For those of you loving Google’s Chrome Browser on your desktop or laptop computers and who also have an Android-powered phone, this is a great day. Why? Well, as you can probably guess from the headline above, Google has announced the first beta release of the Chrome Web browser for Android-powered smartphones and tablets.

“Like the desktop version, Chrome for Android Beta is focused on speed and simplicity, but it also features seamless sign-in and sync so you can take your personalized web browsing experience with you wherever you go, across devices,” Sundar Pichai, Google’s SVP of Chrome and Apps, wrote on the company’s blog.

Chrome for Android is available immediately as a free download in the Android Market. It is compatible with smartphones and tablets running Android 4.0 or later. As I user of Chrome on Mac OS X I can only hope they release a version of Chrome for the iPhone. Although, knowing Apple’s reluctance to share, I won’t hold my breath.

If you want to see the Chrome browser for Android in action before your decide to try it yourself, check out the video from Google after the break.

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As owners and users of all sorts of Apple gear, we understand that others who don’t “get it” could misunderstand our love for all-things Apple. So, in the interest of presenting some counter-points to our Apple fanboy/girl nature, we’ve got this video from Samsung that sheds some light on those that don’t use Apple’s gear.

The video pokes fun at the Apple faithful and how we buy whatever Apple is selling, regardless of how good (or bad) it is. This video is actually an ad for the Samsung Galaxy S II, which is billed as the free thinker’s alternative to Apple’s iPhone “sheep.”

Of course, the add fails to mention that Apple’s most recent iPhone, the 4S, has pretty much flown off shelves and is the biggest selling smartphone of all time. I guess that point didn’t make it past the ad guys and gals at Samsung. Why mention the truth, right?

It’s always fun when those at the bottom pick on those at the top. Let the fun continue after the break.

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Apple on Thursday (or today if you’re reading this, well, on Thursday) released iOS 5.0.1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. This update reportedly fixes a number of issues with the operating system.

According to Apple, the update fixes bugs affecting battery life, adds Multitasking Gestures for the original iPad, resolves bugs with Documents in the Cloud and improves voice recognition for Australian users using dictation. Actually, I’m pretty happy about that last one as the Australian Siri really had a hard time understanding me.

iOS 5.0.1 is compatible with iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, iPod touch (4th generation) and iPod touch (3rd generation). To install the update, launch the Settings app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, tap General, and then open Software Update.

You can also update the old fashioned way by syncing your device with iTunes. Let us know how it goes if you do update.

Even with all the hype and attention Apple gets for its product launches (yes, we love the iPhone 4S and iOS 5), we can’t forget the other smartphones out there. In fact, one of the most popular “other” operating systems, besides Apple’s iOS, powering some of the most innovative smartphones is, of course, Google’s Android platform.

Now Google has taken the wraps of of its brand new version of Android, known as Android 4.0 or “Ice Cream Sandwich” during a press event in Hong Kong yesterday. The software was revealed next to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Nexus, a smartphone we’re looking forward to checking out.

Android 4.0 combines many of the tablet features already available in Android 3.x (Honeycomb) with the smartphone features available in Android 2.3 (Gingerbread). It will power both tablets and smartphones, and it offers several enhancements.

Some of these include the ability to unlock an Ice Cream Sandwich device using face recognition. Android 4.0 also has a new cleaner “Roboto” typeface and an extensive UI makeover.

The lock screen in Android 4.0 can be used to quickly unlock the phone or launch the camera, and users can also access notifications directly. “Back,” “Home” and “Menu” are now part of the Android virtual user interface and hardware buttons are no longer needed.

We could go on about the new OS but instead, we’ve gonna let Google’s own video tell the story. Click through for it after the break.

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With the iPhone being so popular and all the speculation about the next gen iPhone 5 reaching fever pitch, it’s sometimes hard to keep in mind the other fine smartphones on the market or coming soon. One of these is the upcoming Motorola DROID Bionic from Verizon Wireless.

Even for fans of HTC devices (which many of us are), it’s easy to be impressed with Moto’s latest offering. With specs such as a dual-core 1GHz TI OMAP processor, 1GB of RAM a 4.3-inch qHD display, the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OS and, of course, compatibility with Verizon’s lightning fast 4G LTE network, this device looks poised to dominate Verizon’s 4G offerings.

And now, Verizon Wireless on Wednesday finally made the Motorola DROID BIONIC official and has released pricing and availability details. The new Android smartphone launches Thursday, September 8th, for $299.99 with a 2 year contract.

Check out all the info in the official press release after the break.

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Some days news from the tech world is pretty amazing. Today is one of those days. Why? Read on.

Today, Google announced that it will be acquiring Motorola Mobility for $12.5 Billion. Yes, you read that right. Google is buying Moto.

According to reports, this move from Google will hopefully allow it to better compete with Apple’s iPhone, which owned two-thirds of profits among the world’s top-8 smartphone vendors in the second quarter. A Google-owned hardware arm would give the company complete control over the device, software and services, resulting in an end-to-end user experience that is completely under Google’s command.

Much like Apple does with the iPhone. And you know how that turned out. The deal will also give Google control of Motorola’s patents, of which there are quite a few.

“Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies,” Google CEO Larry Page said in a statement. “Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.”

Very nice of him. Check out the full press release after the jump.

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What’s in a number? Well, if you’re Apple or Google, quite a bit apparently, According to the Nielsen research company, Android continued to move forward as a popular OS for smartphones showing significant gains and retaining its position os the top smartphone OS in the United States.

According to the survey, Android currently has 39% of the market. Apple’s iOS is number two with 28% and RIM is third at 20%. Windows Mobile and Windows Phone combined for 9%, while webOS and Palm OS combined for 2%. Nokia’s Symbian OS also held a 2% share in the June quarter.

