The big tech news today may have been the Samsung Galaxy S3 and Facebook's impending IPO but would we forget the little guys? Even the really little guys, like Bebo, a bamboo Android phone and a 100-year-old advocate for the Nintendo DS? Never.
Tumbleweed - Hear that? That's the sound of barely anyone caring that Bebo flatlined a couple of nights ago. The tween-friendly network is apparently still with us despite its founder tweeting "Am super sad that Bebo has actually gone. #RIPbebo." [BBC]
Release the hounds - Mr Burns and Marge Simpson are joining Homer in the TomTom sat nav talent line-up, which might have been exciting ten years ago but now it's a bit whatevs. Which Simpsons character will be next? Our money's on Assange. [TomTom]
Brain training -You can keep you Doro phones and your large-print ebooks, 100 year old Kit Connell loves nothing more than a spot gaming on her Nintendo DS. And you thought technology was for the young. [Telegraph]
Test this - It's a tough job, testing games. You have to have cockroaches poured all over your face and drive four-by-fours through puddles and that. At least, so The Tester would have us believe, the American game show in which you can win an entry level job as a game tester. Season three is coming to PSN on 7 February. You wouldn't catch us Brits going in for that kind of thing… Oh, wait. [PlayStation Blog]
Macca bee - Sir Paul McCartney is working on the soundtrack to a videogame because – and we're quoting the great man himself here – "These days a new computer game sells much better than a CD." Peace and love, man. We just hope whatever game it's for has a better title than Macca's latest album. [CVG]
Coldplay warms up - Speaking of album's with questionable names, Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto is now on Spotify after giving the streaming service the high-profile cold shoulder when it was released in October 2011. We're three per cent more likely to listen to it now. Oh, and Bob Dylan's back too. [Music Ally]
£1.7m website - The UK government has splashed the cash on a new website, gov.uk, which replaces directgov.uk and brings all the pesky governmental shenanigans you might need onto one single website. You can try out the beta version now, if you're in the market for a new tax disc or something. [BBC]
Panda phone - A student from Middlesex University has designed a phone made of bamboo. Sounds ridiculous, but it's quite the looker and comes with a ring flash so your photos enjoy even illumination. And it's green. Well, it's brown, but it's made of sustainable materials and runs Android. No word on where you'll actually be able to buy it yet, although it should go on sale this year. [Adzero]
Great Google Maps of China - They're not exactly BFFs but Google and the Chinese government are "currently in discussions" about bringing Google Maps back to the country. The Chinese government is currently reviewing Google's application for an online maps license. Watch this space. [The Next Web]
Stay classy, Microsoft - Never one to miss an opportunity to ridicule its competitors, Microsoft has taken out some major new print advertising letting people know that if they don't like Google's new all-encompassing privacy policy, they can try Microsoft's products instead. Yeah, we're sure Microsoft's policies are so different. [Microsoft]
