Australian telecoms firm Telstra have teamed up with Google to unveil the world’s first Android Store. Located in Melbourne, Androidland combines fun and education to deliver the full Android experience within a retail environment.

As well as the ability to try and buy the latest Android smartphone and tablet devices, Androidland pushes the customer experience further with fun and games for kids and adults.  The Spaceship Hub, lets you play Angry Birds on a huge display, making those crash landings look even more spectacular. Explore your favourite parts of the world with Google maps also on a big screen. It seems every detail to deliver fun and a unique experience has been crafted into the project. There’s even an aroma of freshly baked gingerbread as you walk the store; a tribute to the Android 2.3 operating system. I wonder if they’ll give out ice-cream sandwiches any time soon?

The unveiling of a physical Android presence seems a logical move if Android are to maintain their status as the leading operating system. Offering personal advisors much like the global chain of Apple stores, Androidland opens opportunity for potential users to ask any burning questions in a face to face environment; ideal for those new to smartphone technology or wondering about changing their OS.

Will we see Androidland stores rolled out across the UK?  Whether the Melbourne store is a publicity stunt or a trial for future expansion will depend on its ability to educate potential users on the capabilities of Android. Go on, Androidify Yourself!

Amazon report their latest tablet, the Kindle Fire, has sold “millions” of units since its American launch on 15th November. Such high opening sales figures could be attributed to “Black Friday” (The final payday before Christmas) where customers purchased four times as many Kindle devices than in 2010. The 7 inch, Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS tablet appears to be a firm favourite with audiences due to its access to rich downloadable content and obscenely low price tag of $199. To put it in perspective, the price of a Kindle Fire is more than half the price of an iPad 2!

Data from HIS iSuppli suggests the Kindle Fire tablet is sold at a loss of $2 per unit. As Amazon are intent to make their profit through the sales of digital media and features such as Amazon Plus, it sounds a great strategy in order to take on the big giants within the tablet industry.  Amazon already own a positive reputation thanks to their popular e-reader, the Amazon Kindle. It’s therefore no surprise that the Kindle Fire has opened with such a warm reception.

A UK release date is yet to be confirmed. Considering Amazon generate income through the additional features such as movie streaming and the Cloud storage, it’s likely that these operations need to be established in the UK before we can look forward to the latest Amazon tablet. With such a market leading price, reputable brand name and huge revenue potential, a UK release of the Kindle Fire should be burning bright at the top of Amazon’s priority list!

Christmas has come early for Xbox live gamers who are set for a new dashboard update on December 6th.  One of the main new features will allow Xbox 360 users to stream a variety of content from third party sources.  Catch up on your favourite TV shows with BBC iplayer, 4oD and Demand 5.  Download the latest films with Love Film and Crackle.  With Youtube, VEVO and MUZU.TV also making the upgrade, Xbox are fast catching PS3 as a console to offer entertainment features beyond gaming.

The latest Xbox live update also offers improved functionality and data protection.  With the introduction of Cloud Storage to save your game progress and Live profile, you’re covered should your Xbox break unexpectedly.  Social integration is going to allow you to stand proud (or embarrassed) as your achievements are announced on Facebook.  A step ahead of PlayStation is the release of integrated voice navigation across the dashboard, in apps and Bing Search, which will bring a dynamic and fresh experience to home entertainment.

With so many exciting features released to Xbox Live on the 6th December, it’ll be hard to switch off your Xbox 360 this Christmas!

The latest edition to the Call of Duty franchise; Modern Warfare ® 3, has shattered all previous records of release day sales, reporting  6.5 million units sold across the United Kingdom and North America within the first 24 hours of its release. An estimated 13,000 midnight launch parties held in retail stores worldwide assisted enthusiastic gamers to kick start their online multiplayer campaign before the rest of the world.

Modern Warfare 3 achieved a day-one sell through of over $400 million, gunning down the record previously held by predecessor Black Ops ($360 million). Interestingly, the sales from the entire Call of Duty franchise exceed theatrical box office sales of the iconic “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” franchises.

From a personal level, I was lucky enough to get my hands on a PS3 copy from a midnight launch party at my local Tesco.  I’m a great fan of Survival mode on Special Ops with its increasing difficulty and variety of targets to eliminate. With a shameful kill ratio of just 0.5, it’ll be a long time before I can shake off my noob status!

This week Apple released its GarageBand app for the iPhone, for all music making fans out there. Users can now play music on screen such as drums, guitar and even the piano! The app has all the features that the iPad app has, including a multi-touch interface with Smart and Touch instruments. As there’s a built in mic you can also record vocal tracks and with the use of the adapter you can even plug in an electric guitar into your iDevice and record your own music through the amp and add stompbox effects. It’s amazing that you can do all this just from your phone.

It’s definitely a fantastic app for all creative and musical people out there, so get ready to make some great music!