Turning to hardware, Apple’s in the lead this time with 28% of the total U.S. market. HTC was second with 14% of Android smartphones and 6% of the Windows Phone/Windows Mobile smartphones, making it the top vendor in both categories and number two overall.

Samsung followed with 8% of the Android market and 2% of the Windows Phone/Windows Mobile market in the U.S. last quarter, while Motorola topped Samsung’s Android share with 11% to slide into the No. 2 spot among Android device manufacturers.

That’s a lot of numbers and we realize you probably don’t like numbers. So, here it is in a nutshell: Android is number one in OS and Apple is number one in hardware. Any questions?

The battle for Smartphone Supremacy seems to have come down to two companies: Apple and Google. Of course, Apple has the iPhone and iOS, a device and operating system many would say has revolutionized the way people communicate and interact on the go.

And Google has it’s Android operating system that is increasingly being adopted by more and more Smartphone manufacturers and has a growing fan base of its own. That’s pretty much the way it seems to be coming down and a new survey from ChangeWave seems to support that.

According to the survey, 48% of those planning to buy a new smartphone during the next 90 days plan on buying an iPhone. Also, 46% of those buying a smartphone in the next 90 days said that they would prefer an iOS-powered device, 32% want a smartphone running Android, and only 4% want a device running BlackBerry OS.

It’s not just potential new users, however. Current users are pretty excited for the iPhone too. 70% of those surveyed said that they were “very satisfied” with iOS. 50% said they were very satisfied with Android, 27% were happy with Microsoft’s Windows OS (which we assume means both Windows Mobile and Windows Phone), and 26% were pleased with RIM’s BlackBerry OS.

That may seem pretty definitive but it doesn’t really tell the full story. There’s people who will always dislike Apple and it’s “closed” architecture and people who like Google and Android for being more “open.” However, 48% versus 32% isn’t really a slam dunk for Apple and the iPhone. There’s still a lot of fight left in this battle.

Click through for the full ChangeWave press release.

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As it’s been quite some time since the iPhone 4 made its debut, naturally speculation on the next version of Apple’s flagship device is running rampant. Even the venerable Wall Street Journal, it seems, wants to get into the act.

The paper is reporting that Apple is preparing to release a redesigned iPhone 5 later this year. Citing anonymous sources in Apple’s supply chain, the Journal says Apple has placed component orders with key suppliers for fifth-generation iPhone parts.

In addition, the device is reported to feature an 8-megapixel camera and Qualcomm radios. Also, and this goes against earlier reports that the device will retain the same form factor as the iPhone 4, the new iPhone 5 will be thinner and lighter than the current model.

While a new case and being thinner and lighter are nice additions, I’m personally looking forward to an iPhone that works on Verizon’s 4G network. That would be pretty cool indeed.

The next iPhone is expected to begin shipping in September. So, you gonna upgrade when it does?

iPhone users take note, your device is not the one that most people want anymore. How do we know? The Nielsen Company on Tuesday released the findings of its latest smartphone survey, which asked people planning to purchase new smartphones which platform they intended to use.

When asked that question between June and September of last year, 33% said iOS, 26% said Android and 13% said BlackBerry. When a new group was asked the same question between January and March of 2011, Android moved ahead of Apple’s iOS platform to become the most wanted.

In this new survey, 31% planned to purchase an Android phone, 30% planned to buy an iPhone and 11% were considering BlackBerry devices. So there you have it, the iPhone is dead.

Oh wait, its only 1%. I guess iPhone is probably going to be okay — at least for now.

For those of you lamenting the lack of cool 4G smartphone offerings available for the Verizon Wireless network, this is the day you’ve been waiting for. Verizon Wireless’ first LTE handset, the HTC ThunderBolt, is now available on store shelves and online, ready to push the boundaries of wireless access.

If you plan on being one of the very first consumers to acquire the 4G handset, you have options as to where to pick it up. Verizon Wireless, Best Buy, and several others will be selling the handset for $250 with a two year contract.

However, if you don’t mind waiting for the device to be shipped to you, Wirefly will be selling it for $199.99. In addition, Amazon Wireless has it priced at $179.99. Plus, unless you live in certain areas of the country, no sales tax if you purchase at Amazon. Who doesn’t love that?

In case you’re not familiar with this 4G powerhouse, here’s a few stats to help get you excited:

• Powered by Android 2.2
• Latest version of the HTC Sense UI
• Support for Google Mobile Services, including Gmail, YouTube and Android Market
• 4G LTE optimized apps such as EA’s Rock Band, Gameloft’s Let’s Golf, Tunewiki and Bitbop
• 4G LTE – customers can expect download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps and upload speeds of 2 to 5 Mbps in 4G Mobile Broadband coverage area
• 4.3” WVGA display
• 8- megapixel rear facing camera and HD (720p) video recording

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One of the most important things when you own and use a smartphone is the data plan. Sure, having the phone to make calls is great (that is when you can make calls. I’m looking at you AT&T) but the real purpose of all that cool phone goodness is to do other things like check email, post on Facebook and Twitter and surf the web while in line at Trader Joe’s.

When the iPhone first hit AT&T, the company offered an unlimited data plan for it. That plan has changed over the years and now features tiered pricing with the word “unlimited” left for the level of frustration many users feel when trying to make a call or, in some cases, send a simple text message.

Fortunately it seems Verizon understands the data needs of smartphone users and will offer a $30 unlimited data plan for the iPhone 4. This was confirmed to The Wall Street Journal by the company’s CEO Lowell McAdam who also said that offering the iPhone with a capped data plan would create an unnecessary barrier for customers looking to switch from AT&T.

“I’m not going to shoot myself in the foot,” he said. Smart man. Verizon will launch the iPhone on February 10th. Will you be getting one?