Look at all those IR emitters (we think those are IR emitters). Photo: Eli Milchman/Cult of Android

In the race to bestow absolute control over your home entertainment paraphernalia, the Blumoo device is a sort of a jack-of-all-trades standout.

Similar to the now-discontinued Griffin Beacon, Blumoo lets you control all your devices that normally work with a remote control — TV, DVR, Bluetooth player, stereo, etc — from an Android phone or iPhone. But it also does double-duty as a Bluetooth streaming device, giving you the ability to stream music to pretty much any set of speakers it’s physically connected to.

We had a little hands-on time with the Blumoo, and came away impressed with the device — but frustrated by the software. Also, unfortunately the Blumoo Android app is a few weeks away from availability, so we played around with its iOS sibling instead; we’re not expecting any major difference when the Android app eventually arrives. Here’s what we liked, and didn’t.

Google Maps continues to show why it’s the best app for directions on any platform, with today’s impressive update that packs a number of small tweaks alongside one huge feature that will make following turn-by-turn directions easier and safer than ever.

Having sold its handset business to Microsoft, Nokia has plenty of time on its hands to devote to other projects (probably). The Finnish firm has already announced that it will invest $100 million in car connectivity, and according to a new job listing on LinkedIn, it also has plans to bring back Here Maps for Android and iOS.

The renaissance of the over-the-ear headphone is at full tilt, and big, flashy cans are everywhere — a phenomenon you can, at least in part, thank Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine for. Thank, because it’s a good thing. Because interwoven among the vast army of styles and sounds arrayed for perusal are headphones that specialize: sets that may travel well, or perhaps sate an appetite for tech frills, or even quiet the noisy world.

Velodyne’s vQuiets specialize in all three of the roles mentioned above. As the name probably suggests, they’re the company’s active noise-canceling set, a task it accomplishes, if not excels at; they’re small and fold well, making them a great traveller’s companion; and the set sports a few tech frills. They even sound pretty good. Despite all that — or maybe because of it — the set feels more like a compromise between traits than a shining star.

When Google announced the Google Maps Pokémon Challenge for April Fools’ Day, I immediately opened the app on my phone and began my hunt for little pocket monsters. Unfortunately, the novelty was short-lived, and I only found about 15 before I got bored and stopped looking.

But I’m pretty sure I would have stuck at it and found all 151 if I’d have known a surprise gift from Google was the reward.

That’s right — the search giant is sending free mystery gifts to users who found all 151 Pokémon in Google Maps.