The Doodle 4 Google 2013 contest was the same as every other year, as Google allowed students from kindergarten to 12 to enter the competition. However, each year the theme is different, with this year being about “My Best Day Ever.” We have to say that this subject was always going to stir up emotions.

The Winning Doodle – This was a poignant Doodle 4 Google winner, as the entry was from a 10-year-old girl named Sabrina Brady, with her Doodle being of her father being greeted by her after he came back from his 18-month tour in Iraq. Knowing people in the forces, I can sympathies with what the young girl went through, and how emotional it was when her father returned home.

Below we have a Doodle 4 Google video, where it explains all about the winning entry, such as how creative the young girl was, and why the judges picked hers as the winning Doodle.

Those of you living in the US will notice the Doodle 4 Google 2013 winning entry will be on the search engine homepage all day today, but the best part is that Google will put $30,000 into Sabrina’s college fund. That’s not all; Google is to also give her school a technology grant worth $50,000.

With the Samsung Galaxy S4 now on the market, we now look ahead to several other big Android sellers. The three most obvious would be the Galaxy Note 3, the Motorola X Phone and the rumored Google Nexus 5 from LG. It’s hard to know which of the three will be the biggest seller, but going by Nexus 4 sales, we’d have to say LG’s handset.

Feasible Google Nexus 5 release window – If we are to look at the latest news in terms of the Nexus 5 release, then the autumn will be its likely release. However, this is not really a huge stretch of the imagination when you consider the Nexus 4 was released in the autumn, well November 13, 2012 to be precise.

LG and Google could try to release the Nexus 5 a little earlier, and seeing as though autumn begins on September 22, they could bring it to market around the same time as the iPhone 5S. However, they would be silly to do so, and although LG should not worry about bringing a new phone to market at the same time as rival handsets, it wouldn’t do any harm holding off just a little longer.

When they do finally bring the Nexus 5 to market, Google and LG had better get their acts together this time, as they had a terrible ordeal last year trying to keep up with stock demand, with each blaming the other.

Okay, so we know that the Nexus 4 was a very popular handset, but then again they were not aware this was going to be the case. With this in mind, both companies will be better prepared, as they can assume the Nexus 5 will be just as popular as its predecessor.

We’ve already discussed the Nexus 5 specs, but it’s hard to believe any of them, as these concepts would have you believe that the Nexus 5 would be the most powerful Android smartphone to date. However, we have a hard time believing this, as Nexus handsets never usually packs the best in cell phone technology. With this in mind, do you believe that the Nexus 5 will be as powerful, if not more powerful than the Google X Phone?

Thanks to Phones Review.

While some of you who have just bought a new phone may be feeling slightly jealous over Google’s announcement of a stock Samsung Galaxy S4, rumors are starting to emerge that it may be joined by another massive smartphone. HTC has distanced themselves from following suit, but we could see a stock version of the HTC One end up on Google’s Play Store as well.

Google are obviously on to a winner with the stock Samsung Galaxy S4, but imagine if they manage to secure a stock HTC One as well.
It’s no secret that a lot of consumers are not a fan of HTC’s custom Sense UI, and one apparent HTC insider has emerged on Twitter to say that it is a ‘fact’ that a HTC One without Sense will be available sometime this Summer.

HTC meanwhile are being very quiet on the rumors, recently telling TechnoBuffulo that no such device is on the way. In terms of wanting to keep product releases a secret though, there’s every chance that HTC are just trying to play down the early speculation for now.

Just how bad are you looking for a stock HTC One? Aside from the lack of Sense, the device should come with the latest version of Android Jelly Bean out of the box and will then receive official software updates first along with the Galaxy S4, via Google’s Nexus program.

Then again, other consumers believe HTC are improving with Sense all the time, so we’ll have to see what happens. It will be a great option to have though if Google suddenly emerges with a collection of high-end smartphones, free from their custom Android skins.

Treat it as a rumor for now until we hear further details. Would you be tempted to buy one of these this Summer or not?

While some of you may have been disappointed to see no official release information on the elusive White Nexus 4 at Google I/O, it appears there may be some light at the end of the tunnel after all. Whispers are emerging that the device is still on course for a release next month and Google may make up for the delay, by releasing the White Nexus 4 as the first device to run Android 4.3.

