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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It’s another great day for those of you currently using Googles new Google+ service and also Apple’s iPad or iPod Touch. Why? Because it’s the day Google has finally released an update for the app for iOS and made it work with not only the iPhone but the iPad and iPod Touch too.

The new version of the app not only works with all iOS devices it also adds Huddle settings and aggregated circle add notifications, a nice couple of improvements. If you recall, Google first launched Google+ on Android and then a few weeks later for the iPhone. At that point, iPad and iPod Touch users were left wanting. No more.

If you haven’t had a chance to try Google+ yet, see if you can convince one of your friends already using it to send you an invite. Or, if you really want one, drop us a note in the comments and we’ll see what we can do.

If you’re already rocking Google+ and want to get the new, updated app, head on over to the iTunes Store. Oh, as a special bonus, we can also confirm that this version of the Google+ app now works with a certain Beta version of iOS that’s coming soon. But please, don’t tell Apple we said so.

According to Bloomberg, struggling Internet-based film and TV streaming service Hulu is looking for a buyer. One of the companies supposedly in the running for the service and considering a purchase is Apple.

In case you’re not up on the current Hulu situation, in July the company announced that it had hired Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners to assist with a the sale and rumor was that Yahoo! and, possibly Microsoft and Amazon, were interested.

However, it seems Apple may be the frontrunner now. Although, at this time, no company has made an actual bid for Hulu.

A Hulu purchase may seem like a good thing for Apple. They’ve already got iTunes but Hulu would allow them a better way to compete with streaming services like Netflix since, at the moment, you can only purchase or rent videos from within iTunes.

Something to keep in mind, though, is that Apple isn’t really know for acquiring companies. They are just as likely to take an idea and spin it and launch a new service of their own as an addition or enhancement of their existing service. Plus, Hulu only has about 1 million subscribers at the moment and that’s not really all that many.

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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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Another day, another iPhone or iPad rumor. Hey, it’s fun to speculate, so why not? Today’s latest is a report over at This is My Next that a new iPad is coming later this year, around the same time as the reported launch of the iPhone 5.

The device will not be a replacement for the current iPd 2, however. Instead, it will reportedly be called the “iPad HD,” will feature a double resolution 2048 x 1536-pixel screen and be targeted to “Pro” users like photographers and videographers.

In addition, and this makes sense if you’ve checked out Final Cut X at all, the new iPad HD will reportedly ship with new mobile version of Apple’s Final Cut and Aperture applications.

As always, take any rumors of this sort with a large grain of salt. However, with the way things work these days it is often hard for companies to keep all their secrets, even Apple. Obvioysly, Apple will be coming out with new versions of both the iPhone and the iPad. It’s inevatible.

The real question always is what will those new version be like. If we apply a bit lof logical deduction, the idea of an iPad HD running Aperture and Final Cut isn’t so hard to believe. Whatever is coming, we’ll all find out in September.

In a not surprising move Apple has finally relented and admitted that there is actually a potential problem with the so called “Mac Defender” malware and has offered a fix on its support website. In case you haven’t been keeping up, Mac users have recently been targeted by a phishing scam that falsely claimed their computers were infected with a virus.

When redirected to an illegitimate website to deal with the “virus”, users were instructed to install “Mac Defender,” which was malware disguised as an antivirus application. Until recently, Apple had reportedly told its AppleCare support team to deny the problem exists and  “not remove or uninstall any malware” found on any computer.

But now the company has apparently changed its mind and decided to not ignore the problem and hope it goes away. Reportedly, between 60,000 and 125,000 customers had contacted Apple for solutions to this issue.

Maybe that’s why Apple decided it was time to acknowledge the problem publicly. We’ll probably never really know the whole story.

As with a lot of malware, this particular one relies on the user in order to be installed on a computer. Let this be yet another lesson, don’t believe everything you see on your computer and don’t just install something because something says you need it. Think about it first.

Click through for the removal steps as posted by Apple plus a video showing you what the malware looks like. Any Mac users out there have this problem? Let us know in the comments.

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With all the news and hype surrounding Apple’s iPhone and Google Android-powered smartphones we sometimes forget the Microsoft has smartphones powered by its Windows Phone OS too. In fact, Microsoft just had a big even yesterday to talk all about the coming update to their phone OS.

The next generation, dubbed Windows Phone 7.1 “Mango” has a host of new features and enhancements that I hate to say look pretty darn good. Mango goes a long way to bring the platform up to date, and Microsoft has named HTC, LG, Samsung, Dell, Acer, Fujitsu Limited, ZTE Corporation and of course Nokia as partners moving forward.

Mango will add more robust multitasking support, messaging threads, deeper social integration, a unified email inbox, voice-to-text and text-to-voice support, and about 500 other enhancements to the Windows Phone platform when it launches this fall.

Click through for the full press release from Microsoft as well as a video of some of the new features of Mango.

