Google Play, the app market for all things Android, has just achieved its 15 billionth download. Previously called the Android Market, Google Play achieved its 10 billionth download back in December 2011. After taking 22 months to reach its first billion, it appears there’s no slowing Android down as it surges past a healthy 1 billion downloads per month. The latest figures blow last year’s totals out of the water, as this time last year, the Android Market had only just sailed past the 4.5 billion barrier.

How many apps does Google Play currently have available in its catalogue? There are currently more than 440,000 apps available; with nearly 75% of these apps being available for free!

What can be expected by the end of 2012? Expect Google Play to soar high above the 20 billionth download barrier; with the possibility of an increase to 24 billion downloads. The bigger Google Play new story for 2012 however will probably be when it achieves half a million fully functional apps.

Google Play still has to play catch up with the App Store as Apple achieved its 25 billionth download back in March. The App Store currently has 550,000 apps with 170,000 of these built specifically for the Apple iPad.

This week saw the release of Samsung’s new handset, the Samsung Galaxy S3. Following on from the Galaxy S2, the S3 is designed to be Samsung’s flagship handset, and continue their dominance as leaders of the smartphone market.

In keeping with the recent quad-core trend, the Galaxy S3 packs an impressive 1.4 GHz quad-core processor beneath a stunning high definition screen. This, along with a mighty 1GB of RAM will ensure super-fast speeds and great multi-tasking capabilities. The recent Samsung Galaxy Note let Samsung know just how much smartphone users enjoy a large screen, and the new Super AMOLED HD display is no slouch, squeezing a 306 ppi pixel density into a 4.8 inch screen.

Pre-loaded with Android Ice Cream Sandwich, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is served ready for a fully customisable user interface. Beyond the basic’s, there’s some fantastic features enrolled into Samsung’s premium handset for 2012.

Smart Stay

The Samsung Galaxy SIII automatically recognises when you are looking at the phone, whether it is to read an e-book or browse the web. By looking into your eyes, using the front facing camera, the Samsung SIII knows only to lock when you’re not looking.

Direct Call

If you’re halfway through a text and then come to the conclusion it’s easier to call, this next feature is for you. Rather than fumbling around to look up contact details, just hold the phone to your ear and the Samsung Galaxy S3, knows how you want to connect. Direct Call will do all the work necessary to automatically dial their number and help you get in touch.

Buddy Photo-Share

For camera fanatics, the 8 megapixel camera with zero shutter lag will be a welcome upgrade for most smartphone users. With Buddy Photo-share, the S3 recognises faces in photographs and automatically tags them to their social networking feeds. The nervous anticipation of waiting for photos from the night before will be eradicated as Buddy Photo-Share notifies friends instantly. Genius!

Currently available for pre-order, the Samsung Galaxy S3 will be released in the UK on May 30th. For the best Samsung Galaxy SIII deals check out One Stop Phone Shop.

After a recent media invitation inviting the UK media to “come and meet the next Galaxy” the world’s best guess is that the Samsung Galaxy S3 is just moments from being unveiled. Due for announcement on May 3rd at Earl’s Court, London, the Galaxy S3 is Samsung’s flagship mobile device for 2012. What can we expect to be announced at the event? We’ve compiled the strongest rumours to give you the heads up on what to expect.

Screen Size
The Samsung Galaxy S3 screen size will be between 4.3 and 4.8 inches. Samsung are unlikely to make the display size smaller than the Galaxy S2. The Galaxy Note with its 5.3 inch screen caters for those who like their entertainment full sized. A middle ground of 4.6 inches would be perfect.

Processing power
As HTC and LG unveil flagship phones with quad core processors, we’re confident Samsung will do the same. Expect a headline grabbing quad core chip between 1.5 to 1.8GHz. Powerful stuff!

Operating System
Samsung have been rolling the Android Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade to their Galaxy S2 devices over the past few weeks. It seems foolish to have an old model on a more recent version of Android. The Samsung Galaxy S3 should therefore come with a cool scoop of the latest OS straight out the box.

UK release date
Expect the Samsung Galaxy S3 to have a quick turnaround between announcement and availability to purchase. Samsung need to compete with Apple on every level if they want to beat the iPhone 5 and that means a faster turnaround phase. Apple typically release their products within two weeks of announcing them, swallowing fans up in a mad frenzy to get their hands on the latest tech first. Fingers crossed then that we should all get to experience the Samsung Galaxy S3 before the end of May.

For those looking for the next generation tablet device, Intel have recently revealed juicy gossip on the Windows 8 tablets expected in the UK during the second half of 2012.

Windows have kept a low profile in the tablet market; presumably waiting for the right moment to strike in a highly competitive market. Having recently released Windows Phone 7.5 for smartphones such as the Nokia Lumia 900, the operating system offers a colourful and tiled user interface that offers a great alternative to Android or iOS devices. Windows 8 for tablets and PCs looks set to carry forward the tiled design, with greater emphasis on app integration and effortless sharing with friends.

The Windows 8 tablets unveiled by Intel in Beijing, boast impressive hardware to ensure the new operating system runs smoothly. With a dual-core Z2760 processing chip at the ready, the latest Intel tablets offer great multitasking potential. There’s even a “Burst Mode” ready to provide an extra surge of processing muscle when you need it most for high thrills gaming or intense applications.

Intel’s 10 inch tablet will come armed with 4G connectivity so you can stream online content at faster speeds. The inclusion of NFC technology also helps to ensure the latest Windows Intel tablet is future proof and ready for contactless payments, rapid information and seamless sharing with multimedia devices. The powerful processor and 4G won’t leave your battery drained as Intel reveal their latest tablets have a monstrous 9 hour battery life.

In addition, Intel announced an 11 inch tablet equipped with physical keyboard, which is perfect if you find yourself typing long emails or blogs from your tablet device.

Intel tablets with such powerful specifications could be real contenders to take on the likes of the new iPad by Apple, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 series, or Acer Transformer Prime. Roll on Windows 8!

Those Angry Birds are back. Taking projectile fun to new heights, the latest instalment of Angry Birds will feature Space themed levels. Rumours across the internet suggest, Rovio Mobile will launch Angry Birds Space across all major platforms on March 22nd. We can’t wait to get our hands on the opportunity to play with these new zones. Hopefully the programmers at Rovio will offer levels of differing gravity to add different challenges in your mission to eliminate those dastardly green pigs.

The Angry Birds franchise is a phenomenon across the smartphone market. With over 250 million downloads, there’s plenty of satisfied gamers who will flutter their feathers with excitement at the thought of some more bird launching banter. Over the past year, Angry Birds has developed way beyond an app. With a successful line of plush toys, cookbooks, watches and stereo speakers, Rovio is currently valued at 1.5 billion dollars on the US stock exchange.

Going galactic on March 22nd, if Angry Birds Space is to follow the trend of previous Angry Birds titles, expect Rovio’s latest offering to fly high across all platform charts within hours of release.