HELLO

Android is on a roll. A staggering 81 percent of the smartphones shipped worldwide in the third quarter of this year were running Google's mobile operating system, according to technology research firm IDC. This is up from 74.9 percent during the same time last year, IDC found. Meanwhile, Apple's numbers fell. The worldwide market share of iOS, the operating system that powers iPhones, dropped during the third quarter to 12.9 percent from 14.4 percent, according to IDC. The reason is less than shocking: iPhones are freaking expensive. As the chart below shows, the average selling price for an iPhone last quarter was $635. But the average price for a smartphone running Android -- there are many manufacturers -- was only $268. "If you go to emerging markets, it's a price game," IDC Research Manager Ramon Llamas said, referring to countries like China and India. "Devices like [Apple's iPhone] and the new Bl...

This one is definitely a rumor, but its source is reliable enough to warrant a little speculation. Analyst and blogger  Eldar Murtazin  tweeted a rather definite message this week that Samsung is “developing [its] own version of Google Glass. We will see it (probably) around April – May under Gear Glass brand.” Given that Google’s own version of Glass is not expected to hit the mass market until early 2014, Samsung’s Glass competitor could very well race Google’s to market. That might seem like a nightmare for Google, which has invested heavily in Glass and is no doubt planning for a strong event launch, but as was pointed out in a CNet article, the use of the word “Glass” implies an official partnership. Samsung is known for its aggressive branding and Google would likely raise legal concerns regardless, so it’s unlikely the brand Gear Glass would be used without a partnership. Does Google even want to sell Glass, or does it just want you wearing face-screens? ...

Android 4.3, an even sweeter Jelly Bean, is available now on Nexus phones and tablets . Restricted profiles limit access to apps and content, at home with your family and at work. Bluetooth Smart support makes Android ready for a whole new class of mobile apps that connect to fitness sensors. Games look great thanks to the 3D realistic, high performance graphics powered by OpenGL ES 3.0. And there's a lot more new in this release: Audio Virtual surround sound - enjoy movies from Google Play with surround sound on Nexus 7 (2013 edition) and other Nexus devices. Surround sound is powered by Fraunhofer Cingo™ mobile audio technology. Dial pad Autocomplete - just start touching numbers or letters and the dial pad will suggest phone num...

The world’s first lab-grown burger has been cooked and eaten at a news conference in London. Scientists took cells from a cow and turned them into strips of muscle, which were then combined and made into a patty. English chef, Richard McGowan, was given the task of preparing the burger for food critics Hanni Ruetzler and Josh Schonwald, who, overall, gave a positive response. Researchers said the technology could help with meeting the growing demand for meat worldwide. “I think most people just don’t realise that the current meat production is at its maximum and is not going to supply sufficient meat for the growing demand in the next 40 years, so we need to come up with an alternative, there’s no question. And this can be an ethical and environmentally friendly way to produce meat,” the scientist behind the burger, Professor Mark Post, from Maastricht University explained. He and his team are using similar techniques to researchers involved in growing human tissue fr...