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Will wonders never cease. After being dark for, um, a little while, it seems Sony has begun the process of restoring the PlayStation Network. About time, I’m sure many would say (and they did).

The first step for Sony’s PlayStation Network members is a firmware update that’s been issued for the PlayStation 3. After applying the patch, your PS3 will restart and then you will be prompted to sign into the PSN. You won’t be able to, however, and instead will be sent an email which includes a link to change your network password.

When I tried last night the servers were so jammed the webpage wouldn’t load. So, be patient. Obviously, a lot of people are trying to do this all at the same time.

Once you can actually change your password, then you can go back to your PS3, sign in, and get back on the network. Oh happy day. Don’t worry if you can’t make all this work just yet. According to Sony, it might take some time.

“Please note that these services will take a bit of time to be turned on and rolled out to the whole country,” the company said in a blog post Saturday. “The process has begun and some states are being turned on now, so please be patient as we reach your city and state.”

In other words, after waiting this long, you may have to wait a bit longer. Anyone having any success with this yet? Let us know how its going for you.

For some reason tech companies seem to think everyone wants a tablet computer. Sure, Apple’s iPad and iPad2 have sold very well and many customers are very satisfied with their purchases. However, Apple, while a significant Tech company with worldwide influence, has had success with a tablet computer, that doesn’t mean everyone wants one or needs one.

Of course, that doesn’t stop companies like Sony from jumping on the bandwagon and coming out with tablets of their own. Really, when has Sony ever tried to miss a bandwagon or, in many cases, try to make one of its own (yes Betamax, MiniDisc and UMD I’m talking about you).

That said, the tablets in question — the S1 and S2 — do look okay and will probably work just fine for those of you not wanting to give Apple any more of your hard earned money for the superior iPad 2 experience. Although, I’m sure many fans would rather Sony spend its time fixing the Playstation Network and far less time putting out tablet computers that most people aren’t going to buy, much like the Motorola Xoom and the RIM Playbook.

However, if you’re still interested, check the video out after the jump.

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Late yesterday, Amazon announced that Kindle customers will soon be able to borrow eBooks from more than 11,000 U.S. libraries. Amazon’s Kindle Library Lending project will enable users to check out eBooks from local libraries and then read them on their Kindle or on any device with Amazon’s free eReader software installed.

But wait, that’s not the only cool thing about this service. Unlike traditional libraries, which don’t allow borrowers to write in books, with this new service readers can make notes and highlight as much as they want. “We’re doing a little something extra here,” said Jay Marine, director of Amazon Kindle.

“Normally, making margin notes in library books is a big no-no. But we’re extending our Whispersync technology so that you can highlight and add margin notes to Kindle books you check out from your local library. Your notes will not show up when the next patron checks out the book. But if you check out the book again, or subsequently buy it, your notes will be there just as you left them, perfectly Whispersynced.”

Sounds pretty cool, right? I wonder if this will in any way help save libraries? Or, will this cause them to be obsolete faster? Either way, its a nice feature for Kindle owners. It would be nice if this could aslo help keep libraries around longer. We’ll see.

Also, what will this mean for the Amazon tablet rumored to be launching later this year? My guess is they will probably hit around the same time.

Amazon is working with OverDrive on its Kindle Library Lending program, which it says will launch later this year. Click through for the full press release from Amazon.

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It’s an historic day Apple fans as we look back 27 years ago at the first time Apple unveiled the Macintosh computer to the world. Steve Jobs introduced the revolutionary Mac on January 24, 1984 to a crowd of around 3000 people and, needless to say, they were quite enthusiastic about it.

The original Apple Macintosh was the first personal computer to run the Mac operating system, then known as System 1.0. It featured impressive (for the time) specs including a 9-inch greyscale monitor, an 8 MHz processor with 128 K of RAM and no internal hard drive, just a floppy. It did, however, feature a really cool rectangular mouse, which you can see in the photo above.

The price? $2495. Which seemed high then and seems really high now. Good thing prices have come down, at least a little. To celebrate, check out the video of Jobs revealing the new Mac after the jump.

As someone who uses a Macintosh every day (I’m writing this on one right now) I thank you Steve Jobs and the entire Mac team for inventing this great machine. Here’s to 27 more years.

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Well, this is interesting. Apparently Verizon has decided to hold a big media event in New York City on January 11th to announce. . . well, we don’t know yet. However, that hasn’t stopped the speculation from going to an even higher level once word of the event came out.

Of course, we think this is the long-rumored Verizon iPhone announcement. And don’t try to tell us different. We believe, darn it. Anyway, whatever it is Verizon is doing a great job of building anticipation for pretty much anything it ends up announcing.

Although, I would bet that people will be far less excited about another 4G LTE device or some announcement other than the iPhone coming to Verizon. If it isn’t the iPhone, I wouldn’t want to be the guy making the announcement that day.

Whatever happens, we’ve only got a few days to wait. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed, shall we?