Lots of rumors have been bandied around over the past week or so, highlighting Sony’s upcoming Xperia Z1 variant, the Z1S, and yesterday a leaked image was published on a Chinese website revealing the much-anticipated device in all its glory.

Google has launched a great new contest, entitled #WhatMatters. The competition gives all Google+ users an opportunity to win a brand new 2013 Nexus 7 (16GB Wi-Fi model) or a $50 Google Play gift card, which will be electronically sent to the winners e-mail address.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Gear back in September as a companion device for its flagship Android-powered smartphone of 2013, the Galaxy Note 3. It’s safe to say that many people were amazed by the concept of having a wearable piece of technology which could be used to receive calls, check notifications and take pictures, but when we got our hands on the device, we were somewhat disappointed.

Why does Google call it “Google Now”? Wouldn’t “Google Occasionally” or “Google Never” be more accurate?

Google Now is clearly designed to be used “now,” or all the time, or at any time. The “now” suggests that when something of interest happens, you learn about it “now.”

Trouble is, Google doesn’t present the service in a way that makes it useful as a real-time notification system.

Google unveiled the revamped model of its flagship 7-inch tablet, the Nexus 7, back in June, and a month later the device was available to purchase from the Play Store for $299. However, if your didn’t have the opportunity or the wherewithal to pick one up at the time, it might be of interest to know that you can currently grab the slate for $179.