What Waze, Uber have in common with Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Meyer. A Baja brainstorm: the Churchill Club Award nominations.

Google's app store has come a long way since 2009. I remember the days when it was a rough and tumble place - I wrote then that it was like "walking through a bad neighborhood."

The big question this year is: What smartphone will Google unleash at I/O. The smart money is on a refreshed Nexus. But there's also word of a Motorola X-Phone. Here's what to expect.

I predicted we'd see $99 tablets by Christmas 2011. It didn't happen. I rode Moore's Law too aggressively on that call. Though not official, it's not unrealistic to expect marquee tablets to hit the $149-159 range by summer.

Will Apple's next version of iOS have a social networking-like skin? One challenge is Apple's distinct non core competency in this arena. Their last social networking effort, Ping, was an unmitigated flop.

Jumping into DSLR? Here's a list of gear that can you get started, and on the way to a million views on YouTube.

Features such as Google Now, highly customizable home screens, and a best-in-class notification system, have given Google a leg up on Apple.

If Japan can offer any lessons here – about 20 percent of its population pays for goods and services using mobile devices – it is that laying the groundwork and support for this type of payment takes a deep-pocketed, influential player with a strong will.

Microsoft continues to remain relevant, and took third place once again in the U.S. with 4.7% of all smartphone sales.

Why on earth would we want to be restricted to a world that is increasingly seen as a best-in-class meme generator, a place where we're begged 24/7 to play Mad Skeletons (and Mad Burger!), a town littered with self-shots, and taco shots.