If you want to get a good pulse on the real direction of technology trends, nothing beats getting the information straight from the source. Matt Brittin is the head of Google UK, and as one of the head honchos for what is probably the next Microsoft of the tech industry, their worldview on technology is going to be indicative of what lies next for our society.

According to Matt, the industry is now going to focus more on fixing up the networks and getting more people into mobile.

Several years ago, going online meant having to wait for minutes to get a tone on a dial up modem and trudge through the internet at a measly 4 kbps (despite the connection being good enough for 32kbps). With the introduction of broadband, connections began to grow in speed and coverage in an exponential manner. Within the span of decade, innovators are now looking into the possibility of sending entire Gigs worth of data in a moment’s time.

This made the internet more accessible to people. And thanks to the standardization of desktop and laptop computers, more and more people have learned to go online.

But the real growth starts with mobile. Right now, only a handful of Brits access the web through a smart phone –but as 3G and WiFi networks expand and grow, and smart phones become the more standardized device (eventually phasing out the lowly 2G handset), more people will be able to have access to the internet.

The numbers are already shifting. With each year, less and less people rely on desktop devices to access the web. At the same time, more people are starting to use smart phones.

But that is as far as Matt wants to predict, according to the Google Head, predicting trends over a year is more than just difficult, but close to impossible. He says that “you are going to be dramatically wrong”. And considering how fast the industry is moving, we can see the wisdom of his words.

It seems that it is still a tad bit too early to predict what Google has in store for its latest Android project. Android 3.0, dubbed Gingerbread, is quite the rumor magnet at the moment.

A few of these speculations come from trusted sources around the web. One such convincing theories came from Eldar Murtazin of Mobile Review. He said that the little green robot was to have steep spec requirements and was only meant to be used on high end mobile devices.

The major points brought up in the ‘Droid theories involve needing a beefed up mobile phone meeting a minimum screen size requirement as well as a specific resolution. This means that most of the current generation Google smart phones would be left in the dust once this new platform gets released.

To dispel the rumors, Google’s own Dan Morrillhas had to step in and deliver word via Twitter:

“I love it when people just make stuff up and report it as news. In summary, please remember that rumors are not official announcements. .”

While this may mean that no such spec requirements would be implemented, it is also possible that Google is just trying to do some damage control so as not to dissuade people from Android shopping. The statement came in just in time too, considering the fact that some HTC and Samsung mobile devices (notably the HTC Desire and Samsung Galaxy S) are still lagging behind in terms of their upgrade to Android 2.2.

Dan Morrillhas is the lead of Google Android’s Open Source and Compatibility Technology section, which makes him quite an authority on the subject. Also, Gingerbread still has a ways to go since it is still early in its development period.

At the very least, this will help prevent people from holding off buying a perfectly good current gen ‘Droid handset.

If there is one thing that has been the constant bane of all tech fans –it is the delays. With new updates, patches, products, releases and all things happening, it is already hard to keep track of what is new and what is not –having a company delay their update certainly makes things a lot harder to keep up with.

Take this case for instance. It was already stated that the Nexus One Froyo update was coming out last week and the HTC Desire would be getting updated this week. All well and good, but it seems that Google has decided to put in some strategic delays to the launch. Sure, we are getting a great final build of the Android 2.2 Froyo, but the OS has been sitting in Google’s developer shelves for quite some time now.

Even Adobe was pretty fast with the launch of the Flash Player for the Android 2.2 –the software came out days ahead of the Nexus One 2.2 update launch.

This leaves us with the HTC Desire, an impressive smart phone that some would even say rivals the Google Nexus One in terms of both specs and features. Not surprisingly too, HTC manufactured both devices, and HTC is considered to be playing a key role in the development of the Android OS.

The Desire’s main tech specs will certainly sound familiar to the owners of the Android Nexus One –the 5 mega pixel camera, a 3.7 inch AMOLED touch screen display, a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU; these pretty much reads out like the Nexus’ own specs and the reason for this is that HTC made the two devices one after the other. Actually, it was the Desire (then known as the HTC Bravo) that was designed first.

With the launch date of the HTC Desire’s Android update pushed, this means that other smart phones will have to wait longer too.

A bug has affected mobile phones using the Android operating system and it has become a security risk. If you have an Android smart phone, it would be in your best interest not to send any private or classified business SMS or MMS to your contacts.

The issue affects users by switching their contacts whenever a conversation reply is made. For example, if you were in a conversation with your friend John and an incoming message from your friend Pat arrives at your inbox, the message you were typing to John will now be addressed to Pat. On the other hand, if you switch over to Pat, the message can end up addressed to John. The Android software seems to “get confused” and switches your contacts even if you have not specified it to do so.

