Last night, Andy posted a preview sale of his new Google Android Toys, commissioned by the Google Android team. I’ve posted about them recently and I still can’t wait to get my hands on some. (Reading this Andy?)

Right now the store is online but the products are temporarily unavailable. They should be on sale officially soon and I’ll let you know when they are. Right now you can buy a single Android for $7.25 and you’ll get a random (blind box) Android, or you can buy a box of 16 for for $112. Trust me, these are going to be worth some money. I already have a nice collection of work by Andy and can without a doubt tell you don’t hesitate when these go on sale again!

Here are a few more of my favorites:

Check out more of the series 01 Google Android toys on Flickr

The iPhone has become my go to camera since I got it. The thing I like about it is that it makes it easy to share my pics but the drawback is that the iPhone camera is pretty weak compared to, well, most any other camera. Now, ZoomIt is making a divice that will let you read SD Cards. This means that you could take this handy little gadget, iPhone and camera of choice and share the pictures from wherever you are. You can use the ZoomIt to view any files that the iPhone will support. Files are accessed via the free ZoomIt app. The ZoomIt is available for pre-order now and set to ship starting in April.

via Gizmodo

I’m a big fan of Wordpress. I use it for most of my development these days. I’ve been very happy with the Wordpress iPhone app since it came out. Now, Android users can keep their Wordpress powered sites updated on the go as well. Version 1.0 has just been released and looks very much on par with the features of the latest version of Wordpress for the iPhone. Wordpress being on Android id yet another reason I’m trying to get my hands on one for reviewing purposes for the site here.

So if you have an Android powered phone and love wordpress then what are you waiting for?

The folks over at Google Android have something cool coming, courteously of my good friend and artist, Andrew Bell. Check out Andy’s Android mini collectibles series 01, on sale soon, as in later this month! I have a nice collection of Andy’s toys (and art) and I can tell you first hand they all look great. I’m very glad that he’s the one who got to create this line of toys based on the Android mascot. I’m a big fan already, and something like this, well, it’s like geek candy. You can’t just eat the one. Plus, they’re minis (3″), so you’ve got room for whole collection.

This is series 01, which bodes well for another. Series 01 comes in 12 different designs and I want every last one of them. Andy says there will also be super rare chase editions, so if your a collector make sure you watch for announcements. When I get mine, I’ll be sure to post some product shots of the little Google Androids invading my office. More details over at Dyzplastic. Also, check out Andy’s web comic Creatures In My Head and his store for toys, prints, shirts and other unique art.

Google has releases a new web version of it’s voice app enabling iPhone and and Palm users make and receive calls. Previously, the Google Voice native app has had nothing but trouble from Apple and as the ware between the two companies heat up it seems Google has decided to go around Apple and offer this app via the browser.

The problem, for me, is the browser is the weakest link on the iPhone. It’s feels slow, navigation is a pain and speed is a real issue compared to native apps. I’m not a fan of Safari, blasphemy for a Mac geek I know, but at least this gives me access to an app I actually want to use.

To get started, just head over to m.google.com/voice on your iPhone. Other than being browser based, I like the overall experience and how things work.

via Geeksugar

This new interface from Tokyo University is amazing. You’ll find me talking a lot about gesture based interface design here and I’m sure I won’t be alone. I think it’s going to change our lives in so many ways. That’s why I was excited to see this demo of finger tracking technology. The advantage here is no projectors, no silly fingertip tape to wear, nothing but the device’s camera tracking your finger movements. I imagine the limitations would be it needs to be pretty close and not a lot of background objects that resemble fingers. Very impressive start and I hope to see this kind of tech getting better, faster and on my devices sooner!

Mashable has the scoop on HOW TO: Add Multitouch Support to Your Nexus One. Unfortunately, it seems this only works if you are willing to root (hack) your phone. Really not a big deal for most, but some people don’t like having to hack stuff so if you want true multitouch on the Nexus One you’ll be waiting a while. This type of hacking isn’t limited to Android or the Nexus One, iPhone users have had to hack their phones for features they’ve been waiting on for ages as well. Note to AT&T. Where the hell is tethering?

Dev Web Pro reports that Android Apps have hit the 20,000 mark. That’s great news for open source, developers and especially consumers. The apps are really want set the iPhone apart and don’t let anyone tell you different. Oh, it innovated and changed the entire industry in too many ways to name, but the app store is what “sold” it to the public. Before then it was a better looking wanna be blackberry. I’ll be so bold as to say it would have flopped without the apps. So Mobility Hacks would like to congratulate Android and it’s community for hitting this milestone. And I’m glad to see some of the phones are really starting to click with users. I need to get my hands on a couple to review for the site.

Andrew is Committing Location Based Service Suicide and truthfully, I may join him. I love these apps. My favorite right now is Gowalla, but Foursquare is extremely good, and other apps like BrightKite, Yelp and many more are joining the fray. People will flock to the one where their friends are, so the app doesn’t really matter that much, but I do think we’ll be seeing them fight for market share for some time to come. Reports are even in that Twitter’s growth has slowed and some reports even that it’s declined some.

Most of these location based apps focus on checking in and they have created a meta game around the concept of checking in, like earning points, badges or becoming a mayor. Meta gaming has it’s own problems, but the Andrew’s issue seems to be with the broadcasting of his checking in. Most apps let you decide to broadcast that or not, and with these apps using meta gaming to encourage people to check in they gather data. People have to add locations and enter details and when they do, they earn points. Something people love to do. So the meta gaming aspect is good, for now.

Where these location based apps are failing at the moment is truly using the GPS/Location to create more interesting experiences in the real world. I’d like to walk into a place I’ve never been and find virtual notes left for me by previous patrons. Maybe someone knows the best food at a local dive or a particular waitress I should avoid at all costs. Or maybe I’m downtown and walk past a building and a “note” pops up telling me there’s a cool little bar down the side alley that most people don’t know about. People could leave pictures, notes and even video/voice just floating int the ether for others to find. The trick is, these apps need to do this triggering automatically. When I walk in, my phone needs to tell me there’s more to explore about this area based on previous patrons.

The problem is right now everything is based on us, the users both entering data and looking for these notes and other info that people leave virtually in these spots. But this is only the beginning of the location based trend and I think were going to see some cool stuff in the next several months. I don’t think I’m quite ready to opt out of “checking in”, but I may not be broadcasting it when I do.

Simplenote, one of the best note apps for the iPhone, if you ask me, is now priced to move: it’s now free. You get most of the works for free, with a few things held back for people who decide to pay for the app. Here’s the juicy bit from Cult of Mac:

New customers have a choice. Either get Simplenote with ads for free, or pay five dollars for Simplenote Premium which kills the ads and includes a bunch of other features, namely: automatic version backup, create notes by email, RSS feed for notes, unlimited API usage, and premium support.

via Cult of Mac