Android 4.3 is now almost certain to be the next version of Android to release after 4.2, with Google seemingly not ready yet to wow the world with an Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie reveal. The big question now is whether Android 4.3 is going to be a major improvement from the previous version, or if Google plans to make it a minor update.

Either way, the White Nexus 4 will take on added significance next month, as the first device to receive and ship with Android 4.3 out of the box. A rumor over at AndroidandMe suggests that the device will officially go on sale on June 10, direct from the Google Play Store.

As we revealed in a previous report, the White Nexus 4 also looks set to ship with a white back casing only, with the front still enclosed side a black shell. Has Google left it too late though to release the variant, with the ‘White’ color smartphone craze perhaps showing signs of dying out?

Paying $299 for a device, when the fresher Samsung Galaxy S4 Nexus is available at the end of June for $649, may end up being the key factor that requires a lot of thought. Then again, the Nexus 4 is still by no means a hardware slouch, shipping with a quad-core 1.5Ghz processor, 2GB of RAM and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean amongst other delights.

So there we have it. How bad do you want Android 4.3? Desperate to get the White Nexus 4 at launch, or happy to wait until your current Android phone gets an upgrade?

The new Motorola X Phone is expected to be a very special smartphone for so many reasons, one of which is because it could be customizable. We’re not too certain how much of the handset you will be able to change, but something is better than nothing right?

To customize your handset this will take more of a personal touch, and not by tens of thousands of workers from the likes of China. As a result it would be wiser for the so-called Google X Phone to be assembled on home soil. This is not a stretch of the imagination, because this is just what Apple plans to do with their next Mac mini refresh.

If the rumor is true then we could see Motorola X Phone production in the USA, so not only would they be designed in the US, but assembled there as well. That’s not saying that a Chinese company would not have a hand in building the new handset, as Motorola is expected to use the Foxconn plant in California, just as Google Glass will be.

There is a concern that this plant will be unable to keep up with demand, but there’s another US-based Foxconn plant in Texas. It seems as though the Chinese company is aware that companies such as Motorola and Apple want to create more Made in the USA products.

We still expect to see many of the components in these devices to be made in Asian countries, so Samsung can rest assured that they are still needed, although Apple is reducing their need on Samsung. However, they could be changing over to rivals LG instead, which must be like sticking a knife in Samsung.

We touched on changes in the new Google Maps yesterday, which highlighted an official video showcasing what’s new. The changes to Google Maps are impressive and put an already lacking Apple maps to shame, but exactly what changed and how good does it look close up?

Today, we wanted to feature a hands-on with the new Google Maps and the video above delivers just that. The seven and half minute video reviews the changes and runs a few searches to demonstrate what’s new.

This video had been shot during Google I/O and is helped by a member of the Google Maps team. The map is now the UI and they’ve removed a lot of the Chrome around the map, which is notably better with the map being given full focus.

The focus of the new Google maps is to make everything much easier to find and this alone has been made a lot better thanks to all the information being on the map. The Street View experience is embedded directing into the cart, which is much neater and is demonstrated when looking at restaurants during this hands-on. You’ll also see details on the new directions experience and a lot more.

Take a look at the hands-on with the new Google Maps above, and then share a comment with your thoughts. Do you like the new Google Map features?

Google I/O 2013 was considered a fail for those expecting new hardware, but then again we have to remember that the company has always been more about the software. So with that in mind, the event has been a bit of a success considering all the new services and updates that were announced.

However, that still does not excuse the matter that many Android users were hoping to see a Nexus 4 refresh or even the Nexus 5 unveil. Having said that, Google may have leaked something without knowing it, and that’s the Nexus 7, 2nd generation model.

In the video you see below Google was showing the new hangouts features, and 21 seconds in we see what looks to be a new tablet. We say this because it doesn’t look like anything we have seen before, it’s for this reason why we think it could be the Nexus 7 2.

We could be way off base here, but if it is, then we could be expecting the Nexus 7 2nd generation release date very shortly. Do you believe that Google was going to unveil the Nexus 7 refresh at the event yesterday, but held back because they thought it deserved a separate event?

