.
Google is reportedly set to transform GMail into a social hub. The move will bring an additional screen to the GMail service that would broadcast status updates and link shares from contacts. Google hopes that users will be able to quickly integrate the new social aspect into their digital lives, just as GChat and GMail have become essential communication tools. The move finds Google competing directly with Facebook and Twitter.
Barnes & Noble’s Nook eReader is finally slated to hit stores this week. Customers will be able to purchase the Nook at Barnes & Noble retail stores nationwide, where it had previously only been available online. Now that the Nook is widely available the eReader-tablet wars are set to heat up.
An update to the Google Android based Motorola Droid will bring multi-touch functionality to the smart phone. A similar upgrade brought the touch-screen, pinch-to-zoom feature to the Nexus One last week. The upgrade, which is deemed by analysts to be essential, makes the Droid a much more attractive offering for Verizon Wireless customers.
The New Orleans Saints victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Sunday’s Super Bowl garnered the highest ratings in the history of the big game. Nielsen is reporting that an estimated 107 million viewers tuned in for the game.