Google has Trouble Shifting Nexus One

Sales of Google’s Nexus One smartphone are still slower than the search giant might well like it to be, with reports indicating that Google has managed to sell somewhere in the region of 80,000 devices.

Initial reports had indicated that Google’s Nexus One had had a very slow opening week indeed, and it seems that things haven’t improved much. According to the mobile analysts over at Flurry, the first week of sales for Google’s self-described “superphone” saw the search giant shift the fairly unimpressive number of 20,000 Nexus One devices. Now that we’re at the first month of sales, things are looking no more impressive.

Get Going on VOIP for Home Use

VOIP was, for a very long time, something that we couldn’t get away from in tech media. It’s convenient, it can save you money, it’s not a total pain in the face to set up (something that can be true of traditional phone options), and it’s something that, for most people, hasn’t quite caught on as much as expected.

While a vast number of people have a Skype account and indeed, at any given time there seems to be anywhere between 15 and 25 million people actually logged in to the service, the fact is that there just doesn’t seem to be too much drive towards VOIP for general home use. Still, it’s worth considering, given the potential savings to be had, and especially with the existence of services like SkypeIn, which mean you’re still contactable at the same phone by others.

More Ebook Prices Rise

It seems that Amazon’s ability to offer ebooks at a lower price than Apple’s announced iBook shop is being eroded more quickly than even dire predictions had supposed it might.

Looks like physical books could turn out to be cheaper...

Word comes from Gizmodo that more of Amazon’s “big six” publishers have been pushing prices up to the higher price point for “hardcover bestsellers,” which is an interesting term to use in an entirely data environment. After MacMillan’s move on Monday to see prices bumped to the $15 mark on certain titles, it seems that other publishers have come pouring in with similar requests to make of Amazon’s Kindle Store.

Adobe Talks Flash, Bemoans HTML5

It seems that Adobe hasn’t been appreciating the treatment it’s been getting in the media lately, which some particularly critical responses spurred by news that Apple’s iPad wouldn’t boast Flash compatibility.

Indeed, so negative has the response been that Adobe’s own chief technology officer, Kevin Lynch penning a blog, now posted to Adobe’s Featured Blogs, extolling the virtues of Flash and, without ever damning HTML5, subtly indicating that he feels it’s nowhere near as widely applicable as Flash when it comes to dishing up content. Indeed, Lynch is fairly forward, making the Apple connection himself early in the blog post when he says,

3G Skype to Hit iPhone

It seems that Skype will soon be offering its iPhone users the ability to call one another using the service across 3G data connections.

At the moment, there is already a Skype app available for the iPhone through Apple’s App Store, but it only allows for calls being made over Wi-Fi connections, which, as well you might imagine, somewhat neuters the device when it comes to practical day-to-day use. Now though, it seems that the folks at Skype will be sorting out any lingering issues and offering a version that should allow a little more mobility.

Nexus One Update Brings Multi-Touch

Google has issued a software update for its Nexus One smartphone, patching a few notable issues. Perhaps most welcome of these updates is the introduction of more intuitive multi-touch controls in more applications.

When Google first launched the Nexus One, it was generally received well, and seen to be a very fine device indeed, though among fans the lack of some fairly simple multi-touch controls that many knew the device was capable of was somewhat baffling. Now though, Google has addressed those concerns with the announcement of its most recent update to the Nexus One on its Nexus One Board. Those gesture controls that were missing, namely the altogether very usable “pinch-to-zoom” have now been added to the device’s Browser, Gallery and Maps applications.

Apple Addresses Flicker Issue on iMac

Toyota must wish they dealt in IT rather than cars today. They have a fault with one of their cars and they have to recall a few hundred thousand and it’ll cost them millions in the process. Apple meanwhile has a product fault that has annoyed thousands yet they can just swan in with an update and solve the issue straight away.

Flicking annoying.

Owners of iMacs with a 27-inch screen have, according to the LATimes been complaining mightily on the Internet since the computer debuted last October that the display had an annoying flicker. Today however, Apple has released a firmware fix for the flicker on its website. It should take most owners of the all-in-one desktop only a few minutes to download.

Chrome Creeps Forward in Browser War

It seems that the neverending browser war is now seeing Google’s Chrome inch forward, for the second month in a row, though this time it seems to be pinching its users from both Microsoft and Mozilla.

Last time we heard any real news from the browser stakes, it was that Firefox had, however temporarily, managed to claw itself to the top of the pile when it came to the most users on a single version of any one browser, while Microsoft’s Internet Explorer userbase was sploit between IE6, IE7 and the newer IE8. Still, there has been other news of interest, not least of which the fact that Google’s Chrome has been performing quite well, at least according to statistics from Net Applications.

Google Working on Tablet PC?

It seems that the tablet rumour-mill hasn’t quite given up the ghost with Apple’s announcement. The latest rumour, with some fairly strong evidence from Google’s own staff…

Well.. everything looks nice as concept art 😉

According to TechCrunch reports, it seems that some concept shots were posted to Google’s Chromium page, detailing a little of what we might expect to see from a Google tablet if and when the company decides to roll one out. While there have been plenty of people quick to point out that Google doesn’t actually own Chromium (since it’s all open sourced) it’s worth noting that the concept art was posted by Google’s Chrome designer, Glen Murphy.

Jobs has Harsh Words for Google, Adobe

It seems that Steve Jobs has had some fairly harsh criticisms for both Google and Adobe, both of whose products have seen some unfavourable comparisons made with Apple’s own.

Indeed, the issue between Apple and Adobe is a long running one, and it’s only deepened in recent months since Adobe announced that it was willing on putting some work into developing a version of Flash for Apple’s iPhone OS, which runs both the iPhone and iPod Touch, and now the tablet-styled iPad. Indeed, it seems that Apple wasn’t quite as receptive to the idea as Adobe would have likes, so it seems that the project is on hold. Jobs words for Adobe were harshest, with Wired reporting him as having said that,