability coming into question.
The wraps have finally been taken off Google's mythical Google Drive online storage and collaboration service, with the news first being leaked via Google's own French blog. Now though, the app is available to download for anyone with the right hardware, and if the video Google has put out is anything to go by, it's going to be pretty awesome.
