According to Geek, HTC is considering making available a Google Edition stock Android variant of the HTC One that will come without the company’s Sense UI.

According to sources, the smartphone will be announced in the next two weeks and possibly released in the US this summer although it is unclear how it will actually be available for consumers to purchase – perhaps like the Galaxy S4 Google Edition, it will be sold by Google.

Prior to its official announcement at Google I/O this year, Geek accurately leaked information about the upcoming Galaxy S4 Google Edition so this rumour could very well turn out to be true, however with the recent departure of a number of HTC staff members, anything could happen.

This “falls in line with claims from HTC that production for the One will be doubling soon, as well as plan to have the HTC One updates to Android 4.2.2. in the same time frame,” says the blog.

Earlier this month it was reported that Facebook was in negotiations with Israeli-based crowdsourced mapping and traffic application Waze.

With negotiations having already begun over 6 months ago it was believed that Facebook was looking to acquire the startup for about $1 billion in an effort to expand its mobile presence across platforms.

While that deal was never officially confirmed Bloomberg now reports that Google Inc. is also interested, creating a possible bidding war with the social network and looks to block Facebook from becoming a competitor as a mapping service provider.

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As the runner up in the South African leg of TNW Global Startup Competition, if you haven’t heard of Cape Town- based Hiring Bounty, now’s the time.

Launched in August 2012, by its 25 year-old founder Greg Schneider, Hiring Bounty is a platform where individuals are able to earn a financial reward for referring friends, former colleagues and acquaintances to their ideal jobs. This crowdsourced recruitment offering lists vacancies in the marketing, IT and finance sectors and individuals are incentivised to leverage their networks and connect the right individual to the right job through a pre-determined “bounty” offering.

The business model is based on the concept that referrals produce better candidates and that your social network has access to the most current information regarding your skills and career aspirations.

Schneider says that the concept of this model was borne out of his frustration with recruitment agencies. “I was continuously targeted for positions I was ill-suited for and I figured that the market could do with something a little more innovative, yet simple,” he explains. “I am confident that this platform will revolutionise the recruitment process and the industry as we know it.”

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According to a Samsung press release published by Endgadget, the phone maker has announced that it has sold over 10 million Galaxy S4 handsets less than one month after its global release – read about the Johannesburg launch event.  

This follows a prediction by Samsung CEO JK Shin who confidently told the Korean press at the beginning of this week that the flagship smartphone would pass 10 million units sold before the week was out.

This makes the Samsung Galaxy S4 the fastest selling Android phone ever selling at a rate of four units per second.

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Frozen yoghurt brand Wakaberry celebrated its 2nd birthday on 22 May and with it, its growing online community – an impressive achievement for a relatively new food brand in South Africa.

In two years Wakaberry bars have grown from one flagship store in Florida Road, Durban to 15 stores in four provinces and will open five more stores in the next month.

Wakaberry has set the benchmark for other ‘new’ brands aiming to market themselves on digital platforms. The Facebook page was launched  when Wakaberry opened its first store in May 2011 and in two years has over 70, 000 followers with hundreds joining every week. The page actively markets new stores, flavours, merchandise and events with regular updates and an overall emphasis on real engagement that evokes reaction and creates interaction.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook faces the US Senate

Apple CEO, Tim Cook recently testified at a senate hearing about the company’s tax avoidance practices during which he and other experts were questioned about tax “gimmickry”.

A report about this matter has been published that details Apple’s clever strategies in avoiding paying tax. According to Business Insider, the report published by the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations shows how Apple “uses a variety of offshore structures and arrangements to shift billions of dollars from the United States to Ireland” using its primary offshore holding company Apple Operations International (AOI).

A key quote from the report explains why AOI exists:

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In a new advertisement released for Windows 8,  titled Windows 8: Less talking, more doing, Microsoft is taking a fresh dig at the Apple iPad’s OS and pricing using its very own Siri.

In the advert, Siri acknowledges it’s inability to complete various tasks while the the Microsoft ASUS VivoTab Smart tablet with Windows 8, does so with ease using Powerpoint and side-by-side apps with Live Tiles.

Surrendering to Windows 8, Siri suggests playing chopsticks, in a parody of the iPad Mini Piano advertisement released in November 2012,

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In February, we reported that a $10 million X Prize was fueling a race to make the Tricorder, a fictional medical device featured on Star Trek,  a reality. The Tricorder is a handheld device used for sensor scanning  and data analysis to diagnose various ailments.

One of the contenders for this prize is the Scout, developed by Belgian digital entrepreneur Walter De Brouwer, the CEO of Scanadu. Scanadu, based at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California,  makes medical technology devices for consumers.

However, the Scout was not originally intended for consumers but rather to provide a way for astronauts to monitor their health on the International Space Station and is built on Micrium, the same real-time operation system for SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) on the Mars Curiosity rover.

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