Too expensive and too uncontrolled?

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was at the Churchill Club in Santa Clara this week to be interviewed by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman. One of the most interesting subjects he talked about was Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform, and how it compares to its two main rivals, Apple’s iOS, and Google’s Android.

As you might expect, he didn’t have many good things to say about his competitors. In fact, he called Android “wild” and “uncontrolled,” before saying the iPhone is too expensive and too controlled. Windows Phone, he feels, sits in a sweet spot between the two.

Google Play is now home to 700,000 Android apps.

Since its debut back in 2008, Apple’s iOS App Store has held the crown for the largest library of mobile apps and games available. That’s no longer the case, however, as its biggest rival, the Google Play store, has now caught up. Today Google announced that it now offers over 700,000 Android titles.

Finally!

There’s been plenty of debate over whether or not Microsoft will ever bring its Office productivity suite to Android and iOS devices. Many reports have claimed it will, while Microsoft itself has denied the rumors. But now product manager Petr Bobek has confirmed that it will happen next year.

There was once a time when people believed no company would ever be able to knock Microsoft from the top. Then Apple came along with their iDevices and created a culture revolution whilst catapulting themselves to the top of the technology heap. While Apple has continued to dominate the top position, Google has slowly grown from a beta search engine run by two Stanford University students to a tech giant shaping the future with its driverless cars, smart glasses, and open-source mobile operating system.

Before you go saying “of course you’d say that, you’re an Android fan boy,” let me state for the record: I am an Android fanboy. Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s discuss the new Windows 8 devices announced by Nokia today. If you didn’t catch the event, don’t worry, all you need to do is dump a box of fruit loops on your kitchen table and it’ll be like watching the event live.