The clincher is that the switch does not always happen immediately when you receive a new message. Sometimes you do not even realize that you are sending the message to the wrong contact until it is already on its way. Even if the contact specified on your device is correct, there is still a chance that the message will get sent to a completely different person.

This erratic behavior seems to affects mobile phones with two or more running SMS or MMS conversations. And it is not confined to any set or model of Android smart phone either. Google Nexus One users get affected as much as HTC Incredible owners.

Google does not seem to have a clue as to what is really happening. A number of users have been posting on the Google support forums and no one has been able to reproduce the phenomenon reliably. For now at least, it would be safer to delete your conversations one you are done with them and it would be best to avoid sending anything you would not send to your lesser known contacts.

From rumors to forgotten previews, there are many smart phones that we are waiting to see. Leaks often give us glimpses of promising new technology that often become bitter memories when manufacturers decide to cancel production or completely change an upcoming device. Here is a quick list at several handsets that we are hoping would make it to the production line.

First up is an Android handset with a 5.5 inch touch screen display from Sony Ericsson. The device was leaked along with the upcoming SE XPERIA Shakira and the W150 TeaCake. According to the leaked report, the device is an Android smart phone. Looking at the leaked images alone makes us wonder when this impressive tablet hybrid smart phone will actually be available –it even has a slide out QWERTY keyboard that allows it to be used as a netbook.

Right after the launch of the Nexus One, there was plenty of talk about a new handset from Motorola that might possibly end up as the Nexus Two. There were rumors that the next Google phone needed a keyboard and at that point, Motorola’s Milestone/DROID was the best basis for an Android with a keyboard.

By the time word of the Shadow handset in production became public, people were already looking at it as the next Google device. Recent news updates have revealed that the Shadow is still in production.

When it comes to high end Android, no other rumor seems to be as delicious as the upcoming HTC Scorpion (though the Sony device is starting to overtake everything else). This handset is said to be equipped with the latest Snapdragon CPU and is said to possibly be clocked at speeds more than 1.2 GHz.

The Samsung Galaxy S Pro may be the least impressive of these four, but with the already good specs on the original, all it simply needs is the QWERTY keyboard (hence the Pro on the name). So far, Samsung has not commented if the Galaxy S Pro will be made.

If you just bought a Nexus One, then you might be looking for some free games to tide you over, after all, this high end Android smart phone is not exactly cheap. Thankfully, Google’s decision to go open source has made the Android OS a prime platform for many free apps and games, which you will certainly enjoy.

One of our most recommended app downloads is Light Racer. Tech fans will instantly recognize the game’s homage to the old Disney science fiction classic, Tron. Yes, this is a smart phone version of the light cycle races, with the much expected overhead view of the map. The point of the game is to outmaneuver other racers into hitting the line of ‘light’ that is left in the racer’s wake. It takes a combination of deft hands, fast thinking and some ingenuity to get past the later levels.

For Sudoku fans, there are more several free apps to choose from and each deliver a unique flavor and approach to the highly addictive number puzzle game. Of course, once you solve your first three or four puzzles, the rest slowly become pretty easy to do.

Another interesting little title that we found ourselves losing plenty of hours playing is the Bubble Wrap Game. While it is nowhere near as satisfying as actually having bubble wrap plastic to pop, the game’s authentic sound effects and addictive gameplay will keep you coming back to beat your top score –and yes, they actually found a way to put in a scoring system for popping plastic bubbles.

Rounding up the list is a fan favorite: Classic Snake. Now nothing gets as simple as moving around your pixel snake eating up the random things that pop up on screen. The games’ retro-stylish monochromatic visual style and responsive gameplay will remind you why nothing beats playing classic style snake.

It seems like Google is giving the Nexus One a little head start running the new Android operating system update, version 2.2 Frozen Yogurt or Froyo for short. For those who missed the launch of the Nexus One, this phone is the first Google Branded Android handset and is a collaborative effort between Google and long time Android development supporter and Open Handset Alliance founding member, HTC.

The device packs an impressive 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU, a 5 mega pixel camera and a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display. In terms of specs, the phone is very high end, and the addition of extra features such as Google’s voice recognition software and better voice quality technology allows for some interesting capabilities such as speech to text and more.

Of course, a phone as great as this is the perfect testing ground for Froyo; this is because the update has native support for Flash and AIR. Flash websites that use plenty of resources like Ecodazoo run fast and smooth –pretty much like it should in a desktop device. The big advantage here is that it supports both Flash and as confirmed, HTML5 in a later update.

