Google Android uncloaks amidst iPigeons, senseless iPhone apps and more Nokia Tube pics

The week in mobile news began over on our sister site Pocket Picks, with a couple of stories from a company that has been a bit on the quiet side of late: Google.

Considering the company's forthcoming Google Android mobile OS appears to be running a bit late (with plenty of major industry players shifting uncomfortably in their plush leather desk chairs as a result) and with Apple and Nokia both making strides in the OS department in the meantime, nobody could blame Google for being a tad sheepish at the moment.

So it was more than a little reassuring to hear from HTC that a Google Android handset is still very much set for release late this year. The news that Qualcomm and Google are partnering to create a, wait for it, iPhone killer, was perhaps less exciting than it might have been if the claim hadn't been made so many times before.

It later transpired that Google, despite its relatively humble experience in the mobile arena so far, is reluctant to team up with other Linux based mobile developers (such as the LiMo foundation) after stating as much, rather publicly and in no uncertain terms, at the Linux World conference in San Francisco.

Nokia did little to bother the headlines, though news that its long awaited files for Ovi is finally coming out of beta territory was certainly welcome and some freshly leaked pics of the touchscreen Tube handset, helped to keep interest levels ticking over dependably.

Then of course there was the iPhone, which as usual generated the most column inches. Not that there was much in the way of substance in the Apple camp. It started early in the week with a repeat of the rumour than an iPhone nano is on the way.

Then later in the week, some entrepreneurial spirit who was clearly banking on human stupidity, did literally just that when he released the I Am Rich application on the App Store which for $1,000 does nothing other than display a little red ruby on your iPhone's screen to let others know how filthy rich you are. The application sold eight copies before Apple pulled it, netting him $5,600 after Apple took its cut.

Indeed the only really news-worthy iPhone news bits concerned the announcement of a rather handy sounding battery pack and word that the new iPhone firmware will have hackers everywhere staying up through the nights looking for a new workaround. Oh and it seems that pigeons have a thing for iPhone games, too.

So with the usual suspects having had their chance to make waves, the end of the week saw a bit of a surge in software and services news. First of all, O2 and Sony BMG joined forces for the release of the new My Play music store which was followed closely by the launch of a new Vodafone mobile music store on its Vodafone Live WAP portal.

We also discovered a handy Last.FM streaming app for S60 called mobbler and another S60 application called we:offset, which helps you foot your carbon emission bills with a minimum of fuss.

And on that nice up-beat note, we are going to finish up for another seven days. Remember to click 'Track It!' to be sure to catch next week's Pocket Picks update.