Fast forward to today. The pace of innovation has never been greater, and Android is the most used mobile operating system in the world: we have a global partnership of over 60 manufacturers; more than 750 million devices have been activated globally; and 25 billion apps have now been downloaded from Google Play. Pretty extraordinary progress for a decade’s work. Having exceeded even the crazy ambitious goals we dreamed of for Android—and with a really strong leadership team in place—Andy’s decided it’s time to hand over the reins and start a new chapter at Google. Andy, more moonshots please!

Andy Rubin started Android back in 2003, before it was acquired by Google. Google CEO Larry Page, who wrote the blog post we’ve linked to, didn’t offer details on what Rubin is doing next.

Sundar Pichai is taking over Google’s Android efforts. He’s a senior VP at Google who also heads up their Apps and Chrome efforts.

Heavily weighted to American readers, but there’s some good general info in there about how to have a political discussion with someone without turning into a raging asshole.

I think Kate pretty much nailed it.

Also: “Hee Haw Folks” made me laugh.

For the traveling photographer—or anyone who shoots in the field—the release of the iPad offered the possibility of a much lighter, easier field kit. Unfortunately, for the first few years of the iPad’s existence, the software did not exist to facilitate a pro-level workflow. Over the last few months, though, a few new apps have hit the store, and they’ve brought some important new post-production capabilities. Depending on your post needs, you might now be able to get away with taking only your camera and an iPad into the field.

The lovely and talented Ben Long offers workflow advice for pro photographers thinking about replacing a Mac laptop with an iPad, for traveling work. Some great suggestions for ways of getting your photos to the iPad and what to do with them once they’re there.

Gone are the days of not being able to categorize your audio recordings and voice memos or remember important moments. With CaptureAudio, your audio recordings can be sorted into binders and notebooks. More importantly, during a recording you can quickly and easily mark significant moments with audio markers called “flags” to immediately start playing from that moment during playback.

I’ve been using this app for a couple of weeks and it’s great.

Starting today, Netflix members in the U.S. can share their favorite shows and movies on Netflix with friends by connecting to Facebook and agreeing to share.

The new feature adds rows to the Netflix interface that show you what movies your Facebook friends have rated highly and what they’ve recently watched. If you’re concerned about letting your friends know about what Netflix calls “guilty pleasures,” you can tell Netflix not to share those details too. Netflix says the feature will roll out to all U.S. customers by the end of the week.

I’m waffling about whether this can be used positively or if it’s just another excuse for social media junkies to overshare every detail of their personal lives.

I’m downloading this today and giving it a try. You can slowdown a song to make it easier to learn how to play, which a lot of apps do, but the app will also show you the chords and when to change when you load an MP3 file into the app. I also like the feature for solos where you can isolate and mute the solo, which means you can play along with the song.

The child’s potty seat with the built-in iPad holder is the one that just makes me shake my head sadly. Here’s to a new generation of Twitter shitters.

“We obviously are interested in bringing out new ideas, but at the same time we also have our hands full with trying to bring many of our popular franchises to new systems,” he said. “So, the struggle for us then becomes, how do we find the balance in there and try to deliver the content that people want while also surprising them with something new?” Miyamoto said.

As Jony Ive is to the industrial design of Apple products, video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto is to the games that run on Nintendo’s consoles. He’s created some of Nintendo’s most successful video game franchises and characters, like Mario, Donkey Kong and the Legend of Zelda.

As the Papal Conclave happens in Rome, the cardinals spend their days in the Sistine Chapel. Here is a very cool VR of the inside of the chapel.

io9:

The relatively cheap shipping container is a good foundation for a strong, mobile, and post-apocalyptic home. In the last two decades, architects have been looking for shipping containers for sale in NY and incorporating these shipping containers into everything from schools to houses — for aesthetic reasons, but also out of economic necessity. Here are some of their most eye-catching creations.

You’d think living in a shipping container means your life couldn’t get much worse but take a look at some of these beautiful and innovative homes and tell me you wouldn’t want to live in any one of them.

This is really good.

A touching account of Karyn’s sudden battle with brain cancer. Be well Karyn.

Boing Boing:

Imagine my delight when I happened to discover Netflix had added the legendary ‘50s TV show, “You Bet Your Life” to its streaming service. The reason for my delight? The host of “You Bet Your Life” was none other than my grandfather, the one and only Groucho Marx.