Taking a cue from Apple, Google has added in features that Apple will never put in; such as media downloads directly to the phone. One of the biggest issue users have with the iPhone and other Apple devices is that they are very reliant on the iTunes software in order to add and remove media. This dependence on a computer or a laptop makes it hard for some users who would prefer to be able to download directly to their device.

Another major addition to version 2.2 is that the Android not supports tethering. This will allow the use of the Android smart phone as an internet link for laptops and similar devices. Google is now allowing the sale of its phone outside of its own store, meaning that we can now find Nexus One deals through other retailers. Perhaps this will result in an increase in sales? Who knows…

About 5000 people have come together to attend the Google I/O event this 2010. The event opened with a major keynote from Google’s VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra and the attendees got to see plenty of interesting new things in store for the Android and Chrome operating system.

First off the agenda is the announcement that Google is once again focusing efforts into their Google App Engine for Business. New features in the app engine are centralized administration, better security and later on, hosting SQL services and more. With Microsoft already having an established footing in the business market and Apple slowly catching up, Google also needs to start catering to business professionals as well.

A major tie up with VMware is also opening plenty of new opportunities for Google. They have announced the launch of a new codec called VP8, which might prove to be a good high quality alternative to the H.264 format (though some video editing artists would argue that H.264 has better compression than VP8). Aside from that, the Chrome Web Store has been announced to be opening soon –offering people all new ways to expand their web experience when using Chrome.

Of course, one of the most anticipated things in I/O is the unveiling of the new Android 2.2 Froyo. According to the folks at Google, the new OS will be 2.5x faster than Éclair, will come with a native JIT compiler, has a significantly faster browser thanks to JavaScript improvements that are expected to be up to three times faster, tethering support, Flash and AIR support, and of course, the above mentioned cloud to device API.

As a teaser, Google has also let it be known that the next Android is already in the works, and that version 3.0 “Gingerbread” is coming later this year.

The world is filled with a lot of hate and of course prejudice and this time, the new victim of the witch hunt is none other than search engine giant, Google. For many years, Google has built a search engine and a series of web based free services made to change the internet into something better.

Of course, it is undeniable that Google is also a business company that needs to make a profit. And this is why Google’s Ads came to be. The great thing about Google’s Ads or rather, AdSense, is that they are small, fast loading, unobtrusive and are actually relevant to a user’s interests. Regardless of whether they are clicked or not, the fact of the matter is that Google has found the best formula for online advertising.

Better advertising however, requires a certain degree of data mining and that is a fact that no one can deny. In fact it is a much needed factor in order to make the business model work. However, there is a point when aggressive data mining can get a company into trouble –such as the case with social networking site Facebook and the continued deterioration of its privacy policies.

Google has also taken some hits in the previous months, starting with their botched attempt at creating a social network with the Buzz service (which was abysmally wrong to begin with). Now, the world is now focusing on Google as it has been confirmed that the Street Car managed to log data regarding the SSIDs of unsecured WiFi networks.

While there is significant cause for the demands that Google delete that data (and they have, they even hired a third party in order to ensure the authentic verification of data deletion), there is no reason to burn Google at the stake for the so called “lack of respect for privacy”. The fact of the matter is that Google has been more than willing to accept their mistakes and find solutions to the problems that have been found.

Google has admitted that the Street Car has been able to capture and collect bits and pieces of data regarding WiFi networks that has been detected by the vehicle. While the search engine company attests that their street cars has not been able to gather sufficient data from each network to be considered as significant, there has been a very public call for the need of privacy. Simply put, the Street Car is supposed to capture images and nothing more.

In order to address the situation, Google has opted to have the data that was accidentally collected to be destroyed. In order to carry out the plan properly, the company chose a third party in order to analyze and destroy the data. Alex Stamos, a partner of iSEC Partners Inc, has overseen the process.

Alan Eustace has posted a PDF copy of the letter from Stamos regarding the destruction of the data.

“I have been working with members of Google’s technical staff to organize and securely store the date in question. Before my arrival, Google staff had consolidated the wi-fi packet captures and onto four hard drives. This data was organized into folders corresponding to the nation of origin. Upon my acquisition of the drives from Google staff, I noted that the hard drives had been stored in a secure manner within a secure portion of the facility.”

“I created two new encrypted volumes on separate hard drives, and copied over all of the data with the exception of data that was identified as being captured within the Republic of Ireland. I then witnessed the physical destruction of the original four hard drives.”

“I can attest that all of the data on these drives identified and as captured within the Republic of Ireland was destroyed in accordance with best practices for irreversible data destruction.”