If this is the real deal then let’s hope rumors of a faster processor, rear-facing camera and improved display are true, as well as a slight price reduction over the current model are true.

Do you think this is a teaser video for the Nexus 7 second-gen, or is it a red herring?

Now that the 2013 Google I/O keynote is over we know that a number of our readers would have missed all the juicy details, so to cater to these people we have a couple of videos that will deliver everything you need to know about this years event.

2013 Google I/O keynote, full video vs. key points – the reason we are featuring two videos is thanks to some of our readers having limited time. If you want to see the main announcements in a nutshell, then we have a short video that does just this.

If you want to watch the full 2013 Google I/O keynote video, then this can also be found below thanks to the official video being uploaded to YouTube by Google Developers Live.

The first video delivers a 3-minute and 39 second breakdown of Google I/O, which aims to provide the main points explained during the 2013 keynote. If you’re short on time then it is well worth choosing this option first.

In the second visual you will find the Google I/O keynote unedited, which means you can watch the full video for the 2013 event. The longer option runs for just under 4 hours, although you can scan through the video to the most important parts for you.

Were you disappointed there hadn’t been new hardware? We heard earlier today about some disappointment in regard to the lack of Nexus 5 news, although some people quite rightly point out that this conference had been for developers. Others were disappointed about the lack of details for Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie.

Users of Google Maps are in for a massive treat over the coming weeks, as Google unveiled at their annual I/O event in San Francisco that the service is due for a major overhaul. Google Maps is getting an update, rebuilding the service from the ground up to offer a more personalized and social experience, allowing users to connect with each other like never before.

By personalization, Google has said that they are aiming for every user to ‘get their own map, every time’, whenever they log into the new service following the updates. Google Maps will be able to gather information on points of interest that you choose, producing instant direction results in realtime, along with reviews from other users and related results depending on which location or restaurant that you choose.

This new functionality will also come with a brand new interface, which is best explained by watching Google’s preview video above. The company has confirmed that the updates will be available during the Summer, on all supported Google Map platforms including the iPhone and iPad.

It all looks fantastic, but hopefully Google will be offering their new Map interface in every country from the start – rather than launching in US and then making other countries wait to see the updates as we’ve seen in the past. There is no set release date yet, but Google has said that they will be rolling out the updates in phases.

For now, interested consumers can sign up on Google’s website here, to request an invite for the new Google Maps redesign. Google will then notify you by Gmail if you have been selected. Take a look at the video above and let us know your thoughts on it. Does Apple really have their work cut out now to keep up with Google?

Google may have announced big new changes to their Maps and Hangout services at Google I/O just hours ago, but arguably the biggest announcement of the day was the unveiling of a Samsung Galaxy S4, with a stock Nexus user experience which Google will directly sell themselves through the Play Store.

It means that we didn’t get to see the announcement of the mysterious Google X phone from Motorola, but perhaps we don’t need to anymore. The Samsung Galaxy S4 unveiling by Google will be a stock device, running an untouched version of Android 4.2 which will be a major incentive for a lot of consumers who don’t like using Samsung’s Touchwiz custom skin.

Another major incentive is the fact that Google’s Samsung Galaxy S4 will come with an unlocked bootloader straight out of the box and will have LTE support, on T-Mobile and AT&T. While that is fantastic news for customers on those networks, it is going to be a painful blow for those on Verizon and Sprint who will just have to sit and watch while others enjoy the ultimate Galaxy S4 experience.

Google has confirmed that the device will go on sale on June 25, but the asking price may prove to be a stumbling block for some of you. Unlike the Nexus 4, Google are asking for $649 for their Galaxy S4 and that is only for a 16GB device. There has been no mention of a 32GB model from Google, which could prove to be another issue to contend with.

$649 for a device with impressive hardware features, but only around 12GB of storage to play around with – that surely isn’t enough for most consumers, right? Then again, this is a stock Nexus experience we are talking about, plus a device that is now going to be first in line for all future Android updates – including Android 4.3 which is coming next.

If you are on Verizon or Sprint, give us your reaction to the news. Are you tempted to switch carriers just for this phone? Let’s hope the Google Play Store can keep up with demand this time.