But I also couldn’t stop thinking about how close every one of those classic episodes of “You Bet Your Life” came to being destroyed many years ago and how my grandfather and I managed to stop that from happening.

I’ve always been a huge Marx Brothers’ fan and especially of Groucho Marx. I’ve only ever seen short clips of “You Bet Your Life” but I’m happy to hear they were saved and are on Netflix!

Taylor announced the dates of its Road Show 2013 events.

Twelve South offers an insert to make the BookArc compatible with the iPad mini now. I have the BookArc for iPad and love it.

Happening in San Diego over four days this August. New conference tracks include Design and Business.

In other words, Apple sold almost twice as many iPhones last quarter as Samsung has sold Notes ever. So, who’s making the kinds of phones that consumers want again? While the category of pocket-busting phones may be growing, it’s hardly iPhone-threatening.

Every year or two there’s a new product fad that analysts say Apple absolutely must do in order to stay relevant. Netbooks. Low-cost PCs. Etc.

Sometimes Apple actually responds to market pressure, like it did with the iPad mini. It was able to engineer a product that didn’t compromise the core user experience, and it’s built a very successful product as a result.

But every time I see someone holding a Galaxy Note, I can’t help but think how ridiculous and uncomfortable it looks, and how un-Apple like it is. So I’m inclined to agree with Moltz here.

Curtis Woodhouse is an ex-pro footballer (soccer player) turned boxer who recently lost his title on a points decision. The defeat, perhaps predictably, elicited some nasty comments to Woodhouse on Twitter.

After some taunting at the hands of a Twitter user who went by the modest moniker of “the master,” Woodhouse decided to take matters into his own hands. He asked for, and got, the address of the fellow, and decided to pay him a visit, live tweeting the entire thing. What follows is priceless.

Bottom line: Think you’re anonymous? Even on the Internet, it’s wise not to let your mouth (or your keyboard) write checks that your ass can’t cash.

[Looks like the site we linked to is having some trouble. Check The Guardian if that link doesn’t work.]

New version for Pro Tools and Pro Tools HD users.

The Wirecutter:

If I wanted to spend less than $700, the Canon Rebel T4i…would be my pick — but first I’d have to decide if I’d even want a DSLR to begin with.

Here’s the rub: if you’re newly making the switch to a lens-based system, and don’t plan on going pro, it’s really debatable if you even want a DSLR. While the format has some advantages, there’s very little that an entry-level DSLR can do that a new Mirrorless camera can’t do just as well while taking up much less space.

I would agree with this reviewer. If you’re looking at a budget DSLR, make sure you take a long hard look at the crop of (very good) Mirrorless cameras on the market today.

Gadling:

If I ruled the world, I would issue a decree commanding every hotel to install minibars stocked with $2 bottles of beer. But since that’s never going to happen, you might have to go to Nicaragua to experience such an enlightened minibar alcohol policy.

Two dollars is actually a pretty high price for a beer in Nicaragua, where most places charge $1 for a 12-ounce bottle of local beer. The Hotel Plaza Colon is an outstanding hotel and room rates there hover around $100 a night.

I might look at Nicaragua for my next big boy vacation! Any Loopers ever vacationed in the country?

Tell me this – Do you want to go to a site, click on something that looks like a story and instead have an ad fed to you? Because that’s what Mashable just “invented.”

I know what I think of this.

Heads up, Windows users. Tomorrow, Microsoft will release an update for Internet Explorer 10 that enables Flash content in both Windows 8 and Windows RT.

Yet another reason to never use it.

Preschoolians is a footwear company for children birth to five years of age. Our footwear most closely resembles being barefoot. Our footwear protects the feet while being sure to stay out of the way.

Our Visu-Fit is a clear panel on the bottom of the shoe which allows parents to know for sure if our footwear fits and when it is time for a new pair. Time Magazine awarded Visu-FIt Invention of the Year.

Our recently introduced E-Photo-Fit allows you to take a photo of the bottom of your child’s foot and know for sure which size to order. We have have the largest selection of footwear in the world for pre-schoolers; in fact billions of choices.

We are the only company which even allows you to custom design the colors using our Design Your Own.

Use the code: theloop to save 20% on your first purchase.

This is cool. There are lots of products that help you find things like your iPhone, but they are already lost at that point. The purpose of Linquet Mini is to make sure you don’t lose them in the first place. Watch the video.